The Vibrators are a British punk rock band that formed in 1976. The Vibrato… Read Full Bio ↴The Vibrators are a British punk rock band that formed in 1976. The Vibrators were founded by Ian 'Knox' Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis, and drummer John 'Eddie' Edwards. They first came to public notice at the 100 Club when they backed Chris Spedding in 1976. On Spedding's recommendation, Mickie Most signed them to his label RAK Records. Most produced their first single, "We Vibrate". The band also backed Spedding on his single, "Pogo Dancing".
The Vibrators recorded sessions at for John Peel at BBC Radio 1 in October 1976, June 1977, and February 1978. They were one of the pioneering punk bands that played at London's Roxy Club. They headlined in January 1977, supported by The Drones, and in February they played twice at the venue. In March 1977 the band supported Iggy Pop on his British tour. Later that year they backed ex-Mott the Hoople frontman Ian Hunter.
The band signed to Epic Records in early 1977. Their debut album, Pure Mania was co-produced with Robin Mayhew, the sound engineer for David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust live shows, and reached the Top 50 of the UK Albums Chart. The album is well regarded by some music critics and, 17 years after its release The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music named Pure Mania one of the 50 best punk albums of all time.
Their follow-up album, V2, narrowly missed the UK Top 30. The only single to be taken from that album, "Automatic Lover", was the only Vibrators’ single to reach the UK Top 40 where it reached #35. It earned the band a TV appearance on the prime-time TV show Top of the Pops. The Vibrators’ final single on Epic, "Judy Says (Knock You In The Head)", was released in June 1978. It reached #70 in the UK singles chart. Years later it was included in Mojo magazine’s list of the best punk rock singles of all time.
A lack of further chart activity, and with only one UK Top 40 single to their credit, sees the Vibrators join the list of one-hit wonders; a list that includes other UK punk and new wave acts such as The Banned, John Cooper Clarke, The Flying Lizards, Jilted John, 999, the Radio Stars, and the Rich Kids.
During the 1980s, John Ellis recorded and toured frequently with Peter Hammill, and subsequently The Stranglers, eventually joining the latter full-time in the 1990s. Pat Collier went on to work closely with The Soft Boys, producing their seminal album, Underwater Moonlight, and Robyn Hitchcock, producing and mixing some of his solo albums (to which Knox also sometimes contributed). Despite numerous line-up changes, The Vibrators are still touring to this date as a three-piece, "Knox" and "Eddie" being the only original members.

Hey Hey
The Vibrators Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun of your hand
Hey Joe, I said where you goin' with that gun in your hand, oh
I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
Yeah, I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
Huh! and that ain't cool
Huh hey hoe, I heard you shot your mama down

You shot her down now
Hey Joe, I heard you shot your lady down
You shot her down in the ground yeah!
Yeah!

Yes, I did, I shot her
You know I caught her messin' round messin' round town
Huh, yes I did I shot her
You know I caught my old lady messin' 'round town
And I gave her the gun
And I shot her

Alright
Shoot her one more time again baby!
Yeah!
Oh dig it
Oh alright

Hey Joe,
Where you gonna run to now where you gonna go
Hey Joe, I said
Where you gonna run to now where you gonna go
I'm goin' way down south
Way down to Mexico way

Alright
I'm goin' way down south
Way down where I can be free
Ain't no one gonna find me
Ain't no hang-man gonna
He ain't gonna put a rope around me
You better believe it right now
I gotta go now

Hey, Joe
You better run on down

Goodbye everybody
Hey hey Joe

Overall Meaning

The Vibrators's song "Hey Hey" is a cover of the classic protest song "Hey Joe" made famous by Jimi Hendrix in 1966. The Vibrators version begins with the singer, Joe, being questioned by an unknown voice about the gun in his hand and where he is headed. Joe responds that he is going to shoot his old lady as he had caught her cheating. This graphic detail is emphasized with the repetition of the line "I'm going down to shoot my old lady." The voice then says it has heard that Joe has shot his lady down, and Joe confirms this, stating that he gave her the gun and pulled the trigger after catching her cheating. The song ends with Joe stating that he is going south to escape from the police and society.

The Vibrators's version of "Hey Hey" changes the narrative of the original song, transforming it from a message of protest against the Vietnam War and government corruption to a dark, violent story about a man who creates his own justice. This interpretation reads like a warning about domestic violence and its increase in society. Some people believe that the lyrics of "Hey Hey" describe the emotions of being cheated on and the anger, betrayal, and jealousy experienced after discovering the affair. Other interpret the song to be about transcending societal norms and escaping to a place where one can live free of the judgement and restrictions of the outside world.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun of your hand
Asking Joe where he's headed with a weapon in his possession

I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
Joe's confessing his plan of shooting his woman for being unfaithful

You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
Joe found his lady unfaithful with another man

Huh! and that ain't cool
Joe is expressing his disappointment with his lady's infidelity

Hey Joe, I heard you shot your lady down
Someone else heard about Joe shooting his lady

Yes, I did, I shot her
Joe confirms the rumors of him shooting his lady

You know I caught her messin' round messin' round town
Joe reiterates his woman's infidelity

And I gave her the gun
Joe gave his lady the weapon he used to shoot her

And I shot her
Joe admits to shooting his woman

Hey Joe, where you gonna run to now where you gonna go
Someone is asking Joe where he plans to flee to

I'm goin' way down south
Joe intends to run away to Mexico