Their albums usually include a cover version of a well-known hit song, usually sped up to the usual punk rock tempo. Covers have include: "Toccata in Dm", "Sabre Dance", "Livin' La Vida Loca", "Lazy Sunday Afternoon", "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) and "The Final Countdown." They have also recorded parodies of popular songs, such as "The Kids in Tyne and Wear (Kids in America)" and "The Devil Went Down to Scunthorpe (The Devil Went Down to Georgia)". Their albums often start with a short intro with a catchy guitar riff, and end with an outro, which is usually a slightly longer variation of the intro riff.
Most of the band members have nicknames, and are rarely seen without their cartoonish rectangular sunglasses (although they appeared bare-eyed on the One More Megabyte album cover).
Toy Dolls formed as a quartet featuring vocalist Pete "Zulu" Robson, guitarist Michael "Olga" Algar, drummer Colin "Mr. Scott" Scott and bassist Phillip "Flip" Dugdale. After a couple of concerts, Zulu left to form his own band and was replaced by Paul "Hud" Hudson on vocals for one concert. After Hud's departure, the Toy Dolls became a trio, with guitarist Olga assuming permanent vocal duties.
Scott left the band in 1980 and was replaced by Dean James for four months over the summer of 1980. James later returned to the band from 1985 to 1988 as a bassist. Flip left in 1983, marking the beginning of a revolving door of drummers and bassists that would characterise the Toy Dolls line-up over the years (with Olga as the mainstay and only original member). In 1984, Zulu returned to the line-up as a bassist/vocalist, but departed again less than a year later.
They were initially grouped with the Oi! scene, but they can also be classified as pop punk or punk pathetique. One reason they are associated with Oi! is that they were championed by Garry Bushell, who was very involved with Oi! bands such as Angelic Upstarts (whom The Toy Dolls later supported on their first national tour). In 1980, businessman financed Toy Dolls' debut single, "Tommy Kowey's Car" with "She Goes To Finos" on the B-side. The single quickly sold out its initial pressing of 500 copies, but the band could not afford to press any more, making the single a collectors' item. When the band signed to Volume, they moved to Newton Hall, north of Durham which led to their song "Livin' on Newton Hall".
For Christmas 1982, they released their punk rendition of "Nellie the Elephant", a classic children's song, which hit #1 in the UK Indie Singles Chart. In 1983, they released their debut album Dig That Groove Baby. In 1984, their re-issue of "Nellie the Elephant" reached #4 in the UK Singles Chart and stayed in the Top 100 for 14 weeks. Their follow-up single "She Goes to Fino's" reached #93 during April 1985.
As of 2007, the band has had 14 different drummers and 11 different bassists. Olga is the only remaining original member of the band. After Olga, drummer Martin Yule had the longest tenure in the band (1987-1999). Yule currently owns a shop in Sunderland called "Hotrats." Former drummer Dave "the Nut" Nuttall owns Jalapeño Drums (a custom drum company based in Lancaster, Lancashire). The current lead singer/guitarist with The Stranglers Baz Warne also had a stint with the band. Olga has played bass on some tours with the U.S. punk band The Dickies.
We
Toy Dolls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's a pity it's everywhere we go... we're mad John,
Sirens are wailing everywhere,
Wars underway...
Down comes a bomb from the sky to the ground,
The score's two one it's the enemy's round,
But we'll all be dead coz the whole world's gone...
[Chorus:]
We're Mad... ca ca ca crazee,
We're Mad... la la la looneys too,
We're Mad... ca ca ca crazee,
Ca ca ca crazee now... Lookout!
Ten thousand soldiers everywhere,
Guns on their shoulders everywhere they go... they're mad John!
Always a battle everywhere,
Madness again Hey!
The wives back home looking after baby,
Cry when they see that on the T.V.
Their love's been shot, but tonight they made,
HISTORY...
[Chorus]
Down comes a bomb from the sky to the ground,
The score's two one it's the enemy's round,
But we'll all be dead coz the whole world's gone...
HELLBOUND!
[Chorus]
We are mad it's clear again, that it will always be the same,
It's a fact but really is a shame, that we're Mad Mad Mad Mad
Mad Mad Mad Mad.............
The Toy Dolls’ song “We're Mad” is a satirical commentary on the prevalent insanity in society. The lyrics juxtapose the madness of war and violence with the humdrum of daily life which is starkly different. The first verse sets the tone for the song, highlighting the ubiquity of insanity in the world. The second verse describes the chaos wrought by war, with bombs falling from the sky and the world ending. Despite the gravity of the situation, the chorus is upbeat and catchy, indicating how madness has become normalized. The third verse depicts the plight of the wives and families of soldiers who are left behind, grieving and watching their loved ones go to war.
Throughout the song, the Toy Dolls use irony and sarcasm to critique the insanity of the world. They employ black humor and satire to point out the futility and absurdity of violence and war. The song's high energy and catchy chorus create a sense of urgency, emphasizing the gravity of the situation at hand.
Overall, “We’re Mad” is a powerful commentary on the madness and chaos that pervades society. It is a thought-provoking critique of war and violence that encourages listeners to question and resist the status quo.
Line by Line Meaning
Insanity is everywhere
There is madness and chaos everywhere.
It's a pity it's everywhere we go... we're mad John
Sadly, we cannot escape the madness even in our journeys, and it's driving us crazy, John.
