Underworld are a British electronic group formed in 1986 in Romford, Essex,… Read Full Bio ↴Underworld are a British electronic group formed in 1986 in Romford, Essex, England, by Karl Hyde (vocals, guitar, production) and Rick Smith (keyboards, production). DJ Darren Price (keyboards, production) accompanied the two in live performances between 2005-2016. They are best known for their unique mix of techno, trance, dance, ambient and sometimes drum and bass, the vocal parts performed by Hyde as spoken-word streams of consciousness, and for their outstanding live shows. The band gained worldwide fame with Born Slippy .NUXX from the Trainspotting soundtrack.

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.

Mercy
Underworld Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Monday morning hit me at a hundred miles an hour, so I ripped out the
Telephone and waited in the shower nobody came rushing in when I began
To scream the morning that I realized that this was not a dream sweet
Success is up and above poverty below I wake in the middle and I press

The green to go passion and sobriety are yelling in my head can't sleep
Over money I got cobras in my bed! I am tired, I am lonely all I needs a
Little mercy and here it comes! Here it comes I'm worried I won't make

It and I'm dogged by good advice scared that I might lose it and I can't

Afford the price hounded by these images designed to turn me on what
Planet do the people in the adverts all live on? Now I'm tired, now I'm
Lonely all I needs a little mercy and here it comes! Here it comes! Oh,
Judge come and put your arms around me oh, and take me to a quiet river

Oh, we'll lash our bodies in the water - vow no one can touch us now
Above our heads it's up there Monday morning hit me at a hundred miles
An hour so I ripped out the telephone and waited in the shower nobody
Came rushing in when I began to scream the morning I realized that this
Was not a dream I am tired, I am lonely all I needs a little mercy I am

Tired, I am lonely all I needs a little mercy and here it comes! Here it
Comes! Here it comes! Here it comes!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Underworld's song "Mercy" paint a picture of someone who is overwhelmed by the demands and pressures of modern society. The first verse sets the scene for a hectic morning, with the singer feeling like they are being hit at "a hundred miles an hour." The use of the telephone and shower as symbols of escape are interesting, as these are both commonly used for relaxation and privacy in modern society. However, the fact that "nobody came rushing in" when the singer began to scream suggests that they feel isolated and alone in their struggles. The mention of "sweet success" being "up and above poverty below" highlights the extreme nature of modern capitalism, where the gap between the rich and poor can seem insurmountable.

The second verse delves deeper into the singer's psychological state, with "passion and sobriety" both "yelling in [their] head." The mention of cobras in the bed is a powerful metaphor for the anxiety and fear that modern life can create. There is a sense of being trapped and unable to escape the pressures of society. The singer is "worried [they] won't make it" and is "dogged by good advice," which suggests that there is a constant pressure to perform and succeed, but the advice given to them is not always helpful. The mention of "images designed to turn [them] on" highlights the pervasive nature of advertising and media, which can create unrealistic expectations and add to the pressures of modern life.

Overall, the lyrics to "Mercy" are a powerful commentary on the pressures of modern society and the toll it can take on individuals. The use of everyday objects and situations as symbols of escape and the metaphor of the cobras in the bed make the lyrics particularly evocative.

Line by Line Meaning

Monday morning hit me at a hundred miles an hour, so I ripped out the Telephone and waited in the shower nobody came rushing in when I began To scream the morning that I realized that this was not a dream
I was abruptly hit with the reality of Monday morning, and in my distress, I retreated to the shower and attempted to reach out to someone for comfort, but no one responded. It was then that I understood this harsh reality was not a mere dream.

Sweet Success is up and above poverty below I wake in the middle and I press The green to go passion and sobriety are yelling in my head can't sleep Over money I got cobras in my bed!
Although I have achieved some successes, I still feel caught between the fear of poverty and the pressure to keep going. The passion to succeed and the need for sobriety compete in my mind, causing sleepless nights and anxiety.

I am tired, I am lonely all I needs a Little mercy and here it comes! Here it comes
Exhausted and isolated, I crave some mercy and finally it arrives.

I'm worried I won't make It and I'm dogged by good advice scared that I might lose it and I can't Afford the price hounded by these images designed to turn me on what Planet do the people in the adverts all live on?
Despite receiving good advice, I still fear failure and the high cost of striving for success. I am bombarded by unrealistic images that pressure me to keep pushing, and I wonder what world the people in these ads live in.

Now I'm tired, now I'm Lonely all I needs a little mercy and here it comes! Here it comes!
Again, I feel tired and alone, but the mercy I desire finally appears once more.

Oh, Judge come and put your arms around me oh, and take me to a quiet river Oh, we'll lash our bodies in the water - vow no one can touch us now Above our heads it's up there
In my desperation, I long for the comfort of a judge, envisioning being taken to a peaceful river where nothing can harm me.

Monday morning hit me at a hundred miles An hour so I ripped out the telephone and waited in the shower nobody Came rushing in when I began to scream the morning I realized that this Was not a dream
This opening line is repeated to emphasize the intensity of the emotions and thoughts filling the singer's mind, and how they feel overwhelmed and unable to handle it alone.

I am Tired, I am lonely all I needs a little mercy I am Tired, I am lonely all I needs a little mercy and here it comes! Here it comes! Here it comes! Here it comes!
The chorus repeats, emphasizing the cycle of exhaustion and the continued need for mercy to help the artist carry on.

Lyrics © DistroKid, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Karl Hyde, Richard Smith, Alfred Thomas, Richard David Smith, Alfie Thomas

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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