Known for its outrageous and controversial stage performances led by the bands' theatrical singer/songwriter Friday, they first began playing small shows in Dublin gaining them a cult audience and ridicule from the culturally conservative community. With an audience the band were able to issue their first single in 1980, the independently-produced Twenty Tens (I've Been Smoking All Night), which led to a deal with the Rough Trade Records.
Gavin Friday and Guggi, along with third vocalist 'Dave-iD Busaras' (David Scott Watson), guitarist Dik Evans (brother of U2's The Edge), bassist Strongman (Trevor Rowan, brother of Guggi) and drummer Pod (Anthony Murphy), completed the original lineup. Soon after the release of their first single the bands drummer, Pod, left the group and was replaced by Haa-Lacka Binttii (aka Bintii, aka Princess Tinymeat, neé Daniel Figgis), who was in turn replaced by drummer Mary D'Nellon.
1981 to 1982 would see the band release many innovative and creative projects such as A New Form of Beauty, a project that contained four chapters, each on a different format. In 1982 the Virgin Prunes released their debut album ...If I Die, I Die. Heresie, a French boxset, was also released. The boxset contained two 10 inch records, one with studio recordings from just before the "If I Die I Die" sessions and one with a registration of a Paris concert .
In 1984 both Guggi and Dik Evans, unhappy with the music business, left the band. This forced drummer, Mary D'Nellon to take up the guitar and allowed Pod to return as the band's drummer. The Virgin Prunes started to record the album Sons Find Devils, which has never been released.
In 1985, confusingly enough, a retrospective video titled Sons Find Devils was released; this video had nothing to do with the unreleased album of the same name. Later that same year, Over the Rainbow, a compilation of rarities, was also released.
In the summer of 1986 the band, now a four-piece recording music written for Sons Find Devils, finally released a new album, The Moon Looked Down and Laughed. Also that year frontman Gavin Friday left the group. His departure was confirmed in the liner notes of the band's 1987 live album The Hidden Lie which contained a short statement confirming the band's break-up.
After disbanding as The Virgin Prunes, D'Nellon, Strongman and Busaras formed an offshoot group called The Prunes, which released three albums between 1988 and 1990 (Lite Fantastik, 1988; Nada, 1989; and Blossoms & Blood, 1990). Dik Evans played on The Prunes' album Lite Fantastik.
In 1998, Cleopatra Records re-released the Sons Find Devils video, along with a soundtrack album on CD. This was the first commercially-available Virgin Prunes material to be released since 1993 and, for a few years, the only commercially available full-length Virgin Prunes album on compact disc.
Gavin Friday has since had a reasonably successful solo career in both music and film. Guggi remains an influential artist in Dublin. Dave-id still records as a solo artist in Ireland. After 20 years of self-imposed seclusion from the rock world, Dik Evans recently gave an overview of his and brother Edge's early years in U2 for the December 2005 issue of 'Word Magazine'. Trevor, Mary and Anthony Murphy live quietly throughout Europe.
Caucasian Walk
Virgin Prunes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Didn't notice all the clocks on television,
Controlled violence on sale in new streets.
Don't delay in boring studios!
Whatever happened to Emancipation Act '73?
I think it's lost, yes it's lost
In a world of satisfaction. No delay!
Like a crazy singer in a band that's lost the words.
Like a crazy singer in a band that's lost the words.
Like a crazy singer in a band that's lost the words.
Like a crazy singer in a band that's lost the words.
Caucasian walk, Caucasian talk
Because I can't do nothing, can't do nothing.
Seen is only truth in a shell of lies,
Distributed feelings to a race that doesn't comprehend.
I don't smoke, I just do it for the company.
Political problems, sexual frustration won't end.
It's the type of poison that doesn't count in life.
I think not of the glasses but of the drink.
[Chorus]
Glitter stardust in dull camp void,
Hero are you out there or is it just a shadow?
I could give you words if the world gives me vibes.
Tell me what's the position between the man and beast?
Impressions on a mirror for everyone of you to look at.
It's the type of happening in a weird situation
And that's the reason for doing nothing.
[Chorus]
I looked at my watch and I saw I had no time.
Didn't notice all the clocks on television,
Controlled violence on sale in new streets.
Don't delay in boring studios!
