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.
Judy
The Vibrators Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Judy says she's gonna knock you in the head tonight.
Judy says she's gonna knock you in the head,
You'd wanna watch out or you'll wind up dead,
Judy says she's gonna knock you in the head tonight.
Suzie's gonna give you a hot shot tonight.
Suzie's gonna give you a hot shot tonight.
You're off to heaven with a thanks a lot,
Suzie's gonna give you a hot shot tonight.
But, don't you worry 'bout me baby,
Don't you worry,
Your money's safe from me well it'll be alright.
Alright -
The Vibrators' song "Judy Says" is a cautionary tale about two dangerous women who are out to get the singer of the song. The lyrics suggest that both Judy and Suzie have violent intentions towards the singer. Judy, in particular, plans on "knocking him in the head" which is a phrase that is often associated with violence or murder. Meanwhile, Suzie is also dangerous as she is planning on giving the singer a "hot shot" which could potentially be a lethal injection. Despite the danger that the singer is facing, the song reassures him that his money is safe, implying that Judy and Suzie's motives might be related to financial gain.
The lyrics of the song are cryptic and don't give away too much about the reason behind these violent intentions, leaving it up to the listener's interpretation. It could be a commentary on the dangers of the nightlife and how it can attract people who are troublemakers, or it could be a commentary on the dangers of trusting the wrong people. Whatever the case may be, the song warns the listener about the repercussions of associating with the wrong crowd.
Line by Line Meaning
Judy says she's gonna knock you in the head tonight.
Judy threatens to physically harm the listener.
Judy says she's gonna knock you in the head tonight.
Judy repeats her threat.
Judy says she's gonna knock you in the head,
Judy is insistent on her plan to hurt the listener.
You'd wanna watch out or you'll wind up dead,
Judy's threat is serious and could result in the listener's death.
Judy says she's gonna knock you in the head tonight.
Judy emphasizes her intention to hurt the listener.
Suzie's gonna give you a hot shot tonight.
Suzie plans to give the listener a drug injection.
Suzie's gonna give you a hot shot tonight.
Suzie repeats her plan.
Suzie's gonna give you a hot shot,
Suzie is determined to inject the listener with a drug.
You're off to heaven with a thanks a lot,
The drug injection will result in a feeling of euphoria for the listener.
Suzie's gonna give you a hot shot tonight.
Suzie reiterates her plan.
But, don't you worry 'bout me baby,
The singer tells the listener not to worry about him.
Don't you worry,
The singer repeats his message.
Your money's safe from me well it'll be alright.
The singer reassures the listener that their money is safe with him.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: IAN MILROY CARNOCHAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@steveholman3169
Saw them in 77 great band. Deserved more success.
@dogdyedblack
one of the top 10 singles of the '77 era, as far as I'm concerned....
@jl45000019
78
@dogdyedblack
@@jl45000019 I refer to the (class of) '77 era as referring to the early punk explosion all the way up to 1980 itself. Don't think it is only my usage though may be a little idiosyncratic....
@frflinstone
Should have been a top 10 single rather than Hot fucking Chocolate !!!
@magikdust
I LOVE this song! I had this on a 45 back in the day! Thanks for posting!
@evaluacionmonitoreo3484
great song!!!!!
@robertcubinelli4961
A slammer!!
@guillaumewimlot4945
most underrated song, unbelievable
@Bilborock
underrated by who? Media? Pop heads?