Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain once described Kelly and McKee as his "most favorite songwriters in the whole world".
The band released two singles, "Son of a Gun" and "Dying for It", prior to releasing an album. In 1989 they released their only album, Dum Dum, on the record label Rough Trade. Following the closing of the record label 53rd and 3rd, which they had originally signed to, the band broke up in 1990. However, they reunited later that year to open for Nirvana when they played in Edinburgh.
Though they were not widely known when the band existed, covers of their songs by Nirvana and Kurt Cobain's tendency to mention them as an influence brought exposure to the band. With their songs "Son of a Gun" and "Molly's Lips" covered on Nirvana's album Incesticide and "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" covered as "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam" on MTV Unplugged in New York, the band gained a new audience from people who wanted to discover the bands that influenced Cobain (a similar situation happened to the band The Meat Puppets). Due to this new exposure, in 1992 Sub Pop released The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete History, a compilation that contained The Vaselines' entire body of work on one album.
No longer together, members of the band moved on to new bands. Kelly went on to found the band Captain America (later renamed Eugenius). He currently performs solo. McKee founded the band Suckle and released her first solo album, Sunny Moon, in 2006.
In 2008, the band reformed and began to make sporadic appearences at festivals in the United Kingdom and the United States and various tours supporting Belle and Sebastian. The band will perform at the Belle and Sebastian's second Bowlie Weekender festival in December 2010.
In 2010, the band announced they would release their second album "Sex With An X" on September 14, 2010 on Sub Pop Records.
Lovecraft
The Vaselines Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Light your feet,
Do what I want,
Lovecraft.
Kiss your mouth,
Burn your hair,
Do what I want,
Blow your man,
Do what I want,
Taste your lip,
Lovecraft.
Pic your time,
Do what I want,
Do what I want,
Lovecraft.
The Vaselines's Lovecraft is a song that is open for interpretation and can be seen as controversial due to its lyrics. The lyrics like "Kill your friends," "Blow your man," "Kiss your mouth," are disturbing and seem violent, but the song is actually a twisted love song. The song is essentially about being obsessed with someone, to the point where the singer wants complete control over the other person. The Lovecraft mentioned in the chorus here could be author H.P. Lovecraft, famous for his horror and sci-fi stories that often had themes of control, obsession, and madness.
The lyrics could also be interpreted as a commentary on the toxic nature of obsession in relationships. The control and possessiveness in the lyrics are the opposite of what a healthy relationship should be, and it's clear that the singer is not in a sound state of mind. The line "Do what I want" is repeated throughout the song, suggesting that the singer craves power over the other person, which is not healthy.
Line by Line Meaning
Kill your friends,
Separate yourself from the people who bring you down in life.
Light your feet,
Move quickly and confidently towards your goals.
Do what I want,
Be in control of your own life and choices.
Lovecraft.
Embrace the weird and unconventional aspects of life, as Lovecraft was known for his horror and science-fiction writing.
Kiss your mouth,
Express your attraction and desire for someone physically.
Burn your hair,
Experience intense sensations, both physical and emotional.
Blow your man,
Perform oral sex on your partner.
Taste your lip,
Experience the intimacy and connection of kissing someone deeply.
Pic your time,
Take control of managing your own time and schedule.
Do what I want,
Remain in control of your own life and choices.
Lovecraft.
Embrace the weird and unconventional aspects of life, as Lovecraft was known for his horror and science-fiction writing.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EUGENE KELLY, FRANCIS MCKEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anom Belle
The percussion on this track is so good.
David Espinoza
The vocals put together is so perfect and genius
Nick James
my favorite band singing about my favorite writer! heaven! <3 <3 <3
David Espinoza
I love the vaselines
Antiguo Autómata Mexicano
Another "evening of contemporary sitar music".
James Tracey
Holy shit 46 and still finding great tunes FUCK YE and thanks for posting this
David Espinoza
This song made my acid high boost
Austin Pascarelli
I hate it how every time I walk in Sitar Center there’s some dude trying to play this.
soso
Shoegaze pop/punk