* 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.
Jump Boys
The Undertones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never getting lost in coincidence
Never lost for words they always shoot from the moon
To make it with the girls who can't come to their rooms
Jump boys ...
To be slick to be sorry got more energy than most
Spit at your face never trying to walk away
Get into trouble they've got a lot to say
Jump boys
Jump Boys by The Undertones is a punk song that delves into the reckless and nonconformist lifestyle of young men. The title, "Jump Boys," refers to these men who have an insatiable appetite for adrenaline and danger. The lyrics suggest that the Jump Boys lack common sense because they take pleasure in things others would find crazy. They thrive on the excitement they get from narrowly escaping danger, and they don't believe in coincidences; they make their own luck. The lines, "Never lost for words they always shoot from the moon," suggests that they have high aspirations, but they don't always think things through.
In the next few lines, the lyrics suggest that the Jump Boys are trying to impress women, but these women cannot come to their rooms. The Jump Boys are often seen as bad influences, and women who associate with them risk being judged by society. The Jump Boys are not apologetic for their actions; they have more energy than most young men their age. They are active at night and move around like ghosts. They spit in people's faces and never walk away from confrontation. They enjoy trouble and always have something to say, as indicated by the final line, "Jump Boys."
Overall, "Jump Boys" is an invitation to embrace elements of danger and to push the boundaries of what society considers acceptable. The lyrics portray a bold, rebellious lifestyle that seems attractive at first, but the implications of the lifestyle are, in reality, more complicated.
Line by Line Meaning
Jump boys are crazy they don't have no sense
These reckless boys lack any sense of caution or restraint
Never getting lost in coincidence
They don't believe in coincidence
Never lost for words they always shoot from the moon
They always have plenty to say and aim high with their aspirations
To make it with the girls who can't come to their rooms
Their ultimate goal is to impress and seduce girls who are forbidden to them
To be slick to be sorry got more energy than most
They move with confidence and make apologies when needed, displaying more energy than the average person
Night time's the long time they prowl just like ghosts
They operate mostly at night, like stealthy ghosts
Spit at your face never trying to walk away
They don't back down from confrontation and may even resort to spitting in someone's face
Get into trouble they've got a lot to say
They have a lot to say and aren't afraid of getting into trouble to express themselves
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN JOSEPH O'NEILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@smashing.pumpkinhead
Still listening to this masterpiece. It never gets old
@PowerpopJesus
A complete and utter piece of work. NO 1/2 MEASURES, I've been listening to it since 78' and it still "Kicks".
@shaunfisher9292
I bought the undertones lp when I was nineteen. Maybe the best lp I ever had, so many of the unknown tracks are as strong as the hit singles.
@aidankilmartin2521
Still going Strong , Undertones forever !
@johnsullivan4678
Such an underrated track tight punchy sound typical new wave structure two and a half minutes sung played done brilliantly !
@jonnybgoode007
Rocks!! Thanks for this. :)
@johnnyrotter6014
Excellent! saw them open up for the Ramomanes in 79 at the Pallidium in NYC! Fucking great!
@killforpeae69
I think you ment The Clash. Scuffle with security because they made people sit down, Sharky was pissed. I was there.
@eamonnclabby7067
Brill.....
@PowerpopJesus
Agreed!