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.
Texas
Underworld Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tough as the salt of the earth I'll tell you that, for what it's
Worth... I didn't come here looking for you I didn't lie I said I didn't
Come here alone I swear that all I loved was your empathy someone - at
Last - to understand me! So understand me what I want from you if you
Love me set me free, say - "I'm not in love with you" I've got a heart
As big as Texas but something that big gets its own way it's tearing me
In two directions I know my head - doesn't have a say! But I'm a
You block all roads in front of me this heart is gonna be the death of
Me!
The lyrics of the song Texas by Underworld are complex and provide an insight into the emotions and struggles of love. The song speaks about the size of the heart, relating it to the vastness of Texas. However, the heart is not made of stone, showing vulnerability and a softer side to the persona. The first stanza indicates that the singer did not come looking for love, but rather the empathy that they found in someone else. This empathy is further accentuated by the next line that empathizes with the singer's struggle of having a big heart that has a will of its own.
The next stanza gives a glimpse of hopelessness and confusion in the situation. The singer is caught between two opposing directions and their head is faltering to take control. The stanza continues to show that the persona is a responsible citizen who lies down in the bed they make, depicting a sense of accountability. However, the last line states that unless the path to the singer's love is blocked, this heart will be their death.
The lyrics of the song show the struggle between love and reason. The singer's heart is too big for its own good, and the head is unable to take control of the situation. It portrays that love is not always easy and can lead to conflicts within oneself. However, the song ends on a note of vulnerability, where it has become evident that the persona needs to be set free from this love that is the source of their turmoil.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a heart as big as Texas but it's not made of stone it's not as Tough as the salt of the earth I'll tell you that, for what it's Worth...
Although my heart is big, it is not unbreakable or tough. It is sensitive and vulnerable, and I wanted to make that clear.
I didn't come here looking for you I didn't lie I said I didn't Come here alone I swear that all I loved was your empathy someone - at Last - to understand me!
I did not purposely seek out your love, nor did I deceive you about being alone. What I was interested in was your compassion and understanding, as I have been searching for someone who can relate to me.
So understand me what I want from you if you Love me set me free, say - 'I'm not in love with you'
I am asking you to be honest with me about your feelings. If you truly love me, then release me from the burden of uncertainty and let me know. If not, please tell me so we can move on.
I've got a heart As big as Texas but something that big gets its own way it's tearing me In two directions I know my head - doesn't have a say!
My intense emotions are overpowering me and making it difficult to make logical decisions. Although I know what I need to do, my heart is pulling me in different directions and it is hard to resist its influence.
But I'm a Respected responsible citizen I lie down when I make my bed but unless You block all roads in front of me this heart is gonna be the death of Me!
I try to live my life honorably and responsibly, but when it comes to matters of the heart, I am powerless. Unless you outright reject me and close off all possibilities of a future together, my heart will continue to torment me and cause me pain.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KARL HYDE, RICK SMITH, ALFIE THOMAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
George Mathie
This is just magnificent from a criminally underrated album
kekko
one of the best songs in change the weather yet one of the least heard
Brenton Eckersley
Best song on the album? Probably
domenico agostini
my indian summer with two friends