X-Ray Spex's other distinctive musical element was Poly Styrene's voice, which has been variously described as "effervescently discordant" and "powerful enough to drill holes through sheet metal". As Mari Elliot, Poly had released a reggae single for GTO Records in 1976, "Silly Billy", which had not charted. Born in 1957 in Brixton, London, of Somali-English parentage, Poly Styrene became the group's public face, and remains one of the most memorable front-women to emerge from the punk movement. Poly Sytrene also became one of the first high-profile black people in punk rock. She wore braces on her teeth and once stated that "If anybody tried to make me a sex symbol I would shave my head tomorrow".
X-Ray Spex existed from mid-1976 to 1979, during which time they released five singles - "Oh Bondage, Up Yours", "Identity", "The Day the World Turned Day-Glo", "Germ Free Adolescents", and "Highly Inflammable" - and one album, Germ Free Adolescents. The album and title single reached 30 and 19 in their respective charts, although "Oh Bondage, Up Yours" is regarded as their most enduring artifact, both as a piece of music and as a phrase. The song was not originally on the album, although later CD releases added it as the final track. The group did play a fortnight's residency at New York's CBGB's even though Germ Free Adolescents was not released in America until 1992. Exhausted by touring, Poly Styrene left the band in 1979 to release a solo album, Translucence, before joining the Hare Krishna movement (as did Lora Logic, in a coincidental move, who left the band aged 16 in 1977 to form a new group called Essential Logic).
Without Styrene, the group lost its momentum and split up. Hurding and London went on to form Classix Nouveaux, while Paul Dean retired from musical activities.
In 1991 re-grouped X-Ray Spex played a surprise sell-out gig at the Brixton Academy. Uniquely, this version of the group did not include Poly Styrene, and according to an interview with Lora Logic: "...that was a mistake. They put that together with another singer and I played with them for a tour but you can't really have it without Poly."
The group reformed more successfully in 1995 with a line-up of Styrene, Dean and Logic to release a new album Conscious Consumer. Although heralded as the first in a trilogy, the album was not a commercial success. Styrene later explained that touring and promotional work suffered an abrupt end when she was run over by a fire engine in central London. The group disbanded, but subsequent releases include a compilation of the group's early records, a live album, and an anthology of all the aforementioned.
Jak Airport later worked for the BBC's Corporate and Public Relations department under his real name, Jack Stafford; he died in August 2004.
Discography
Singles
"Oh Bondage, Up Yours", 1977
"The Day The World Turned Day-Glo", 1978 #23 UK
"Identity", 1978 #24 UK
"Germ Free Adolescents", 1978 #19 UK
"Highly Inflammable", 1979 #45 UK
Albums
Germ Free Adolescents, 1978
Conscious Consumer, 1995
Poly Styrene later went on to reform X-Ray Spex with a 30 year anniversary sell-out gig at The Roundhouse, Camden, London September 6th 2008 with original bass player Paul Dean, Jak Airport sadly no longer with us was replaced by Saxby guitarist for Arnold, saxophone was provided by Flash formerly of Rip Rig & Panic and finally drummer Sid (Sidation) Truelove from Rubella Ballet and Flux of Pink Indians, hand picked by Poly for his authentic resemblance to B.P. Hurdings original punk style completing the line up for one of the most long awaited gigs of the last three decades. This performance will be available to buy on DVD and live album in November 2009 on Future Noise Music, for more info go to www.futurenoisemusic.com
Polystyrene sadly lost her battle with cancer and passed away 26/04/11
www.x-rayspex.com// http://www.myspace.com/xrayspexrealofficialpage
X-ray Spex
Cigarettes
X-Ray Spex Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Carrying a government health warning
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
Why not take paper currency and light it up?
A lower tar content and a quicker puff
Then you could keep the money, you could keep the tax
Fields wasted growing tobacco
Could be used to feed the third world countries
This is the age of hypocrisy
Everybody's saying, vote for me! Vote for me!
