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.
Monsterpussy
The Vaselines Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Meow, my monsterpuss,
Monsterpuss, monsterpuss,
Meow, my monsterpuss,
I'm gonna skin it and wear it as a hat,
On my head, everyday when it's dead.
On my hands, everyday when it's dead.
I'm gonna skin it and wear it as a scarf,
Around my neck, everyday when it's dead.
The Vaselines's song Monsterpussy is an interesting yet somewhat disturbing testament to the perverse side of human nature. The song's lyrics evoke a sense of violent desire and animalistic fetish that not everyone may be comfortable with. The song appears to be about a person's obsession with their pet cat, which they refer to as their "monsterpuss." The singer in the song not only loves their cat but also desires to kill it and wear its skin as some kind of macabre fashion accessory. They express their intention to wear the cat's skin as a hat, gloves, and even a scarf, indicating that they will adorn themselves with the cat's remains in different ways.
The lyrics of Monsterpussy can be interpreted metaphorically or literally, but either way, they make for an unsettling listen. It could be a commentary on society's exploitation of animals, or it could be a metaphor for how humans consume the things they love until there's nothing left. The song's catchy melody and upbeat tempo contrast with the macabre lyrics, making it even more disturbing.
Line by Line Meaning
Monsterpuss, monsterpuss,
Meow, my monsterpuss,
The singer is addressing their pet cat, which they call by the name 'monsterpuss'.
I'm gonna skin it and wear it as a hat,
On my head, everyday when it's dead.
The singer is expressing a desire to turn their beloved pet into a hat that they will wear every day, even after it has passed away.
I'm gonna skin it and wear it as gloves,
On my hands, everyday when it's dead.
The singer plans to use their pet's skin to make gloves that they will wear on a daily basis, even after its death. This highlights a disturbing and macabre inclination.
I'm gonna skin it and wear it as a scarf,
Around my neck, everyday when it's dead.
In addition to using their pet's remains to make a hat and gloves, the singer also desires to turn the same into a scarf that they will wear at all times.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EUGENE KELLY, FRANCES MCKEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind