Latin rockers Tito and Tarantula are headlined by singer/guitarist Tito Larriva, previously best known for founding the seminal Los Angeles punk band the Plugz. Larriva was born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico but spent his early years living outside Fairbanks, AK; his family later relocated to El Paso, TX, where he studied violin and flute as a member of his school orchestra. After high school he flirted with attending Yale University before landing in L.A. during the mid-1970s; there Larriva formed the Plugz, which in 1979 released their debut LP Electrify Me, the first album to emerge from the city's thriving punk scene. Shortly after scoring Alex Cox's 1984 cult classic Repo Man, the Plugz were rechristened the Cruzados, signing to Arista to release a self-titled 1985 LP; After Dark followed two years later, and the group disbanded in 1990. From there Larriva continued writing film music, also turning to acting; with guitarist Peter Atanasoff and a host of other L.A. session vets he eventually formed Tito and Tarantula, which quickly emerged as a major favorite on the local club scene. Among their most vocal supporters was filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, who not only enlisted the group to contribute material to his movies Desperado and From Dusk till Dawn but also found small roles for Larriva in both; Rodriguez additionally helped produce 1997's Tarantism, released on the band's own Cockroach label.
Since the release of Andalucia, Tito & Tarantula have made numerous personnel changes, starting with the departure of drummer Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez. Achim Farber was hired in his place, but left the band later on as well. One of the most notable changes, however, was the loss of the band's valuable founding member Peter Atanasoff. Little is known about his departure, but on the band's myspace blog, it says, "...So if ever you find yourself in Switzerland you want to make your way to the Moonwalker and say hello to Peter..." Io Perry quit the band to pursue a solo career, but stayed in business with Larriva by having him produce her first solo album. Along with Atanasoff, Perry, and Hernandez, the band lost multi-instrumentalist Marcus Praed, eventually leaving Larriva and Steven Hufsteter as the only remaining members who had played on the last album. Dominique Davalos (who had played bass on Little Bitch) took over on bass and Rafael Gayol took over on drums. The only members from the previous line-up were Larriva and Hufsteter. With this new "fab four" incarnation, they toured Europe thoroughly. At some point in mid-2007, Davalos left the band, and was replaced by Caroline "Lucy" Rippy. With her, the band has continued to tour its usual areas in western Europe.
In late 2006, the band promised an album out in early 2007 on their myspace blog. In early 2008, the band finally announced the approaching arrival of their next album, titled Back Into The Darkness. The album was released on April 18, 2008.
Discography:
*Tarantism (1997)
*Hungry Sally and other Killer Lullabies (1999)
*Little Bitch (2000)
*Andalucia (2002)
*Back Into The Darkness (2008)
Jupiter
Tito & Tarantula Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Man in my face
Soldered
To the bed of disgrace
I'm pinned
And broken hearted
I sense polkadotted blood
On the run
I've been readin'about you
And I've been seein'
Your face
When I doubt my mind
That's when I hit my ever
Lovin'stride
My minds going & I'm not
Showing love anymore
I did my nails in blue
The other day
And I wore that dress
You liked
Then I shaved my head
Until it bled
Pulled my teeth to wear
Around my neck
And I losing my mind
One more time
It's been raining
Mercury for years
My brain's in bits my eyes
Are teared
I lay motionless
Without a breath
Waiting for Jupiter
To regress
In the sixties I was young
& I lost my mind on acid
In the seventies I was pitiful
And lost nothing but Disco
In the eighties I was dying
From white lines
Up my nose
In the nineties I'm just crazy
And nobody really knows
Am I losing my mind or is
Jupiter out of the line
The song "Jupiter" by Tito & Tarantula tells a story of someone who wakes up in a dire situation - they're pinned and broken-hearted, with someone in their face. They feel like their mind is slipping away, and they've been reading about the person who's causing them so much anguish. They've gone through a transformation, changing their appearance drastically - from painting their nails blue and wearing a dress to shaving their head until it bled and pulling out their teeth to wear around their neck. The singer feels like they've been losing their mind for a while, and it's been raining "mercury" (metaphor for something toxic in their life) for years. They're waiting for Jupiter to regress to bring some stability to their life.
The song uses vivid imagery and metaphors to describe the singer's state of mind. The orange man in their face might represent someone who's invasive or persistent, and soldered to the bed of disgrace could symbolize being trapped in a difficult situation. The polkadotted blood brings to mind something that's chaotic and unsettling, while the rain of mercury could represent the toxicity of the person or situation the singer is dealing with. The singer's transformation - painting their nails blue, wearing that dress, shaving their head, and pulling out their teeth - might represent a desperate attempt to take control of their life or purge themselves of something that's been causing them pain.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up with an orange
Man in my face
I woke up to see a stranger's face uncomfortably close to mine
Soldered
To the bed of disgrace
I'm pinned
And broken hearted
I am trapped in a shameful situation and feeling helpless
I sense polkadotted blood
On the run
I'm not disguised in mud
I can feel that I am bleeding, but I refuse to hide or cover up my wounds
I've been readin'about you
And I've been seein'
Your face
I have been obsessing over someone and constantly thinking about them
When I doubt my mind
That's when I hit my ever
Lovin'stride
I find strength and power within myself when I am feeling uncertain or unstable
My minds going & I'm not
Showing love anymore
I am losing my sense of love and compassion due to my turbulent state of mind
I did my nails in blue
The other day
And I wore that dress
You liked
Then I shaved my head
Until it bled
Pulled my teeth to wear
Around my neck
I am engaging in self-destructive behavior and exhibiting disturbing physical changes as a result of my mental turmoil
And I'm losing my mind
One more time
I feel like I am going crazy once again
It's been raining
Mercury for years
My brain's in bits my eyes
Are teared
I have been living in a state of mental chaos and distress for a long time, causing me to feel emotionally raw
I lay motionless
Without a breath
Waiting for Jupiter
To regress
I feel stuck and unable to move, waiting for the universe or fate to intervene and provide me with a way out of this situation
In the sixties I was young
& I lost my mind on acid
In the seventies I was pitiful
And lost nothing but Disco
In the eighties I was dying
From white lines
Up my nose
In the nineties I'm just crazy
And nobody really knows
I reminisce about my past and how my behavior and actions have changed over the years, but I am still unable to fully understand or control my present state of mind
Am I losing my mind or is
Jupiter out of the line
I am questioning whether my mental instability is caused by external factors beyond my control, or if it is simply a result of my own internal struggles
Contributed by Max T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.