They received critical and popular acclaim internationally. They first came to notice in the UK when BBC radio DJ John Peel played "Birthday", later voted by his listeners as no.1 in the 1987 Festive Fifty, and no. 23 in the Millennium (All Time Chart). The band's music was characterized by psychedelic sound, whimsical yet heartfelt lyrics, and the imploring, girlish voice of Björk Guðmundsdóttir, who later went on to great success as a solo artist. The band's name was assumed by its fans to be an LSD usage reference; the drug had regained widespread popularity while the band was releasing music.
The Sugarcubes released their first album, Life’s Too Good, in April 1988. Inspired by the success of the album in Europe, their second album followed shortly after in October 1989. Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week! took it’s name from the Kenneth Grahame novel Wind in the Willows. It was also released in an Icelandic version titled Illur Arfur. The second album wasn’t as well received by critics as their debut.
The third and final studio album by the band, Stick Around For Joy, was released in 1992, and featured the successful single Hit which reached No: 17 in the UK charts.
While not as successful as Björk's solo career would be, the band is still very highly regarded and was the most influential Icelandic group until the rise of Sigur Rós.
The Sugarcubes dissolved in 1992 as different members of the band had realised they all had different ambitions; instead of risking their friendship, the band went on an indefinite hiatus. They remain friends to this day and are all still involved in the management of Smekkleysa/Bad Taste (not to be confused with the Swedish label of the same name).
On November 17 2006, the band had a one-off reunion concert at Laugardalshöll sport arena in Reykjavík, Iceland, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut single with all profits going to the non-profit Smekkleysa SM to promote Icelandic music. They were supported by fellow Icelandic groups múm and Rass. Despite this reunion, the group has expressed that it has no intention to play future shows or record new material.
Bandmembers:
* Björk Guðmundsdóttir (vocals, keyboards)
* Einar Örn Benediktsson (vocals, trumpet)
* Sigtryggur Baldursson (drums)
* Þór Eldon (guitar)
* Bragi Ólafsson (bass)
* Margrét (Magga) Örnólfsdóttir (keyboards) - 1989+.
* Einar Melax (keyboards) - 1987-89
Blue Eyed Pop
The Sugarcubes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's just fabulous to go twisting,
Bjork
Twisting.
Einar
Boogieing, in beat with
Bjork
Beat with
Einar
The thousand pound
Einar & Bjork
Snare sound.
Einar
After boogieing
We all crave for a hot-dog spashed with noise
Bjork
Noise
Einar
Queue and spew then back home to our
Einar & Bjork
Love nest
Einar
Need I say more.
Oh! This blue eyed pop is just pure ecstasy.
Bjork
This is too much fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun
Everyone is so close to laughing,
This kind of joy won't last,
Something wonderful is about to happen
I feel perfectly ready
Don't know yet what it is
But i'll look inside this disco! Waouh!
This is so hot hot!
Oh, we melt together
Like tigers
And we're dancing
Together
The Sugarcubes’ song ‘Blue Eyed Pop’ presents a vivid picture of a night out in a discotheque. The first lines of the song, “This blue eyed pop, It's just fabulous to go twisting,” reveal the singer’s excitement and enthusiasm for dancing. The repetition of the word “twisting” emphasizes the physicality and sensuality of dancing. The next lines, “Boogieing in beat with the thousand pound, snare sound” suggest that the music is so loud and intense that it feels like a physical force. The use of the “thousand pound snare sound” as a metaphor for the music emphasizes the strong and powerful nature of the beat.
The song also touches on the idea of indulgence, pleasure, and the fleeting nature of joy. “After boogieing, We all crave for a hot dog spashed with noise, queue and spew then back home to our love nest” paints a picture of a wild night full of food and enjoyment, followed by the calm of returning back to the love nest. The line “This kind of joy won’t last” hints that the pleasure that the characters are experiencing is temporary and fleeting. However, the song’s joyful tone is maintained through its final lines, “Something wonderful is about to happen, I feel perfectly ready, Don't know yet what it is, But I'll look inside this disco! Waouh!”. These final lines imbue a sense of anticipation and excitement about the future.
Line by Line Meaning
This blue eyed pop
This upbeat music genre with pop sensibilities
It's just fabulous to go twisting,
It is amazing to dance to this style by twisting your body
Twisting.
Dancing in a manner that involves turning or twisting your body
Boogieing, in beat with
Moving your body to the rhythm of the music
Beat with
In time with the music
The thousand pound
The heavy and impactful
Snare sound.
The sound of the snare drum, which is prominent and powerful
After boogieing
Following the dancing
We all crave for a hot-dog spashed with noise
We all want to indulge in something loud and distracting like a hot-dog filled with noisy toppings
Noise
Loud and disruptive sound
Queue and spew then back home to our
We line up for food, get sick of it, and then head back to our
Love nest
A place where we share intimate moments with our loved ones
Need I say more.
Do I really have to explain further?
Oh! This blue eyed pop is just pure ecstasy.
This music is so good that it brings a sense of ecstatic joy
This is too much fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun
This experience is incredibly enjoyable and entertaining
Everyone is so close to laughing,
The atmosphere is so uplifting that people are on the verge of bursting out in laughter
This kind of joy won't last,
This level of happiness is fleeting and won't endure forever
Something wonderful is about to happen
A great and exciting occurrence is on the horizon
I feel perfectly ready
I am in a state of complete readiness
Don't know yet what it is
I am unaware of what this great thing will be
But i'll look inside this disco! Waouh!
I will seek to find out by exploring this disco
This is so hot hot!
This experience is so intensely exciting
Oh, we melt together
We feel so connected to each other
Like tigers
With passion and energy
And we're dancing
We are moving our bodies rhythmically to the music
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Sigtryggur Baldursson, Einar Benediktsson, Fridrik Erlingsson, Bj�rk Gudmundsdottir, Thor Eldon Jonsson, Bragi Olafsson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Halo Svevo
I always loved the combination of Einar Ørn's and Björk's voices
Peter Kroll
Now she is bigger than life, but then she was bigger than this band
Do you mind
Yes you are right
David James Chamberlain
They are like a slightly gothic B52s, it's fantastic
yum yab
his voice was fucking great,truly an underrated guy,wish we could have more of him with bjork
Mijc Osis
clearly you 'get' the new wave - there are so many millennial whingers who dont and think the harmony ruins her voice :S
Derek Stein
That bass riff gets me everytime!
alexandre mackenzie
01:18 bjork voice oh god !!! amazing !!!
Solon Mag
IN FACT 1 22
gpgpgpgp1000
One of my favorite Sugarcubes song. Love how Bjork totally goes off the rails at the end.