Before Underworld, Hyde and Smith started out in 1979 on The Screen Gemz band while working together in a diner in the city of Cardiff, where both had been studying. In 1983 they recorded two albums for CBS Records with a new wave synthpop band whose name was a graphic squiggle, later entitled Freur.
In 1986 Hyde and Smith formed Underworld, after disbanding of Freur. They tried a more guitar-oriented funky electropop sound on their two albums released on Sire Records: Underneath the Radar (1987) and Change the Weather (1989). This initial lineup (also called Underworld Mk1) consisted of Karl Hyde, Rick Smith, Alfie Thomas, Bryn Burrows, Baz Allen and Pascal Consoli before sinking back into obscurity and disbanding in 1990.
British DJ Darren Emerson hooked up with Hyde and Smith in 1992 and helped them refine their sound into something more sleek and beat-oriented, yet still shot through with tinges of blues, rock and spoken-word streams of consciousness. After several releases on Junior Boy's Own as Lemon Interupt, the trio re-adopted the Underworld name in 1992. Two songs from this era are Rez and Spikee.
In addition to their music, Hyde and Smith are members of Tomato, a graphic design company which has done high-profile work for clients around the world as well as art for all of Underworld's releases. Hyde, along with former Freur keyboardist John Warwicker, has also published two typographic journals, Mmm... Skyscraper, I Love You (1994) and In The Belly Of Saint Paul (2003).
Their first full-length, dubnobasswithmyheadman, was released in 1994 to rave reviews and is still considered a landmark. It spawned several hit singles (Dark & Long, Cowgirl, Dirty Epic) and was followed a couple years later by the Born Slippy single.
The sophomore album Second Toughest in the Infants was released in 1996. This album showed Underworld maturing as a trio, mixing elements of techno, house, drum and bass and pop music to spectacular effect. The first track Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love (three parts) is one of the longest songs recorded by Underworld, with a length of over 16 minutes.
In the same year they issued an EP Pearl's Girl, containing various mixes of the song Pearl's Girl and five new tracks (one of them is Cherry Pie, an early version of Rowla). Underworld's much-praised remixography also grew, including Björk, Saint Etienne, Simply Red, Massive Attack and Leftfield.
After licensing out a remix of Born Slippy (entitled Born Slippy .NUXX) for the 1996 cult classic film Trainspotting, Underworld gained instant worldwide fame and found themselves touring the world. Their fame continued to run high into the release of Beaucoup Fish in 1999. Five singles were released: Moaner, Push Upstairs, Jumbo, King of Snake, and Bruce Lee.
Underworld issued a live set and a DVD named Everything, Everything in 2000, after which Emerson left the group to concentrate more on his DJ career. The mellower album A Hundred Days Off followed in 2002. It was promoted by two singles: Two Months Off and Dinosaur Adventure 3D.
In 2003 Underworld released a 2 CD compilation entitled 1992-2002, comprising some of their best songs. Also since 2003 the group has been trickling out new music on their official website www.underworldlive.com via a series of downloadable mp3s dubbed "The Riverrun Project". Each mp3 bundle features 25-or-so-minute of mixed new material, hundreds of photographs and traditional album art.
In 2005 the band issued another live album, Live in Tokyo 25th November 2005, a recording of Underworld's live performance at the Electraglide festival in Tokyo on 25 November 2005. There were apparently only 7000 copies of the album made.
Oblivion with Bells, their fifth studio album was released in October 2007, the first with additional collaboration with Darren Price who joined the band's live setup in 2005. It spawned four singles: Crocodile, Boy, Boy, Boy, Beautiful Burnout, and Ring Road.
On 13 May 2010, Underworld released a new single Scribble (Radio Edit), available for free download on their official site. This single was followed by a new album later that year, called Barking, which is still in the process of releasing singles, beginning with the aforementioned Scribble, Always Loved a Film and finally Diamond Jigsaw. Also released on a beatport remix contest was Bird 1 where amateur producers were able to put their take on Underworld's collaboration with Dubfire. As of 2011, the duo can also attach to their resumes soundtracking a live stage play. Frankenstein, produced and directed by Danny Boyle, starring both Johnny Lee Miller & Benedict Cumberbatch who are, on alternating nights, both Frankenstein, or the Creature. The Soundtrack is available through Underworld's Website.
January 2016 saw the release of I Exhale, in advance of Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future, released in March 2016.
In April 2018, Underworld released a standalone single, Brilliant Yes That Would Be, an ambient piece with its accompanying video inspired by the Icelandic landscape and their first performance in Reykjavík since 1994.
In May 2018, Underworld unveiled the World of Underworld project, which focuses on reflecting and re-imagining their nearly 30 year body of work. It also serves as an outlet for experimentation, new releases and spontaneous creativity. Brilliant Yes That Would Be was the first track to be released through the World of Underworld, which was recorded and mixed just days before it was released.