Whatever happened to Emancipation Act '73?
I think it's lost, yes it's lost
In a world of satisfaction. No delay!
[Chorus]
I have no words, no words
Caucasian walk, Caucasian talk...
The song "Caucasian Walk" by Virgin Prunes is a commentary on contemporary society's collective loss of identity and individuality. The singer appears to be frustrated with the constraints and pressures of modern life, suggesting that individuals' identities are at risk of being subsumed by the culture they live in. The first verse describes being overwhelmed with time constraints, where clocks and the overbearing reality of "controlled violence" are ever-present reminders of the fast-paced and often dangerous world they inhabit. The second verse reflects on the oppression of emotions, as they feel that their feelings are not properly understood by others, and systems of power often overlook them. The chorus repeats the line "like a crazy singer in a band that's lost the words," implying a disconnection between the individual and the world. The final verse sees the singer addressing the void between humanity and nature, feeling corrupted by societal influence and unable to find a way out.
The song's lyrics contain themes of consumerism, conformity, and loss of individuality within a rapidly changing world. It presents a bleak vision of modern society, lamenting the loss of freedom, joy, and self-expression. The "Emancipation Act '73" referenced in the song lyrics is believed to be a reference to a piece of legislation that instituted government policies intended to promote racial and social equality in the United States. The lyric "I don't smoke, I just do it for the company" references the social pressures to conform to peer groups or societal norms and suggests that self-expression is difficult to achieve without adapting to the expectations of others.
Line by Line Meaning
I looked at my watch and I saw I had no time.
Realized lack of time amidst busy routine.
Didn't notice all the clocks on television,
Preoccupied with work and lost track of real time.
Controlled violence on sale in new streets.
Violent tendencies being normalized in society.
Don't delay in boring studios!
Life is too short to waste in mundane activities.
Whatever happened to Emancipation Act '73?
A landmark legislation pertaining to civil rights.
I think it's lost, yes it's lost
Emancipation Act '73 seems to have been forgotten.
In a world of satisfaction. No delay!
People are content with the status quo and unwilling to make changes.
[Chorus] Like a crazy singer in a band that's lost the words.
Feeling lost and directionless, like a musician without lyrics.
Caucasian walk, Caucasian talk Because I can't do nothing, can't do nothing.
Feeling helpless and unable to take meaningful action.
Seen is only truth in a shell of lies,
Truth is obscured by deceit and manipulation.
Distributed feelings to a race that doesn't comprehend.
Misunderstood by those who cannot relate to their experiences.
I don't smoke, I just do it for the company.
Engaging in unhealthy behavior to fit in with peers.
Political problems, sexual frustration won't end.
Persistent societal issues that are difficult to overcome.
It's the type of poison that doesn't count in life.
Ignoring the negative impact of harmful behaviors.
I think not of the glasses but of the drink.
Focusing on the substance rather than superficial details.
[Chorus] Like a crazy singer in a band that's lost the words.
A repeated feeling of being directionless and without purpose.
Glitter stardust in dull camp void,
Hope and excitement in a bleak existence.
Hero are you out there or is it just a shadow?
Questioning the existence of a savior or guide.
I could give you words if the world gives me vibes.
Having something meaningful to say if inspired by surroundings.
Tell me what's the position between the man and beast?
Examining the distinction between humanity and animal instinct.
Impressions on a mirror for everyone of you to look at.
Reflection of oneself for others to judge.
It's the type of happening in a weird situation And that's the reason for doing nothing.
Feeling powerless to act due to confusion and uncertainty about the situation.
[Chorus] I have no words, no words Caucasian walk, Caucasian talk...
Continued sense of aimlessness and inability to articulate feelings.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID WATSON, DAVID JOHN KELLY, DEREK MARY KARL ROWEN, FIONAN MARTIN HANVEY, RICHARD GARVIN EVANS, TREVOR BERNARD ROWEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@patrickmccabe3786
Love the Prunes best band to come out of Ireland ❤.
@el_rocanlover6094
Well done... love it 🖤🎹🔥
@thisisstevet
Wunderbar!
@Autisticmonkeysilly
🎉❤
@marianieto855
Roloooooooon ❤❤ i love It ❤❤
@renesiegfriedmuller8256
Gute Musik
Dein Eigentum..
FD?