* Feargal Sharkey (lead vocals),
* John O'Neill (guitar),
* Damian O'Neill (guitar, keyboards and vocals),
* Michael Bradley (bass and vocals), and
* Billy Doherty (drums).
John O'Neill was the original main song writer, with his brother Damian and Mickey Bradley writing in various solo & combined variations for most of the remainder.
Sharkey's power pop tenor was distinctive, and the band regarded a tight ensemble. By 1977 they were performing their own three-chord pop punk material influenced by Nuggets-type material and Ramones, and in 1978 released their debut four-song EP Teenage Kicks on Good Vibrations. It became a hit with support from DJ John Peel, who considered that EP's title song (Teenage Kicks) his all-time favourite. The song has been covered by many including boyband Busted (at the 2003 Brit Awards), American group The Raconteurs, Swedish band [aritst]Sahara Hotnights and French band Nouvelle Vague.
The original band released four studio albums:
* The Undertones (1979)
* Hypnotised (1980)
* Positive Touch (1981)
* The Sin Of Pride (1983).
Falling sales linked to their changing musical direction and tensions within the band, leading to their split in 1983. A compilation album titled All Wrapped Up featured a woman dressed in lunch meats wrapped in clear plastic on the (non band approved) cover. Several other compilations including the superb BBC sessions CD Listening In (named after a song on their first album) (2004) exist.
The O'Neill brothers went on to form That Petrol Emotion. The Undertones reconvened in 1999, initially to play a few shows in their hometown of Londonderry, replacing singer Feargal Sharkey with a similarly warbling new recruit, Paul McLoone. Since this time, the band has continued to play a small number of gigs each year in various places around the world.
The band have also released two further studio albums:
* Get What You Need (2003)
* Dig Yourself Deep (2007)
NOTE: There is another band with this name - The Undertones, a subset of the University of Notre Dame Glee Club who sing a capella arrangements of popular songs. For more information on these guys, check out www.nd.edu/~utones.
Get Over You
The Undertones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And your mother doesn't know why you can't look like all the other girls
They stop you in the street - they wanna know your name
To reach you on the phone - cause they know your game
Always running up the alley - trying to get home
Or standing on the corner - never alone
It doesn't matter what you do
I just can't get over you - over you
You say the boys with the bikes and the leathers like to beat you to hell
And the girls where you work don't treat you too well
You think you're such a smacker - but you ain't so bad
Get what you want - with looks like that
Always running up the alley - trying to get home
Or standing on the corner - never alone
The Undertones' song "Get Over You" is a high-energy power-pop track with a touch of punk attitude. It's about a rebellious girl who refuses to conform to societal expectations of femininity and how everyone is trying to figure out who she is or what she is doing. The lyrics talk about how society judges her based on her looks, her behavior, and her lifestyle. In the first verse, the lyrics are talking about how the girl dresses like Margaret Thatcher, a Conservative Party Prime Minister of the UK known for her no-nonsense attitude, and how she doesn't look like other girls. The second verse goes on to explain how others are trying to reach out to the girl, and how she never seems to be alone, always running up the alley or standing on the corner, and how she's treated by her co-workers and other people.
The chorus of the song is very catchy, and the lyrics further emphasize the singer's obsession with the girl. He sings, "And I don't wanna get over you, it doesn't matter what you do, I just can't get over you - over you." This is the main theme of the song, which is that the girl is irresistible, and he cannot help but want to get to know her better or get involved in her life.
Line by Line Meaning
Dressed like Thatcher, you must be livin' in a different world
You're dressed like a politician who's famous for being strict, so you must be living in a completely different world
And your mother doesn't know why you can't look like all the other girls
Your own mother doesn't understand why you don't dress like other girls do
They stop you in the street - they wanna know your name
People stop you on the street and ask for your name because you stand out
To reach you on the phone - cause they know your game
People call you often because they know you're different and interesting
Always running up the alley - trying to get home
You're always rushing through alleys to get back home
Or standing on the corner - never alone
Sometimes you stand on the corner, waiting for someone, but you're never alone
And I don't wanna get over you
I don't want to forget you or move on from you
It doesn't matter what you do
No matter what you do or how you act, I still feel the same about you
I just can't get over you - over you
I simply cannot forget about you or move on from you
You say the boys with the bikes and the leathers like to beat you to hell
You claim that the tough guys with motorcycles and leather jackets like to pick on you and hurt you
And the girls where you work don't treat you too well
The girls at your job don't treat you kindly either
You think you're such a smacker - but you ain't so bad
You believe that you're cool and tough, but you're not really that bad
Get what you want - with looks like that
You can get whatever you want just by looking the way you do
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jameslast5814
Thee most underrated undertones track of all . A belter and in my humble opinion , the best!!
@duartebranco3214
Incredible level of energy. Superb voice on the mic
@philmalley7888
Saw them in 80 and 81 and probably two of the greatest gigs I've ever been to. Three albums in and it was already like a greatest hits tour ! Feargals vocals on top of John o' Neill's superlative songwriting, it all made for powerpop perfection. Loved it.
@mrsuperger5429
This should have been number 1 in the UK. They were superb. I saw them in Glasgow, Scotland, around 1981.
@countrymusicbydode9280
For me this is perfection
@michaelmorgan1946
One of the best pop tunes ever recorded.
@brandonevans9252
Rock
@boleary100
@@brandonevans9252😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
@user-ue8dz5xe3l
Awesome tune
@markallenporterful
They played back to back nights at the Whiskey. Bought tickets for the 2nd night for my girlfriend Rita and I. Then, before they hit town, Paula Pierce (pre-Pandoras) asked me if I wanted to go to the 1st night. Shhh, don't tell Rita. The Undertones were great. Here, it is 44 years later. Rita is out of my life, unfortunately. Paula is gone (Note: Don't laugh at your ex-boyfriend or girlfriend if they have a heart attack in their late 20's, you may be stricken in your late 20s, too. She didn't make it, but Jeff did). I'm still around, and to this day, I love The Undertones. Many people missed them completely. I've turned some friends onto them, and they love The Undertones also.