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/
London Lady
The Stranglers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With Dingwall's bullshit
You're so stupid
Affected brainwaves
Little lady
What really happens
When you see mirrors
You get the shivers
Ah
Making love to
The Mersey Tunnel
With a sausage, have you ever been to Liverpool?
Please don't talk much
It burns my ears
Tonight you've talked for a thousand years
Plastic's real when you're real sick
Plastic's real when you're real sick
Plastic's real when you're real sick
Plastic's real when you're real sick
Plastic's real when you're real sick
Plastic's real when you're real sick
Plastic's real when you're real sick
Plastic's real when you're real sick
Tell me what you've got to look so pleased about
Tell me what you've got to look so pleased about
Oh London Lady
Why did you lay me?
Your head is crowded
With the names you've hounded
The lines around your
Eyes they show me
You realize the party's over London Lady
Party's over London Lady
Tell me what you've got to look so pleased about
Tell me what you've got to look so pleased about
The song London Lady by The Stranglers is an interesting take on an encounter with a woman who has a plastic personality, lacking intellectual depth and authenticity. The song seems to be addressing the woman in a condescending manner, highlighting her lack of intelligence and genuine emotions. The first verse talks about her being affected by Dingwall’s bullshit, implying that she can easily be manipulated or swayed by something that may not even be true. The line “What really happens when you see mirrors, you get the shivers” may suggest that she is uncomfortable with her own reflection as she has nothing real to offer.
The second verse continues with the same theme, where the woman is engaging in an absurd act of making love to the Mersey Tunnel with a sausage. The line “Plastic’s real when you’re real sick” seems to be an ironic statement about how what appears fake or plastic can be real to someone who is unwell or unstable. The final verse is a culmination of the song’s message where the woman’s hounded names and lack of intellect is causing her to realize that “the party’s over London Lady”. The repeated line “tell me what you’ve got to look so pleased about” is a rhetorical question aimed at the woman, questioning what could possibly make someone with a shallow personality and a lack of authenticity keep up appearances.
Line by Line Meaning
Little lady
Addressing a woman with patronizing tone
With Dingwall's bullshit
With all the nonsense and rumors you believe in
You're so stupid
You lack basic intelligence
Affected brainwaves
Your thought process is abnormal
What really happens
What do you experience
When you see mirrors
When you look at yourself in mirrors
You get the shivers
You feel uneasy or nervous
Making love to
Having sexual intercourse with
The Mersey Tunnel
A tunnel in Liverpool
With a sausage, have you ever been to Liverpool?
Asking if she has ever been to Liverpool and if she had sex there
Please don't talk much
Asking her to stop talking
It burns my ears
Her voice irritates me
Tonight you've talked for a thousand years
You spoke too much for too long
Plastic's real when you're real sick
Plastic surgery might seem like a viable solution when you're desperate or unhappy
Tell me what you've got to look so pleased about
Asking why she is happy
Oh London Lady
Addressing a woman from London
Why did you lay me?
Asking why she had sex with the artist
Your head is crowded
Your mind is full of
With the names you've hounded
The people you chased or idolized
The lines around your
The wrinkles on the edges of
Eyes they show me
They reveal to me
You realize the party's over London Lady
You finally understand that the fun is over and you must face reality
Party's over London Lady
The party is over in London
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Brian John Duffy, David Greenfield, Hugh Alan Cornwell, Jean Jacques Burnel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind