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The Slitz formed in 1976 in London, England. The original members, all female, were: Arianna Forster (aka Ari Up, Ari-Up & Madusa, vocals), Paloma Romera (aka Palmolive, drums), Kate Korus (guitar) & Suzi Gutsy (bass). Viv Albertine & Tessa Pollitt would later replace Kate & Suzi. Pete Clarke (aka Budgie, formerly of Spitfire Boys & later to join Siouxsie and the Banshees), was the drummer when Palmolive left to join The Raincoats - then later Bruce Smith.
They released their first album 'Cut' on Island Records in 1979, a Bootleg Retrospective on Rough Trade Y in 1980, and The Return Of The Giant Slits in 1981. Further releases since their initial split in 1981 are two sessions for the John Peel show released on Strange Fruit, In The Beginning: A Live Anthology 1977-1981, and Live At The Cibus Club. Ari Up, went on to help form, The New Age Steppers. The Slits have since reformed with original members Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt plus new members Hollie Cook on keybooards, and Anna Schulte on drums, and guitarist No. The band toured widely and released another album, Return of the Giant Slits before breaking up in early 1982. Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt reformed the band with new members in 2005. In October 2006 the EP Revenge Of The Killer Slits was issued and in October 2009 the well-received album Trapped Animal was released.
On Wednesday October 20th 2010 John Lydon's web site announced that, after a serious illness, Ari Up had died.
Sites: Wikipedia, Discogs and MusicBrainz
I Heard It Through the Grapevine
The Slits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Bout your plans to make me blue
Some other guy that knew before
Between the two of us guys you know I love you more
It took me by surprise I must say
When I found out yesterday
Don't you know that
I heard it through the grapevine?
Not much longer would you be mine
Oh, I heard it through the grapevine
Oh, I'm just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey, yeah
Heard it through the grapevine
How much longer would you be mine, baby?
I know that a man ain't supposed to cry
But these tears can't hold inside
Losin' you would end my life you see
'Cause you mean that much to me
You could have told me yourself
That you love someone else
Instead
I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine
Oh, I heard it through the grapevine
And I'm just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey, yeah
Heard it through the grapevine
How much longer would you be mine, baby?
People say believe half of what you see
Son, and none of what you hear
I can't help bein' confused
If it's true, please tell me, dear
Do you plan to let me go
For the other guy you loved before?
Instead
I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine
Baby, I heard it through the grapevine
And I'm just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey, yeah
Heard it through the grapevine
How much longer would you be mine, baby?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Heard it through the grapevine
How much longer would you be mine, baby?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Heard it through the grapevine
How much longer would you be mine, baby?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Heard it through the grapevine
How much longer would you be mine, baby?
The Slits’s rendition of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” is a cover of the Motown classic originally performed by Marvin Gaye. The song is a mournful reflection on a failed relationship, with the singer discovering from gossip that their partner is cheating on them. The lyrics reveal their sorrow and confusion at the news, wondering why their partner didn’t come clean themselves. The line “Heard it through the grapevine” has since become a widely used term to describe the spread of news or rumors from one person to another.
The song was a hit for Motown artist Marvin Gaye in 1968, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The Slits released their version in 1979 as a B-side to their single “Typical Girls”. The Slits’ version, like many of their songs, incorporates elements of reggae music and features a more raw, punk sound than the polished Motown original.
Interestingly, the lyrics to “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” were originally written with a gender-neutral pronoun (“you”), but Gaye changed the lyrics to “heard it through the grapevine, not much longer would YOU be mine” to emphasize the personal nature of the song. This change has been controversial and has been critiqued for perpetuating stereotypes of women as fickle and unfaithful.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh, I bet you're wondering how I knew
I know that you're curious about how I found out
'Bout your plans to make me blue
About your intentions to cause me sadness
Some other guy that knew before
Another man had discovered before I did
Between the two of us guys you know I love you more
Out of the two of us, you know that I love you more
It took me by surprise I must say
I was caught off guard, I have to admit
When I found out yesterday
Just yesterday I discovered this information
Don't you know that
Are you not aware that
I heard it through the grapevine?
I learned this through the grapevine rumor mill
Not much longer would you be mine
It won't be much longer until you leave me
Oh, I heard it through the grapevine
Oh, I heard this through the grapevine rumor mill
Oh, I'm just about to lose my mind
Oh, I'm almost going crazy
Honey, honey, yeah
Oh, my dear, yes
How much longer would you be mine, baby?
For how much longer will you be with me, my love?
I know that a man ain't supposed to cry
I understand that men aren't supposed to cry
But these tears can't hold inside
But I can't help holding back my tears
Losin' you would end my life you see
Losing you would be the end of me, you know
'Cause you mean that much to me
Because you mean so much to me
You could have told me yourself
You could have personally told me
That you love someone else
That you love another person
People say believe half of what you see
People say that only half of what you see is true
Son, and none of what you hear
My child, and none of what you hear
I can't help bein' confused
I can't help being confused
If it's true, please tell me, dear
If this is true, please tell me, my love
Do you plan to let me go
Do you intend to break up with me
For the other guy you loved before?
For the man you loved before?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yes, yes, yes, yes
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@poor_impulsive
Im 6yrs old and Egyptian hearing this for the first time. Makes me feel like eating pizza
@THEDIONYSUSEFFECT
Thank you Kenny Powers for showing me this gem of a cover!
@themandiva
I'm here thanks to Glen and Glenda!
@mistersloppy
i taped this off the radio in 1979 on a portable radio cassette player , not knowing who the band was, and after 42 years , i've finally found out who did this awesome version. July 24, 2021... i listened to this so many times on that cheap cassette player. i loved her voice, and the way she brings in the first verse..
"i bet, I bet, I bet, i bet, i bet youre wondering how i knew.."
thanks YouTube
@TheDjcarlos67
I had a similar thing happen to me in 1979. I tapes a song of Radio 1 and instantly loved it but never knew who it was. I found it in 2020 in a little vinyl shop on the Isle of Man. Hammond Song by The Roches. Check it out 🎶
@molehammer
I've been listening to this for about a year and I am astounded to now find out that it's actually from 1979
@shamiekmcmullen-slater7891
Lmk if chucky brought you here. This song is straight fire and I wish I heard it sooner but fuck it, I’m glad I found it now 🤘🏾
@jackholder7979
This cover is so well put together can't believe I've only discovered this song yesterday! Why do alternative hits of this era never get the recognition they deserve!
@donaldkerr4310
That is the way I felt when I discovered this gem
@tantilizingtrip1
I discovered it 2months ago also and can’t believe it’s the first time I have heard it
On constant repeat!