Sirens are wailing everywhere
There are alarms and alerts going off constantly.
Wars underway...
There are battles and conflicts happening at the moment, and we are in the midst of them.
Down comes a bomb from the sky to the ground
A destructive weapon has been deployed from above and is plummeting towards the earth.
The score's two one it's the enemy's round
The opposing side is winning in this particular battle.
But we'll all be dead coz the whole world's gone...HELLBOUND!
The world is doomed and we will all suffer the consequences of our actions or inactions.
[Chorus:]
The repeated phrase that serves as the chorus of the song.
We're Mad... ca ca ca crazee
We're crazy, almost to the point of being nonsensical.
We're Mad... la la la looneys too
We've gone completely insane, almost to the point of being comical.
Ten thousand soldiers everywhere
There are countless soldiers and warriors present in every corner of the world.
Guns on their shoulders everywhere they go... they're mad John!
They carry weapons of destruction wherever they travel, and it's driving them crazy, John.
Always a battle everywhere
Conflicts and struggles are present in every situation.
Madness again Hey!
Insanity has returned yet again, Hey!
The wives back home looking after baby
The women left behind are caring for their children while their husbands are away at war.
Cry when they see that on the T.V.
They weep when they see the devastation and horror on television screens.
Their love's been shot, but tonight they made, HISTORY...
Their love and devotion have been tested by the war, but this night will go down in history.
We are mad it's clear again, that it will always be the same
It's evident that madness will forever be present and continue to affect us.
It's a fact but really is a shame, that we're Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad.............
It's a reality that we're insane, but it's a shame that we must suffer the consequences of our own madness.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Arquitecto Juan Ramon Morales
Insanity is everywhere,
It's a pity it's everywhere we go...
We're mad John,
Sirens are wailing everywhere,
Wars underway...
Down comes a bomb
From the sky to the ground,
The score's two one
It's the enemy's round,
But we'll all be dead
Coz the whole world's gone...
HELLBOUND!!!
We're Mad...! ca ca ca crazee,
We're Mad...! la la la looneys too,
We're Mad...! ca ca ca crazee,
Ca ca ca crazee now... Lookout!
Ten thousand soldiers everywhere,
Guns on their shoulders
Everywhere they go...
They're mad John!
Always a battle everywhere,
Madness again Hey!
The wives back home looking after baby,
Cry when they see that on the T.V.
Their love's been shot,
But tonight they made,
HISTORY!!!
We're Mad...! ca ca ca crazee,
We're Mad...! la la la looneys too,
We're Mad...! ca ca ca crazee,
Ca ca ca crazee now... Lookout!
Down comes a bomb
From the sky to the ground,
The score's two one
It's the enemy's round,
But we'll all be dead
Coz the whole world's gone...
HELLBOUND!!!
We're Mad...! ca ca ca crazee,
We're Mad...! la la la looneys too,
We're Mad...! ca ca ca crazee,
Ca ca ca crazee now... Lookout!
We are mad it's clear again,
That it will always be the same,
It's a fact but really is a shame,
That we're Mad Mad Mad Mad
Mad Mad Mad Mad.............!!!
Gerda Bults
The Toy Dolls were my saviors in my teenage years, and the only band who can still make me smile in 2020. Happy 40th boys.😊💗
misfit
First heard Toy Dolls at school and my first band covered Nellie the Elephant. Many years later I am still waking up in lockdown listening to the Toy Dolls. Also Olga and the drummer from Goldfinger, the guitarist from the Fairmounts and a few others’ have just covered Ever Fallen in Love with Olga and it’s an instant classic.
efxman
Good lord these guys are just rad! The energy and enthusiasm is just infectious. It's not the kind of music you can break down as being revolutionary or anything but it just makes you happy! Anything more and you're reading too much into it.
James Jameson
They are just so VERY British!
Johnny's cafe
So many great songs ,love this band 👍👍👍
Cmo
after years i still have these guys stuck in my head. one of my favorite bands, and i still somehow remember 90% of their lyrics.
SouthSideIrish89
Punk is more of an attitude than a musical style. Punk was never meant to be something specific but rather artistic expression that moves away from what's expected (i.e. mainstream) so yeah these guys are punk all the way.
Elizabeth Wiley
I would say the first thing Punk was was NOT lineal break down of whatever....especially Punk. In fact. Punk was because the great old brit tribe leadership had moved their factories to other countries and there were no jobs, and they made sure no one got any hope but the dole and a life of not quite starving enough to have a revolution.........when they figured it out, and wanted to get rid of the idiots, the idiots got a plan.....it is actually described in one of the documentaries about Diana Spencer.......to get a big fairy tail wedding and get everyone all het up about the royals again so they would not get rid of them and leave old lizzie and her son chuckle to open a tea shop and live off their glory day memories by high pricing tourists...
goldenagenut
Well stated.
Elizabeth Wiley
actually punk came from England where it made sense to stand against the man......we do not have a man here in the USA, we try hard to have someone to blame, but if we do not do what Benjamin Franklin told us to do, which is protect our rights, it is our own fault if we end up in a mess. I am not trying to make anything anything.....I just say what is on my mind and at 71 remember telling my sons that their punk bands were fun and popular, but I was a bit sick of the poor us against the machine. one of my closest friends was also in a punk band, his favorites were Boys Don't Cry and Wooly Bully, that fabulous favorite punk club dance tune here in LA.
mychoupette 26