Original personnel were singer/guitarist Hugh Cornwell (from Kentish Town, London), keyboardist/guitarist Hans Wärmling (from Sweden, replaced within two years by Brighton-born keyboardist Dave Greenfield), London-born bass guitarist Jean-Jacques Burnel and drummer Jet Black (real name Brian Duffy), a native of Ilford, Essex.
They began as a sinister sounding, hard-edged pub rock group, but eventually branched out to explore other styles of music. The Stranglers were, beginning in 1976, tangentially associated with punk rock, due in part to their opening for The Ramones' first British tour. The Stranglers were also associated with new wave music as well as gothic rock, but their idiosyncratic approach never fit completely within a musical genre.
In August 1990, founding member Cornwell left the band to pursue a solo career. In his autobiography, Cornwell states that he felt the band was a spent force creatively, and cited various examples of his increasingly acrimonious relationship with his fellow band-members, particularly Burnel. The remaining members recruited two replacements, including John Ellis, who had opened for the band in the 1970s as a member of The Vibrators, and singer Paul Roberts.
Interest in The Stranglers resurfaced when, in 2001, singer Tori Amos covered their song "Strange Little Girl" and titled the album it was featured on Strange Little Girls. "Golden Brown" was also used in the hit film Snatch by film director Guy Ritchie and extensively in the Australian film He Died With A Felafel In His Hand. Their hit "No More Heroes" was covered by Violent Femmes and used for the film Mystery Men. "Peaches", finally, also appears prominently in another British movie, Sexy Beast by director Jonathan Glazer.
The Stranglers had a critical and popular renaissance in 2004 (together with their first top 40 hit for 14 years - "Big Thing Coming") with the acclaimed Norfolk Coast album and a subsequent sell-out tour. The follow-up album, Suite XVI, was released in September 2006 (the title is a pun on "Sweet 16" and also a reference to the fact that it is the band's 16th studio album).
During the recording of Suite XVI Paul Roberts left the band to pursue his solocareer. Guitarist Baz Warne, who replaced John Ellis in 2000, became the main vocalist.
A quite rare Hugh Cornwell audio interview may be listened to on http://www.jasonwrightonline.com/
Joy De Viva
The Stranglers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And hid it away in a secret place
The night was dark and the ground was cold
I slipped myself into a pool
I saw the trees but not the wood
And floated in an icey flood
As cold began to freeze my heart
I heared a voice come through the dark
Light up the fire
Joy de viva
Joy de viva
Smile your shining smile on me
If you see her
Say I need her
Joy de viva
Joy de viva
Now sunburned men tell tales of me
Of how I sail the ocean deep
Upon the brow I shade my face
Searching for that sate of grace
Every night the moon appears
She shows me that I need not fear
The crashing rocks and siren wind
And I will find her in the end
Then I will run
Into her fire
The Stranglers’s song Joy De Viva talks about a lost love that has wiped the smile right off the singer’s face and hid it away in a secret place. The singer is lost and floating in a pool, unable to see the wood for the trees and is slowly freezing. Suddenly, a voice comes through the dark and tells the singer to light up the fire and bring up the coals in a joyful manner. The singer pleads to this voice to bring back the shining smile that was once wiped off their face. The singer asks if anyone sees her to tell her that they need her, calling her Joy de viva.
The singer goes on to talk about how sunburned men tell tales of them and their sailing journeys on the ocean deep, while they shade their face and search for a state of grace. Every night, the moon appears, and she reminds them that they need not fear the crashing rocks and siren winds - they will find her in the end. Finally, the singer vows to run into her fire once they have found this love again.
The song speaks to the experience of losing someone and searching for them relentlessly, even going through dangerous waters to find them. The chorus, “Joy de viva,” is a made-up phrase that the singer uses to refer to this lost love, similar to the way one can use the word “baby” as a nickname.
Line by Line Meaning
She wiped the smile right off my face
She took away my happiness from me
And hid it away in a secret place
She kept it hidden and away from me
The night was dark and the ground was cold
It was a cold, dark evening
I slipped myself into a pool
I immersed myself into a pool of water
I saw the trees but not the wood
I saw individual parts but missed the bigger picture
And floated in an icey flood
I drifted along in freezing water
As cold began to freeze my heart
My heart started to feel numb with the cold
I heared a voice come through the dark
I heard a voice from the darkness
Bring up the coals
Increase the heat
Light up the fire
Start a fire
Joy de viva
Enjoy life
Joy de viva
Enjoy life
Smile your shining smile on me
Make me happy with your beautiful smile
If you see her
In case you see her
Say I need her
Tell her I want her
Joy de viva
Enjoy life
Joy de viva
Enjoy life
Now sunburned men tell tales of me
People talk about me
Of how I sail the ocean deep
Of my adventures at sea
Upon the brow I shade my face
I shield my eyes from the sun
Searching for that sate of grace
Looking for a state of perfection
Every night the moon appears
The moon comes out every night
She shows me that I need not fear
The moon reassures me
The crashing rocks and siren wind
The noise of the sea and the wind
And I will find her in the end
I will eventually find her
Then I will run
I will hurry
Into her fire
Into her warm embrace
Contributed by Keira I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Shice Squad
Hidden gems? You can say that again. But "In the Night" and especially "About Time" were pretty damned full of hidden gems, don't you think? Most of the songs on both of those albums were at least pretty good. Pity this incarnation didn't last long, I thought that guitarist wrote pretty good stuff!
Jeffery Molnar
Paul Roberts, U are the bomb!! 💥
Jeffery Molnar
Paul Roberts, U are the bomb!! 💥
Jeffery Molnar
Paul Roberts, U are the bomb!! 💥
Pat Kloovay
jesus christ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!