The Lost Pandas fell apart in 1984 when guitarist Michael Duane (later of dustDevils) was sacked, and Panda's drummer Jaz Rigby followed in protest. Gedge and the Pandas' bass player, Keith Gregory, decided to continue the band, renaming it The Wedding Present.
Gedge wanted to use the name "The Wedding Present" in honour of one of his favourite bands,The Birthday Party.
Gedge and Gregory recruited an old schoolmate of Gedge's, Peter Solowka, to play guitar and auditioned a string of drummers, including Mike Bedford, with whom they recorded a demo tape, before settling on Shaun Charman. The country's clubs and bars were toured as the band prepared for the recording of their first, self-financed single.
After some consideration, "Go Out and Get 'Em, Boy!" was chosen over early favourite "Will You Be Up There?". The A-side features drumming by hired hand Julian Sowa with Charman on its B-side. The single was released on the band's own Reception Records label with distribution through Red Rhino. Although Reception was only intended to be a vehicle for the release of their own material, it also released a number of singles by This Poison! and Cud.
Two more singles followed that did well on the independent charts and the band was spotted by veteran BBC radio DJ John Peel, who immediately started championing them and invited them to do a radio session, starting a long collaboration.
By the time the band started work on their debut album, a number of independent and major record companies showed interest, but the band declined all offers and decided to keep releasing their material themselves. The album was released in 1987 and titled George Best after the well-known Northern Irish football player. Disagreement on production values with the record's producer, Chris Allison, led to the product being remixed by the band and their engineer, Steve Lyon. The larger part of these conflicts seemed to lie with the personal and musical incompatibility of Allison and Charman.
Upon its release, the album was critically acclaimed and the band were soon lumped in with some of their peers as the 'shambling' or C86 scene, a categorization that they vehemently declined (although they were featured on the original C86 compilation). Musically, the album featured fast-paced rhythm guitar attacks; lyrically, apart from a few tentative excursions into social critique ("All This and More") and politics ("All About Eve"), Gedge's main concerns (which would become his trademark) were love, lust, heartbreak and revenge. Soon after the release of George Best, the early singles and radio sessions were compiled and released as Tommy (1985-1987).
With the departure of Charman very early on in 1988, Simon Smith took up the drum stool and follow up album, 1989's Bizarro was again popular with the music weeklies.
When Solowka, who has Ukrainian roots, started fooling around with a Ukrainian folk tune during one of their many Peel sessions, the idea arose to devote some of their radio time to recording their versions of Ukrainian and Russian folk song, encouraged by Peel. To this end, two guest musicians were invited, singer/violin player Len Liggins and mandolin player Roman Remeynes, and three Peel sessions were recorded with Gedge temporarily limiting himself to playing rhythm guitar and arranging the songs.
The band planned on releasing eight cuts from the Ukrainian sessions on a 10" LP and an initial batch was pressed when Red Rhino went into receivership. Rather than trying to find a new distribution company, the band decided to fold their Reception label altogether and sign with a regular record company: RCA. Solowka, Liggins, and Remeynes later split from the band to concentrate on the Ukrainian material as the band The Ukrainians.
Seamonsters is the third studio album by English rock band The Wedding Present. It was recorded in ten days in 1991 by American producer Steve Albini at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Albini had previously recorded two EPs with the group, Brassneck and 3 Songs and, like those records, Seamonsters has a rougher, harsher overall sound than the group's earlier two albums.
Solowka was replaced by Paul Dorrington and the band in 1992 released a single every month, and each of these songs charted before being released as compilations of both the A and B-sides. Each of these 12 singles hit the UK Top 40 and the band tied Elvis Presley's record of most Top 40 singles in the span of a year.
Following a quiet 1993 in which Gregory left and was replaced by Darren Belk, they followed up their record-breaking 1992 year with a new LP in 1994 called "Watusi". Following this, Dorrington left, Belk moved to guitar and they temporarily became a 3-piece before Jayne Lockey arrived. A mini LP, helpfully called "Mini" drove up early '96 shortly before "Saturnalia" zoomed in Summer '96 (along with the addition of new guitarist Simon Cleave after Belk's depature).
Following a gig in January 1997, Gedge decided to rest the Wedding Present name and started performing as Cinerama however while recording a new Cinerama album in 2004 he decided to resurrect the name the Wedding Present.
The first Wedding Present single in 7 years was released in November 2004 followed by an album in February 2005. This line-up was Gedge, Cleave, bassist Terry de Castro and drummer Kari Paavola. Paavola declined to tour and subsequently left replaced by Simon Pearson and then Graeme Ramsey. Simon Cleave left early 2006 but rejoined in 2009. His 3 year void was filled by guitarist Christopher McConville.
In more musical chairs, guitarist Cleave departed again later in 2009 due to ill health. The vacant guitar position was actually snabbed by the drummer, Ramsay, who was replaced on the drum stool by Charlie Layton (who had previously served for a very short time in 2006). Following this in Summer 2010, long-serving bassist, Terry de Castro, also vacated to be replaced by Pepe le Moko. A year later, in late 2011, after the recording of the band's 8th studio album, Valentina, Ramsay departed to be replaced by (ex-The Young Playthings and The Pipettes), Patrick Alexander.
