In 1978, A&M Records released Tim Curry's debut solo album. Entitled Read My Lips, the album featured an eclectic range of songs (mostly covers) performed in diverse genre. Highlights of the album are a reggae version of the Beatles song "I Will", a rendition of "Wake Nicodemus" with full bagpipe backing, and an original bar-room ballad, "Alan".
The following year, Curry's second and most successful album was released. Titled Fearless, the LP was more rock-oriented than Read My Lips and mostly featured original songs rather than cover versions. The record included Tim Curry's only US charting songs: "I Do the Rock" and "Paradise Garage".
Curry's third and final album, Simplicity, was released in 1981, again by A&M Records. This record did not sell as well as the previous offerings, due in part to a less appealing, more maudlin sound. This record combined both original songs and cover versions, and is commonly held to be the weakest of the three albums.
In 1989, A&M released The Best of Tim Curry on CD and cassette, featuring songs from his albums (including a live version of "Alan") and a previously-unreleased song, a live cover version of "Simple Twist of Fate".
Curry toured America with his band through the late 1970s and the first half of the 1980s.
Curry's first full-time role was as part of the original London cast of the musical Hair in 1968. Here he first met Richard O'Brien, who went on to create his next full-time and perhaps still most famous role, that of Frank N. Furter in the Rocky Horror Show.
Originally Curry rehearsed the character with a German accent and peroxide blonde hair, but the character evolved into the sly, very upper-class English (He says 'dine' instead of down, 'brine' instead of brown etc) drag-wearing mad scientist incarnation that carried over to the movie version and made Curry both a star and a cult figure. He continued to play the character in London, Los Angeles and New York until 1975.
For many years, Curry was reluctant to talk about Rocky Horror, feeling that it was a trend that had gone too far and had distracted attention away from his later roles. However, in recent years he has been much more open about discussing the show and now recognises it as a "rite of passage" for many young people.
Biting My Nails
Tim Curry Lyrics
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Catch you later, baby,
I've got to split
I've got a habit I just can't quit
Catch you later, baby,
I gotta split
Oh, oh, (oh, oh)
It's biting my nails
Oh, oh, (oh, oh)
It's biting my nails
Oh, oh (oh, oh)
It's biting my nails
Oh, oh (oh, oh)
A flake of snow on a silver spoon
A pretty woman and a big full moon
A handsome man with a diamond ring
How he wishes he had that thing
Oh, oh, (oh, oh)
It's biting my nails
Oh, oh, (oh, oh)
It's biting my nails
Oh, oh, (oh, oh)
It's biting my nails
Oh, oh, (oh, oh)
He's got the fingers in her parted lips
He's got the hand up on her Africa hips
(Give me money for the dentist honey!)
I've got a habit, and it's all mine
Oh, oh, (oh, oh)
It's biting my nails
Oh, oh, (oh, oh)
It's biting my nails
Oh, oh, (oh, oh)
It's biting my nails
Oh, oh (oh, oh)
Breakdown
Ya ya, la la la la (doobie dubba dud da da)
Ya, ya, la la la la (doobie dubba dud da da)
Ya, ya, la la la la (doobie dubba dud da da)
Ya ya, la la la la (doobie dubba dud da da)
Now, if you're gonna see me biting my nails,
You just ell my mama,
Yeah, she gonna spank me
'Cause I don't want a bad habit
I don't like it
I don't want one
I'm gonna, I'm gonna... p-p-put it donw
I'm gonna, I'm gonna... g-g-give it up, you;ll see
Oh, oh, (oh, oh)
It's biting my nails
Oh, oh (oh, oh)
It's biting my nails
Oh, oh (oh, oh)
It's biting my nails
Oh, oh (oh, oh)...
The song "Biting My Nails" by actor and singer Tim Curry is a catchy tune about a compulsive habit. The opening lyrics indicate that the singer has somewhere to go, but can't resist indulging in his habit first. He likens his habit to an addiction he cannot quit, and the chorus repeats the phrase "It's biting my nails" to emphasize the omnipresent nature of his habit.
In the second verse, the setting shifts to a snow-filled landscape, a woman with a big full moon and a man with a diamond ring. Here, the man wishes he had something he cannot have. The third verse features some suggestive imagery involving a man, a woman, and a dentist, and concludes with the singer claiming his bad habit as his own.
The breakdown part communicates a sense of frustration and determination, as the singer declares his intention to quit his habit. Overall, the message seems to be that compulsive habits can be difficult to control, but with willpower, one can overcome them.
Line by Line Meaning
Catch you later, baby,
I've got to split
I've got a habit I just can't quit
I need to leave now, darling. Unfortunately, I have an addictive habit that I can't seem to stop.
Oh, oh, (oh, oh)
It's biting my nails
Oh, oh, (oh, oh)
It's biting my nails
I can't help but chew on my nails. It's become a bad habit for me.
A flake of snow on a silver spoon
A pretty woman and a big full moon
A handsome man with a diamond ring
How he wishes he had that thing
I see all sorts of beautiful things that catch my eye, like snowflakes on silver spoons, gorgeous women, full moons, and men with diamond rings. I wish I could have them all.
He's got the fingers in her parted lips
He's got the hand up on her Africa hips
(Give me money for the dentist honey!)
I've got a habit, and it's all mine
He puts his fingers in her mouth and his hands on her hips. But he needs money for the dentist because of his habit which is beyond his control.
Breakdown
Ya ya, la la la la (doobie dubba dud da da)
Ya, ya, la la la la (doobie dubba dud da da)
Ya, ya, la la la la (doobie dubba dud da da)
Ya ya, la la la la (doobie dubba dud da da)
Here comes an instrumental breakdown. Ya ya, la la la la (doobie dubba dud da da).
Now, if you're gonna see me biting my nails,
You just ell my mama,
Yeah, she gonna spank me
'Cause I don't want a bad habit
I don't like it
I don't want one
I'm gonna, I'm gonna... p-p-put it donw
I'm gonna, I'm gonna... g-g-give it up, you;ll see
If you see me biting my nails, please tell my mom, as she'll punish me. I don't want to have this habit anymore. I don't enjoy it and will try my best to stop it. I'll put it down and eventually give it up.
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group
Written by: JOHN PHILLIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind