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.
King of Snake
Underworld Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Snake [Repeat: x4]
Twenty four hours with the king of snake
King of snake
Dog man and the king of snake
Dog man and the king of snake
King of snake great
Mongoose and the king of snake
Dog man and the king of snake
Mongoose and the king of snake
Twenty four hours with the king of snake
[Chorus: x2]
Daily, daily, daily, daily thing
Like Tom & Jerry thing
Yeah
Drink
Drink
Drink
And you go ping
Drink
That stuff enough
Right up
That stuff enough
Right up
That stuff enough
Right up right up
Right up right up
That stuff enough
Snake
Drink (drink)
That stuff enough
Right up
That stuff enough
Right up
That stuff enough
Right up right up
Right up right up
That stuff enough
Snake
Sweet lord
[Chorus: x2]
Drink
That stuff enough
Right up
That stuff enough
Right right right up
That stuff enough
Right up right up
Right up
That
Snake
Drink
That stuff enough
Right up
That stuff enough
Right up
That stuff enough
Right up right up
Right up right up
That stuff enough
Snake
Up on the mountain
The midnight faces
Everybody got some
Big emotion
Up on the mountain
Big emotion
Same ambition
King of snake
King
Snake [Repeat: x4]
Twenty four hours with the king of snake
King of snake king of snake
Twenty four hours with the king of snake
Snake [Repeat: x4]
Snake-fighting, it's very scary fighting snake.
Very dangerous so is very po-popular,
At midnight everybody dancing on street
Here, everyone with same identity, down their sake, sake is
Very strong, like vodka, very dangerous, so everyone get a rolled
Up newspaper, set it on fire, and put it in between
Snake-fighting life
Strong food answering drink at midnight
The song "King of Snake" by Underworld is a story about a wild party that involves the consumption of an unknown substance that leads to an intense experience with the king of snake. The song starts with the repeated phrase "king of snake" and introduces different characters like dog man and mongoose. The chorus talks about how the experience is a daily thing, just like the cartoon show Tom and Jerry. The repetitive use of the word "drink" symbolizes the consumption of a potent substance that the singer is having with the king of snake. The lyrics keep referring to "that stuff" and how it's "enough" to lead the singer and those around him into a trance-like state.
Towards the end of the song, the lyrics change to describe a mountain with people joining together with the same ambition. The song ends with a repeat of the phrase "twenty-four hours with the king of snake," which brings the meaning full circle to the beginning. Overall, the song seems to be a cautionary tale on the dangers of drugs and the evils that lurk in the night.
Line by Line Meaning
King of snake
The singer is referring to someone or something as the king of snakes
Snake
This line is just the repeated word "snake"
Twenty four hours with the king of snake
Spending an entire day with whomever or whatever is being referred to as the king of snakes
Dog man and the king of snake
The combination of a dog man and the king of snakes
Mongoose and the king of snake
The combination of a mongoose and the king of snakes
King of snake great
The singer thinks that the king of snakes is great
[Chorus: x2]
The repeated chorus
Daily, daily, daily, daily thing
Whatever is happening is a daily occurrence
Like Tom & Jerry thing
This thing is similar to the cartoon Tom & Jerry
Drink
The act of drinking
Drink
The act of drinking
Drink
The act of drinking
And you go ping
After drinking, you feel energized or stimulated
That stuff enough
The drink is strong enough
Right up
The drink is strong enough to take immediately
That stuff enough
The drink is strong enough
Right up right up
The drink is strong enough to take immediately and repeatedly
That stuff enough
The drink is strong enough
Snake
This line is just the repeated word "snake"
Sweet lord
An exclamation expressing amazement or shock
Up on the mountain
This takes place on top of a mountain
The midnight faces
The people who are present have faces that appear in the dark
Everybody got some
Everyone has something
Big emotion
There is a lot of emotion present
Same ambition
Everyone has the same goal
King
The singer is referring to whomever or whatever as a king
Snake-fighting, it's very scary fighting snake.
Fighting snakes is scary and dangerous
Very dangerous so is very po-popular,
Despite being dangerous, it is a very popular activity
At midnight everybody dancing on street
Everyone is dancing on the street at midnight
Here, everyone with same identity,
Everyone present shares the same identity
down their sake, sake is
They are drinking sake
Very strong, like vodka, very dangerous
The sake they are drinking is very strong and dangerous
so everyone get a rolled
Everyone gets a rolled up newspaper
Up newspaper, set it on fire, and put it in between
They light the newspaper on fire and use it to fight the snakes
Snake-fighting life
The lifestyle of fighting snakes
Strong food answering drink at midnight
There is strong food being served alongside the strong drink at midnight
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Mute Song Limited
Written by: PETE BELLOTTE, DARREN PAUL EMERSON, KARL HYDE, GIORGIO MORODER, RICHARD SMITH, DONNA SUMMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@georgedevelaskas3650
Still one of the best performances ever...Cannot get better than this!
@honky-tonk23436
One of the best live dance acts - crazy energy
@davidmeadows1182
Way ahead of their time and their songs stand up today. This is by far their best, perfection combination of Karls voice and the pulsing beat. Jump everyone.
@nickycotton6137
Bl**dy right... So progressive/gets better & BETTER 🎤🎶✊🔥✌
@m..k..2.0.0.0
Well I think the most part of old songs stand up today. Music here and now is a shit.
@kyleferrin9271
If this song doesn't make you move and groove there is something wrong with you!
@jackson2step1
fucking big like for the comment !!!!!!!!!!!!!
@stateagent7721
Amen to that.... TUNE
@AngelArtists
Stephen Hawkins Circa 2002
@maryjoana6618
Indeed !!!