Later in that same month, Underworld debuted a new collaboration with Iggy Pop titled Bells & Circles, live at the BBC Biggest Weekend 2018. Shortly after, a four-track collaborative EP with the two artists was released, Teatime Dub Encounters.
On November 1st, 2018, Underworld announced the Drift project, an ongoing music-and-video experiment that publishes new Underworld material on their official website every week. The first instalment began with Another Silent Way, also released on the same day.
On November 1st, 2019, Underworld released Drift Series 1, their tenth studio album. It is the conclusion of the first year of the band's year-long music-and-video experiment Drift. Underworld announced the Drift project will continue on for another year. The now-renamed Drift Series 1, was released exactly one year after the launch of the series, as a box set featuring 7 CDs, a Blu-ray, and an 80-page book documenting the creative process around Drift. A single-disc Drift Series 1 Sampler Edition was also released simultaneously.
I Need A Doctor
Underworld Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Radio jingles
Drive me mental
Turning my blood into water (yeah)
Hear the shallow -
Conversation
From the station
But aah would you take me home?
Aah - would you know what to do -
When we got there?
Aah - may I use your phone?
I need my mother!
(So) Educate me
Radio ego
I will follow
But what will I find tomorrow (well?)
But aah would you take me home
Aah to the little white hospital -
In my head
Aah - may I use your phone
I need my mother?!
But aah would you take me home
Aah would you know what to do -
When we got there?
Aah - may I use your phone
I need a doctor!
The lyrics to Underworld's "I Need a Doctor" convey a sense of feeling lost and overwhelmed, both by the constant bombardment of media and the vulnerability of being in need of help. The opening lines describe the frustration of waking up to the annoying, repetitive jingles on the radio that make the singer feel agitated and unsettled. The imagery of blood turning to water suggests a sense of weakness, as if the constant assault of the radio is draining the singer's vitality. The following lines describe the superficial, meaningless conversations that the singer hears on the radio, which only serve to reinforce the emptiness of modern life. The reference to the "sugar cube" generation implies that modern society is artificial and insubstantial, lacking in substance or true meaning.
The singer then turns to the listener, asking them whether they would be able to help them in a time of need - whether they would know what to do or take them somewhere safe. The references to needing to use a phone to call for help evoke a sense of vulnerability and desperation. The second verse continues this sense of looking for guidance or answers, as the singer talks about following the radio ego - perhaps looking for some kind of direction or inspiration, but also wondering what will happen next or where it will lead. The final refrain again emphasizes the need for help, this time specifically asking for a doctor. Overall, the lyrics suggest a sense of alienation and despair, but also the possibility of finding connection or support through reaching out to others.
Line by Line Meaning
In the morning
The start of a new day
Radio jingles
The sounds of advertisements and music on the radio
Drive me mental
It's overwhelming and annoying
Turning my blood into water (yeah)
Exaggeration of the impact of the radio jingles
Hear the shallow -
Conversation
The conversations heard on the radio are superficial
From the station
The source of the conversations heard
Sugar cube a generation (yeah!)
The radio's quick, disposable content has a profound effect on people
But aah would you take me home?
An inquiry about being taken home by someone else
Aah - would you know what to do -
When we got there?
Asking if the person knows what actions to take after arriving home
Aah - may I use your phone?
Asking if they can use the other person's phone
I need my mother!
They need to reach out to a loved one
(So) Educate me
A plea for someone to enlighten them
Radio ego
The inflated sense of importance the radio has
I will follow
The person listening to the radio will continue to do so
But what will I find tomorrow (well?)
Wondering what new and potentially impactful content they will find on the radio tomorrow
Aah to the little white hospital -
In my head
Comparing their mental state to that of being in a hospital
Aah - may I use your phone
Asking to use a phone
I need my mother?!
Reiterating their need to reach out to a loved one
But aah would you take me home
Another inquiry about being taken home by someone else
Aah would you know what to do -
When we got there?
Posing the same question as before
Aah - may I use your phone
Asking to use a phone
I need a doctor!
Requesting medical attention
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KARL HYDE, RICK SMITH, ALFIE THOMAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jasperbos3532
“In the city, life is shitty”
Spoken like a true human being
@thechrissguy
Extremely underrated. What a jewel.
@MrLady1971
this is one of their best ever
Electropop at its finest
Fucking great !
@michaelsheeran9527
Had this album in college.... Awesome !!
@djabko
Good times..My favorite tape/CD ever.
@fireguided
this is one of their best ever
@leon68765
Одна из Самых Самых Любимых Спасибо!!!
@AG4572
AWESOME!!! Thanks.
@Tiramisator
Fucking great !
@Adam-xr5kv
look at them how they were in the 80s now look at them now WTF!!!!!!!!!