Early success was found with singles such as "Warhead", "I Live in a Car", and "Tomorrow's Girls", with several of their songs managing to enter the United Kingdom's Top Forty. Their biggest selling album came with 1980's Crash Course.
With the arrival of new bassist Alvin Gibbs and drummer Steve Roberts in the early 1980s, the songs took on a heavier sound, faster, better quality. But always the punk views. The band has continued to perform, being one of the last surviving bands of Britain's punk era. They have toured constantly over the years.
Now in 2015, with the addiition of Jet on guitar and Jamie Oliver on drums, UK Subs have just released their 25th studio album 'Yellow Leader' to a crescendo of critical acclaim, bringing the band to the final step in their 40 year old mission - to record and release every official album in alphabetical order from A to Z.
Party in Paris
UK Subs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's where I'm gonna stay
Just me and my bottle of French wine
We're gonna drink the night away
Nobody comes, nobody knocks on the door
My friends are far away
If the telephone don't start ringing
[Chorus:]
Ooh la la la Ooh la lay
There's a party in Paris Palais
I turn on the radio
But I don't like what they play
So I put a record on the stereo
Just to pass this night away
It's twelve'o'clock, I can see them now
They're dancing the night away
Little Jimmy's dressed as Fred Astaire
So wrecked the band can't play.
[Chorus]
I can smell the French perfume
While I sit here in despair
I Think I'll open another bottle
And I'll make believe I'm there.
Meanwhile back in London
Seems a million miles away
I'm lookin' at my invitation
With no ticket for a train
[Chorus]
The UK Subs' song Party in Paris is a story of loneliness and longing for a good time amidst the backdrop of the famous city of Paris. The song is about a person who is stuck in their own company with a bottle of French wine in the corner. The singer is waiting for someone to knock on the door, join him, and elevate his spirits. However, he is all alone and the telephone is not ringing either. The song paints a picture of a failed night in Paris.
The chorus of the song is a callback to Hotel California's famous French line where the singer exclaims, "Ooh la la la, Paris Palais," which is a reference to the Palais de Chaillot, a famous building located a few kilometers from the Eiffel Tower. The singer in the song turns on the radio to find solace but ends up playing records on the stereo. The mind paints a picture of a person trying to find an escape in music.
The song's chorus is an optimistic and ironic reference to the grandiose parties held at the Palais and the City of Love's excitement, which is currently out of reach. The last verses of the songs are a mix of desperation and hope, where the singer is trying to find comfort in French wine and the thought of being present in the city. The song captures the essence of loneliness and how places can fuel a desire to feel a certain way.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a bottle in the corner
There is a bottle of wine in the corner of the room
That's where I'm gonna stay
I'm planning on staying in that corner
Just me and my bottle of French wine
I am alone with a bottle of French wine
We're gonna drink the night away
I plan on drinking the wine until the night is over
Nobody comes, nobody knocks on the door
No one has come to the party, and no one is knocking on the door
My friends are far away
My friends who were invited are not able to make it to the party
If the telephone don't start ringing
If I don't receive any calls on the telephone
It's gonna be a bad bad day
It will be a terrible day if I don't receive any calls on the telephone
Ooh la la la Ooh la lay
This is a repetition of the chorus, expressing excitement about the party in Paris
I turn on the radio
I switched on the radio
But I don't like what they play
I didn't enjoy the music being played on the radio
So I put a record on the stereo
I turned on the stereo and played a record
Just to pass this night away
To help me pass the time on this boring night
It's twelve'o'clock, I can see them now
The time is midnight and I can visualize people having fun in Paris
They're dancing the night away
People in Paris are dancing through the night
Little Jimmy's dressed as Fred Astaire
A person named Little Jimmy is dressed in the fashion of Fred Astaire
So wrecked the band can't play.
The band is so intoxicated that they are unable to perform
I can smell the French perfume
I can detect the aroma of French perfume
While I sit here in despair
As I sit here feeling hopeless
I Think I'll open another bottle
I am contemplating opening another bottle of wine
And I'll make believe I'm there.
I will imagine myself in Paris
Meanwhile back in London
The scene shifts to London
Seems a million miles away
London seems to be incredibly far away from Paris
I'm lookin' at my invitation
I am examining the invitation I received
With no ticket for a train
I do not have a ticket to travel by train to Paris
Ooh la la la Ooh la lay
This is a repetition of the chorus, expressing excitement about the party in Paris
Contributed by Bentley Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ian Fritter
Charlie has to be the oldest UK punk rocker !! and he still plays the west mids every year. Long live Charlie.
mike müller
for sure he is and WILL BE
Bill Moore
He's still alive and kicking, never give In....
Charly Gallen
second that
TONE 007
53 years young and I still cant enough of the Subs
Fabio Punk
64 here
Basil In the Forest
28 and still listening. While my pals,in the late 90s into the mid 2000s,were listening to Fall Out Boy and Hawthorn Heights,I was listening to this.
Bitterswoon
Yeah. I'm 30 and I've always felt alone in listening to punk/oi/hardcore/ska. It's good to see reactions like this.
Emil Lindell-Johansson
Same!!!! Except that I'm 25 haha! I always tell my friends that while they were sitting at home with their playstations crying to fallout boy I was out in the park getting drunk listening to UK Subs!
Harp Grinder
I saw them for the first time on the Western US Tour March 1982 at The Country Club in Reseda, CA with Anti-Nowhere League... HOLY CRAP! THAT KICKED ASS! I was talking with Charlie that night and he told me his dad was UK military and that he was either born or lived in Pueblo, CO. Brilliant musical mind that ventured from true R&B in the late 60s early 70s and stayed in The Punk scene after he and Nikki did top 40 stuff at high school dances etc when they decided let's stay with Punk Rock. Every time they'd be in So Cal I'd be up singing with him throughout the 80s. He's a good cat!