He is noted for an asthmatic whispering lyrical style that is half-rapped, half-sung. As a producer and a musician he is known for having an aversion to perfection preferring to build up a dark, rich and layered sound. Culturally, Tricky bridges white and black Britain particularly in his fusion of rock and hip-hop, high art and pop culture. He drew his influences from rap (Public Enemy) to post-punk (he covered a Siouxsie and the Banshees's song Tattoo).
Throughout his work, Tricky blurs the normally clear sexual definitions found within hip hop. Despite the heavy influence he drew from American hip hop in his debut album, Maxinquaye, he fights against typical sexual representations by, for example, dressing as a woman on the side sleeve of his album cover. Within many of his tracks he blends elements of varying types of music, and use his lyrics to create a much more ambiguous and blurry reality of sexuality.
Maxinquaye remains his most commercially and critically successful album to date. About it, Tricky originally said in an interview with Raygun in October 1996 that he wanted to make an 'out-an-out punk record' and that "I thought it was going be heavier. I thought it was just going to be an out-an-out punk record. But you end up straying. What I wanted to do was a total fast album. Some of the tracks are fast and hard, but they didn't come out like that." He also said that he hated being stuck with the trip-hop tag so "That's why I did Nearly God, and that's why I did Pre-Millennium Tension. You can't see them as trip-hop albums. So I just keep running away from it. But the farther you run, it's still there. They'll find you." Ever since, Tricky' style has evolved away from obscure, sample-based textures to a more contemporary, electronic sound.
Tricky was in Massive Attack and appeared in the movie The Fifth Element as well as the music video for Parabola by Tool. He has collaborated extensively with other artists on tracks on his various releases, including Bjork, Alanis Morissette, Cyndi Lauper, Anthony Kiedis , John Frusciante and Flea (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers), Martina Topley-Bird, and Alison Goldfrapp of Goldfrapp also many others.
After his initial success in the latter 1990's, he started his own label called Durban Poison. Currently he is heading a new imprint called Brown Punk.
Sex Drive
Tricky Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wait for your soul to catch up with me
Concretely seen
I talk to him
I want to lie
She looks at me
I want to hide
Want to be rich and fat
I think every time to fluid
I cut my mouth
Do I, returning into there
Can I rest my head on your chest and dribble
You know the rules I speaks in riddle
Pain is somewhere along the line
Pain is somewhere along the line
It takes courage and strength to be single
When you get older your body won't look so good
This is the peak, the best time for a relationship
I'm the only sheik in Moscow
I said if you're in love let go my hand now
The older I get the more confused I am
The older I get the more bitter I am
Damn it Jesus
They want more more pleasure more Reggis
I sway one way with my head down
I don't want to get a conflicting mind state
You hold the national wealth
I get the, I get the national health
You told me I was the original guttersnipe
But really I'm the original Israelite
I live in a ghetto forever after
So you manufacture the ghetto blaster
But I'm out now, I'm older
Don't carry music on my shoulder
You think I'm a wild terrier
Now I can afford to live in your area
The older I get the more confused I am
The confused I am the older I get
Tricky's song "Sex Drive" explores the complexity of human sexuality and relationships in a fragmented and surrealistic way. The opening lines of the song, "What you gonna do with your sex drive? Wait for your soul to catch up with me," question the nature of sexual desire and its connection with the soul or the deeper self. The lyrics talk about a desire for connection and validation, but also a sense of shame and guilt around it, as seen in the line "I want to be rich and fat, how do I validate that?"
The song also touches upon the themes of aging, confusion, and bitterness. Tricky sings, "The older I get, the more confused I am, the more bitter I am," suggesting a sense of disillusionment and disappointment with life. He contrasts the peak of physical attractiveness with the idea of being single and the societal pressure to be in a relationship. The line "This is the peak, the best time for a relationship, I'm the only sheik in Moscow" highlights the loneliness and sense of alienation that comes with being different or unconventional.
The overall mood of the song is one of disorientation and uncertainty, with disjointed lyrics that are open to interpretation. The repeated lines "Pain is somewhere along the line," and "The confused I am, the older I get" add to the sense of existential questioning and unease.
Overall, "Sex Drive" is a complex and thought-provoking exploration of human sexuality and emotions, delivered in Tricky's distinctively enigmatic and poetic style.
Line by Line Meaning
What you gonna do with your sex drive?
What actions are you going to take as a result of your sexual desire?
Wait for your soul to catch up with me
Pause and wait for your emotions and thoughts to align with mine.
Concretely seen
A clear and definitive perspective.
I talk to him
Communicating with an entity, person, or being.
I want to lie
A desire to deceive or present an alternate reality.
She looks at me
The act of being observed by a female.
I want to hide
A desire to conceal oneself from view.
Want to be rich and fat
Wishing to have wealth and physical abundance.
How do I validate that?
How can I prove or justify my desires and aspirations?
I think every time to fluid
Constantly pondering over sexuality and sexual imagery.
I cut my mouth
Regretting something that was said or spoken.
Do I, returning into there
Contemplating the idea of revisiting or reliving the past.
Can I rest my head on your chest and dribble
Asking for emotional support and comfort during a vulnerable moment.
You know the rules I speaks in riddle
Being difficult to understand or interpret intentionally.
Pain is somewhere along the line
Suffering or discomfort is present at some point in life.
It takes courage and strength to be single
Being unattached and independent requires bravery and inner fortitude.
When you get older your body won't look so good
Physical appearance deteriorates over time.
This is the peak, the best time for a relationship
Currently residing in the prime stage of life to engage in romantic relationships.
I'm the only sheik in Moscow
The sole wealthy, powerful and influential figure in the Russian capital.
I said if you're in love let go my hand now
If you are truly in love, don't hold on to me, find someone else.
The older I get the more confused I am
As time passes, the experience of confusion increases.
The older I get the more bitter I am
As more time passes, the experience of resentment and anger increases.
Damn it Jesus
An expression of annoyance or frustration with a higher power.
They want more more pleasure more Reggis
Others seek to engage in hedonistic pleasures and desires.
I sway one way with my head down
Feeling uncertain or indecisive about something, while displaying a submissive or defeated posture.
I don't want to get a conflicting mind state
Aversion to having two opposing thoughts or beliefs, leading to inner conflict.
You hold the national wealth
Having control over the nation's riches and assets.
I get the, I get the national health
Obtaining access to the nation's healthcare system.
You told me I was the original guttersnipe
Portraying oneself as a downtrodden and disadvantaged individual, and being affirmed as such by others.
But really I'm the original Israelite
In actuality, I am one of God's chosen people.
I live in a ghetto forever after
Existing in an impoverished and neglected environment for an indefinite period.
So you manufacture the ghetto blaster
Capitalizing on the despair and poverty of ghetto-dwellers through the production and sale of a popular music device.
But I'm out now, I'm older
Having escaped the confines of the ghetto and now being of advanced age.
Don't carry music on my shoulder
No longer burdened by the weight of carrying a portable music device on one's person.
You think I'm a wild terrier
Others perceive me as being uncontrolled, rugged, or dangerous.
Now I can afford to live in your area
Having achieved financial stability, now being able to reside in a more upscale and affluent neighborhood.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADRIAN NICHOLAS MATTHEW THAWS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind