Fronted by the enigmatic vocalist John Bigley, the U-Men (whose members also included Tom Price, Charlie "Chaz" Ryan, Robin Buchan, Jim Tillman, Tom Hazelmyer and later Tony "Tone Deaf" Ransom) pioneered their own unique brand of alternative rock which could best be described as "swamp-o'-billy". Together with Northwest contemporaries Girl Trouble, the U-Men emerged to fill the void left some 16 years previous with the disappearance of Northwest garage rock legends The Sonics, The Wailers, and The Ventures. They updated this traditional Northwest sound with more modern punk rock and post-punk influences most notably The Cramps and Nick Cave's original group The Birthday Party.
Largely through word of mouth, rumor, showmanship and the occasional alcohol inspired dust up, the U-Men quickly acquired a dedicated cult following and well-deserved reputation for mayhem, both on and off the stage. Perhaps their most legendary antic was when Bigley set the front of the Seattle Center Mural Amphitheater stage on fire during a Bumbershoot festival performance, and the band played on.
The U-Men were managed at different times by Susan Silver (who later went on to marry Chris Cornell and manage Soundgarden, Screaming Trees and Alice in Chains), Bruce Pavitt (co-owner of Bombshelter Records, pre-dating his Sub Pop Records foray into vinyl), and Seattle's legendary punk art gallery tastemaker, Larry Reid.
Through it all, the U-Men managed to survive largely intact (the exception being bass players) until early 1989 when the core of the group (John, Charlie, and Tom) decided that the experiment had run its course.
Tom Price moved on to form Gas Huffer, and also play in supergroup The Monkeywrench, while John and Charlie would co-found The Crows. Jim Tillman, whose work with the band included the self-titled e.p. "The U-Men" (1984), the indie classic "Stop Spinning" (1985), and the Deep Six compilation (1986) track "They" resurfaced to play bass for various other local bands most notably Love Battery. Tom Hazelmyer who had briefly considered the idea of relocating to Seattle join the band in Tillman's absence, chose instead to remain in his hometown of Minneapolis (performing live just once with the band when they opened for Big Black at the Showbox Theater in March 1987) to promote his record company (Amphetamine Reptile Records) and band, Halo of Flies. The last member of the group, 19-year-old Tony "Tone Deaf" Ransom, who in his short stint with the band managed to appear on the single "Freezebomb"/"That's Wild About Jack" (1987), the album "Step On A Bug" (1988), and the "Dope,Guns,and Fucking In The Streets Vol. 1" compilation track "Bad Little Woman" (1988), would disappear from the local music scene entirely, relocating to (as speculation would have it) Anchorage, Alaska.
Selfish
U-Men Lyrics
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'Cause I don't want you to be nobody else's
Oh, no, no, yeah
I wish I could be selfless
But when it comes to you I just can't help it
So call me selfish
I'm caught up caught up, caught up in your touch
No, I won't, I won't, I won't share your love
'Cause all I want is you
You can call me selfish
'Cause I don't want you to be nobody else's
Oh, no, no, yeah
You can call me selfish
'Cause I don't want you to be nobody else's
All I want is you
Call me selfish
I can't, I can't help it
Call me selfish
I can't, I can't help it
Call me selfish
I can't, I can't help it
Call me selfish
I can't, I can't help it
I want every piece of ya
Never gon', never gon' give you up
Call me selfish
I can't, I can't help it
Not even the universe
Can come between the two of us
I can't help it
Yeah, you can call me selfish
'Cause I don't want you to be nobody else's
Oh, no, no, yeah
I wish I could be selfless
But when it comes to you I just can't help it
So call me selfish
I'm caught up, caught up, caught up in your touch
I know you feel it too
No, I won't, I won't, I won't share your love
'Cause all I want is you
You can call me selfish
'Cause I don't want you to be nobody else's
Oh, no, no, yeah
You can call me selfish
'Cause I don't want you to be nobody else's
All I want is you
Call me selfish
I can't, I can't help it
Call me selfish
I can't, I can't help it
Call me selfish
I can't, I can't help it
Call me selfish
I can't, I can't help it
Call me selfish
I can't, I can't help it
Call me selfish
I can't, I can't help it
The lyrics of U-Men's song "Selfish" convey the theme of possessiveness and the overwhelming desire to have an individual in one's life all to oneself. The singer proclaims that they would always remain self-centered when it comes to the person they love. They get caught up in their lover's touch, and they feel that their lover reciprocates the same way. The singer is so selfish that they don't want to share their lover with anyone else, and they claim that they won't give up on them.
The singer acknowledges their selfishness, but they can't help it. The love they have for their partner overrules their selflessness. The singer insists that they are ready to sacrifice everything for their partner and that no one can come between them. Therefore, the singer asks their partner to call them selfish, entranced by their love.
In conclusion, the lyrics are about the intensity of love and the possessiveness in a relationship. The song stresses that selfishness can be acceptable in love because of the overpowering need to have the loved one all to oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, you can call me selfish
I acknowledge that I may be perceived as selfish
'Cause I don't want you to be nobody else's
I want to keep you for myself and not share you with anyone else
Oh, no, no, yeah
I feel strongly about this and I am not going to change my mind
I wish I could be selfless
Although I recognize that selfishness is not ideal, I cannot help feeling this way
But when it comes to you I just can't help it
My love for you overrides my desire to be selfless
So call me selfish
I am willing to accept the label of 'selfish' for the sake of holding onto you
I'm caught up caught up, caught up in your touch
I am completely under your spell
I know you feel it too
I am confident that you share my intense feelings for you
No, I won't, I won't, I won't share your love
I refuse to let anyone else have any part of your love
'Cause all I want is you
You are the only thing that matters to me
Call me selfish
Again, I am admitting to being selfish
I can't, I can't help it
I am powerless to resist my own feelings
I want every piece of ya
I want to possess all of you
Never gon', never gon' give you up
I will never let you go
Not even the universe
No outside force is strong enough to break the bond between us
Can come between the two of us
We are completely devoted to each other
Call me selfish
Once again, I am accepting the label of 'selfish'
I can't, I can't help it
My selfishness is beyond my control
All I want is you
I only have eyes for you and nothing else matters
Lyrics ยฉ Ultra Tunes, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Andrew James Bullimore, Leigh Kelli, Sonny Fodera
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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