The band emerged in February 2013 with yet another new line-up after the sacking of le Moko and Alexander - bassist Jen Schwartz (from Me of a Kind) and guitarist Geoff Maddock (from Goldenhorse).
For more information please visit www.scopitones.co.uk
Don't Take Me Home Until I'm Drunk
The Wedding Present Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She pointed out which one was Mars
Lying arm in arm against an old tree trunk
She used a phrase of Holly Golightly's from 'Breakfast At Tiffany's'
She said: "Don't take me home until I'm drunk. Very drunk indeed!"
We talked about a second date
She said that meeting me was fate
We both knew where the night would end
But when we kissed, I won't pretend, I still shook with apprehension, I confess
And then I said: "I could fall in love with you"
But, as I recall, she said: "I like you too"
And that little word was the warning sign
That little word meant she'd never be mine, as I discovered the next day
A text on my phone saying:
"I don't know whether I mentioned him last night, but I'm getting back together with my old fiancé
I'm sorry, by the way"
And, when I think about that night, I wonder if perhaps I might not have done every single thing I could
But, deep down, I know I was blind; she just used me to make up her mind
But if I had to do it all again, I would
And then I said: "I could fall in love with you"
But, as I recall, she said: "I like you too"
Yeah, I could fall in love with you
But as I recall, she said: "I like you too"
The Wedding Present's "Don't Take Me Home Until I'm Drunk" tells the story of a moving romance that ended too soon. The song evokes a sense of nostalgia and regret, as the singer ponders what could have been. It takes place on a magical night under the stars where the woman points out Mars and quotes a line from Breakfast at Tiffany's. The singer admits to falling in love, but his advances are met with a polite "I like you too" from the woman.
The song highlights the beauty and sadness of a fleeting relationship that could have turned into something bigger if only the timing had been right. The singer is left with memories of what he thought could have been a perfect night, but the woman was entertaining other agendas. She broke the news the next day that she was getting back together with her previous fiancé, leaving the singer with a broken heart.
Overall, "Don't Take Me Home Until I'm Drunk" is a melancholic tale of love lost that many listeners can relate to. The lyrics are poetic and evoke a sense of wistfulness and longing, making it a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
The heavens were alive with stars
The night sky was full of stars and it was a beautiful sight.
She pointed out which one was Mars
She identified which star was Mars, showing her knowledge of astronomy or maybe just impressing the singer.
Lying arm in arm against an old tree trunk
The two of them were sitting or lying down next to each other, leaning against an old tree trunk.
She used a phrase of Holly Golightly's from 'Breakfast At Tiffany's'
She quoted a line from 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' by Holly Golightly, which may have been a conversation point or just something that caught the artist's attention.
She said: "Don't take me home until I'm drunk. Very drunk indeed!"
She made a playful demand to not be taken home until she was very drunk, which could imply a desire to enjoy the night and let loose, or a fear of facing reality at home.
We talked about a second date
They discussed the possibility of having another date.
She said that meeting me was fate
She expressed the belief that their meeting was meant to be, possibly indicating a strong connection with the singer.
And, though I don't believe in that crap, I said: "Yes"
Even though the artist doesn't necessarily believe in fate or destiny, they agreed with her, perhaps in an effort to keep the conversation flowing smoothly.
We both knew where the night would end
Both of them knew that the night would likely end with them being intimate.
But when we kissed, I won't pretend, I still shook with apprehension, I confess
Despite the knowledge of where the night was heading, the artist still felt nervous and apprehensive when they kissed.
And then I said: "I could fall in love with you"
The singer expressed a feeling of strong affection towards the other person.
But, as I recall, she said: "I like you too"
The other person responded to the artist's admission of feelings by expressing liking in return, which may not be equivalent to the artist's level of emotion.
And that little word was the warning sign
The use of the word 'too' by the other person gave the singer a hint that they may not be on the same page emotionally.
That little word meant she'd never be mine, as I discovered the next day
The singer realized that the use of the word 'too' meant that the other person didn't share the same level of affection, which lead to their ultimate unavailability.
A text on my phone saying: "I don't know whether I mentioned him last night, but I'm getting back together with my old fiancé
The other person informed the singer via text message that they were getting back together with their previous fiancé, which may have come across as a shock or betrayal to the singer.
I'm sorry, by the way"
The other person apologized for their actions, possibly indicating that they knew what they were doing wasn't fair to the artist.
And, when I think about that night, I wonder if perhaps I might not have done every single thing I could
The artist questions whether or not they could have done more to change the outcome of the night, which reflects on their own doubts and regrets.
But, deep down, I know I was blind; she just used me to make up her mind
The singer acknowledges that the other person used them as a means to make a decision about getting back together with their fiancé, which may have affected the singer's self-esteem and trust in others.
But if I had to do it all again, I would
Despite the negative outcome, the singer would still go through the experience again, perhaps indicating that they value the memory or the connection they had with the other person.
Yeah, I could fall in love with you
The artist reiterates their feelings of strong affection towards the other person.
But as I recall, she said: "I like you too"
The artist remembers the other person's response to their feelings, which may have left a lasting impression on them.
Contributed by Elliot N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@keithgrube
One of the best Bands ever!!!!
Just ROCK
@Jo-tl4ms
Love this song
@startat0
One of my favorite songs ever. It amazes me that so few people have viewed this. Though I am happy that the band are making a living from swelling my heart
@chrisronald1894
Class