Blind leaders leading the blind
The cheaters and the cheated will you always find
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
The tax, the tax, the tax
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
But the biggest serial killer is a heart attack
The biggest serial killer is a heart attack
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
But the biggest serial killer is a heart attack
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
But the biggest serial killer
The biggest serial killer
The biggest serial killer
The biggest serial killer
The biggest serial killer is a heart attack
The X-Ray Spex's song "Cigarettes" is a critique on the cigarette industry, the government's reliance on revenue from taxes on cigarettes, and the sickness and death caused by smoking. The opening lines "Packet of cigarettes on the counter / Carrying a government health warning / Still they want the money, still they want the tax" are a commentary on the hypocrisy of the government's health warnings on cigarette packs, which warns about the dangers of smoking but still allows for selling and taxing of the product. The repetition of "still they want the money, still they want the tax" emphasizes this point.
The song then suggests an alternative to buying cigarettes, "Why not take paper currency and light it up? / A lower tar content and a quicker puff / Then you could keep the money, you could keep the tax". This idea challenges the addictive nature of smoking and the cigarette industry's reliance on returning customers. The line "Fields wasted growing tobacco / Could be used to feed the third world countries" is a nod to the harm caused by the tobacco industry in both the production of cigarettes and the environmental impact on the land.
The song then suggests that politicians are hypocritical for warning about the dangers of smoking while still accepting money from the cigarette industry. "This is the age of hypocrisy / Everybody's saying, vote for me! Vote for me!" The song concludes that the biggest serial killer is actually heart attacks caused by smoking, highlighting the long term damage and unnecessary suffering caused by cigarette smoking.
Line by Line Meaning
Packet of cigarettes on the counter
A pack of cigarettes placed on the counter
Carrying a government health warning
Despite the warning from the government on the pack
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
The government still wants to make money by taxing cigarettes
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
The government still wants to make money by taxing cigarettes
Why not take paper currency and light it up?
Instead of smoking cigarettes, why not just light up paper money?
A lower tar content and a quicker puff
It will have less tar and won't take as long to burn
Then you could keep the money, you could keep the tax
By not smoking cigarettes, you could keep more of your own money
You could keep the money, you could keep the tax
By not smoking cigarettes, you could keep more of your own money
Fields wasted growing tobacco
The land used to grow tobacco is being misused
Could be used to feed the third world countries
It could be used to grow crops to feed people living in poverty
This is the age of hypocrisy
The current time is one of hypocrisy
Everybody's saying, vote for me! Vote for me!
Politicians are constantly promoting themselves for office
Blind leaders leading the blind
People in charge are uneducated and lack insight
The cheaters and the cheated will you always find
Inevitably, there will always be people who cheat and people who are cheated
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
Despite the negative consequences, the government still taxes cigarettes
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
Despite the negative consequences, the government still taxes cigarettes
The tax, the tax, the tax
The primary reason the government taxes cigarettes
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
The government still taxes cigarettes despite it being a leading cause of illness and death
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
The government still taxes cigarettes despite it being a leading cause of illness and death
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
The government still taxes cigarettes despite it being a leading cause of illness and death
But the biggest serial killer is a heart attack
Heart attacks are the leading cause of deaths worldwide
The biggest serial killer is a heart attack
Heart attacks are the leading cause of deaths worldwide
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
The government still taxes cigarettes despite it being a leading cause of illness and death
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
The government still taxes cigarettes despite it being a leading cause of illness and death
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
The government still taxes cigarettes despite it being a leading cause of illness and death
But the biggest serial killer is a heart attack
Heart attacks are the leading cause of deaths worldwide
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
The government still taxes cigarettes despite it being a leading cause of illness and death
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
The government still taxes cigarettes despite it being a leading cause of illness and death
Still they want the money, still they want the tax
The government still taxes cigarettes despite it being a leading cause of illness and death
But the biggest serial killer is a heart attack
Heart attacks are the leading cause of deaths worldwide
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind