Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction play an ultra sleazy style of commercial hard rock featuring big riffs and big choruses, as was the trend in the band’s heyday of the mid-to-late 80s and early 90s. The outrageously camp lyrics are intended as self-parody, and can be seen as either humorous (by those who "get the joke") or offensive (by those who take them at face value) for their often lascivious and misogynist tone. Song titles like "Back Seat Education," "Feed My Frankenstein," "High Heeled Heaven" and "Trash Madonna" illustrate Zodiac’s tongue-in-cheek approach. Lyrical content also exhibits a send up of cult worship, often of Zodiac Mindwarp’s self proclaimed raging libido, with the frontman claiming the titles of "sex führer," "love dictator" and "high priest of love." Songs such as "Holy Gasoline," "President of the United States of Love," "Messianic Reprise," "Planet Girl" and "Elvis Died for You" are similarly inclined.
The video for the band's track "Prime Mover" was directed by Comic Strip actor/comedian Adrian Edmonson. Featuring explosions, scantily-clad young women and the band as alien invaders it immaculately captured the band's nasty, posturing style.
Occasionally referred to as "biker rock," the band’s style of hard rock is reflected in their outlandish attire, which tends to parody the post-apocalyptic "Mad Max" biker look. However, they have adopted a more common "street look" in recent years.
Zodiac co-wrote the track "There's a Barbarian in the Back of My Car" on the Voice of the Beehive album Let It Bee. He also co-wrote the track "Feed My Frankenstein" which appeared on the Alice Cooper album Hey Stoopid. Zodiac Mindwarp and The Love Reaction recorded their own version of the song which appeared on the album Hoodlum Thunder.
In 1992 Zodiac appeared on the album 456 by The Grid, singing lead vocals on the album's final track "Fire Engine Red." Love Reaction guitarist Cobalt Stargazer also appeared on the same album, performing on the tracks "Face The Sun" and "Leave Your Body".
In recent years Mark Manning has established himself as author penning books entitled Bad Wisdom (with Bill Drummond), Crucify Me Again, Get Your Cock Out, Fucked By Rock, Collateral Damage and The Wild Highway (again with Bill Drummond).
Backseat Education
Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This Is A Special Car
Two Accelerators, No Brakes
You want to Know About Love.
Lemme Teach Yeah
Come To Church I'm The Preacher
Jump In The Motor
I'm The Love Commando This Is A Raid
If Love Is An Art, Baby I'm Surreal
With You By My Side
Can't Keep My Hands On The Wheel
Unbuckle That Strap Jump In The Back
Let's Steam Up The Windows Of My Cadillac.
Gimme Back Seat Education
Working Up A Sweat On The Leatherette
I Said Back Seat Education
Little Girl You're The Teacher's Pet
I'm The Genius Of Love
I Got An Honours Degree
Baby You're In Luck
I'm Gonna Teach You For Free
I'll Show You Things
You Don't Learn At School
I'll Show You Baby How To Break The Rules
Blow Torch Baby Give Me Hot Job Precision
Apocalypse Lips Nuclear Kissing
Oh Baby It Ain't Solitaire
Horizontal Hold Get Your Legs In The Air
Gimme Back Seat Education
Working Up A Sweat On The Leatherette
Back Seat Education
Baby Baby Baby You're The Teacher's Pet
Yeah - Crawling From The Wreckage Baby
Back Seat Education
I Said Back Seat Education
I Said Back Seat Education
I Said Back Seat Education
Back Seat Education
Working Up A Sweat On The Leatherette
Back Seat Education
Little Girl You're The Teacher's Pet
The opening lines of Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction's song "Backseat Education" set the tone for an intense and sexual encounter. The singer is addressing someone who wants to ride in his "special car" which has "two accelerators, no brakes," which could be a metaphor for his own sexual prowess. He then offers to teach them about love, telling them to come to church where he is the preacher. The motor represents physical passion, and he urges the other person to jump in and let the kisses cascade.
The singer calls himself the "love commando" and declares that this is a raid, suggesting that he believes in taking charge and making things happen. He sees himself as an artist, and in this case, his art is love. He can't keep his hands on the wheel when the other person is by his side, and suggests that they "steam up the windows of [his] Cadillac." The chorus repeats the phrase "back seat education," indicating that the singer intends to teach the other person what they don't know about love, and the second verse suggests that he's a skilled lover who is eager to share his knowledge. Lines like "Blow Torch Baby Give Me Hot Job Precision" and "Apocalypse Lips Nuclear Kissing" suggest that he's incredibly passionate and skilled.
Overall, "Backseat Education" is an intense and lustful song that emphasizes the physical side of love.
Line by Line Meaning
You want to Ride Baby
You want to have sex, baby
This Is A Special Car
My car is customized and equipped for sexual activities
Two Accelerators, No Brakes
We're going full speed ahead with no intentions of slowing down
You want to Know About Love.
You want to learn about sex and intimacy
Lemme Teach Yeah
I'll teach you what you need to know
Come To Church I'm The Preacher
I'm the expert you need to educate you about sex
Jump In The Motor
Get in the car
Let The Kisses Cascade
We'll start with some foreplay
I'm The Love Commando This Is A Raid
I'm in charge and ready to take action
If Love Is An Art, Baby I'm Surreal
I'm highly skilled and imaginative in bed
With You By My Side
We're a team when it comes to sex
Can't Keep My Hands On The Wheel
I'm too distracted by you and can't focus on driving
Unbuckle That Strap Jump In The Back
Take off your seatbelt and come to the backseat
Let's Steam Up The Windows Of My Cadillac.
We're going to have hot, steamy sex in my car
Gimme Back Seat Education
Teach me about sex in the backseat
Working Up A Sweat On The Leatherette
We'll be getting physical and sweaty in the car
Little Girl You're The Teacher's Pet
You're my sexual pupil
I'm The Genius Of Love
I'm an expert in love-making
I Got An Honours Degree
I'm highly skilled and experienced in sex
Baby You're In Luck
You're lucky to have me as your teacher
I'm Gonna Teach You For Free
I won't charge for my services
I'll Show You Things
I'll teach you new sexual techniques
You Don't Learn At School
You can't learn these things in a classroom
I'll Show You Baby How To Break The Rules
I'll teach you how to be sexually adventurous and non-traditional
Blow Torch Baby Give Me Hot Job Precision
I want you to perform oral sex on me with skill and enthusiasm
Apocalypse Lips Nuclear Kissing
We're going to have an explosive, passionate kiss
Oh Baby It Ain't Solitaire
Sex is a two-person game
Horizontal Hold Get Your Legs In The Air
We're going to have sex in various positions
I Said Back Seat Education
I want to learn about sex in the backseat of the car
Yeah - Crawling From The Wreckage Baby
We're going to have wild, intense sex
Back Seat Education
We're going to learn about sex in the backseat of the car
Baby Baby Baby You're The Teacher's Pet
You're my sexual pupil and I'm going to teach you everything you need to know
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vlad Vampirelord
You wanna ride, baby
This is a special car
Two accelerators, no brakes
You wanna know about love?
Lemme teach, yeah
Come to church, I'm the preacher
Jump in the motor
Let the kisses cascade
I'm the love commando, this is a raid
If love is an art, baby I'm surreal
With you by my side
Can't keep my hands on the wheel
Unbuckle that strap jump in the back
Let's steam up the windows of my Cadillac
Gimme back seat education
Working up a sweat on the leatherette
I said back seat education
Little girl, you're the teacher's pet
I'm the genius of love
I got an honors degree
Baby, you're in luck
I'm gonna teach you for free
I'll show you things
You don't learn at school
I'll show you, baby
How to break the rules
Blow torch, baby, give me hot job precision
Apocalypse lips nuclear kissing
Oh baby, it ain't solitaire
Horizontal hold, get your legs in the air
Gimme back seat education
Working up a sweat on the leatherette
Back seat education
Baby, baby, baby, you're the teacher's pet
Yeah, crawling from the wreckage, baby
Back seat education
I said back seat education
I said back seat education
I said back seat education
Back seat education
Working up a sweat on the leatherette
Back seat education
Little girl, you're the teacher's pet
- ZODIAC MINDWARP, "Backseat Education"
Le Carampley
I have always thought this was exquisite bad taste. I really loved planet girl, prime mover and backseat education from their tattoed beat messiah album. It's a pity they never got bigger.
Bubbles Wetlove
That's what she said.
beerjitsu
This band was genius. Absolute freaking magic. If Love Is An Art Baby I'm Surreal!
Not Sure
Aside from how good the music is, the video is so beautifully tongue-in-cheek. I still have it on my Power Hour VHS tapes, which I one day hope to get around to uploading.
Vlad Vampirelord
You wanna ride, baby
This is a special car
Two accelerators, no brakes
You wanna know about love?
Lemme teach, yeah
Come to church, I'm the preacher
Jump in the motor
Let the kisses cascade
I'm the love commando, this is a raid
If love is an art, baby I'm surreal
With you by my side
Can't keep my hands on the wheel
Unbuckle that strap jump in the back
Let's steam up the windows of my Cadillac
Gimme back seat education
Working up a sweat on the leatherette
I said back seat education
Little girl, you're the teacher's pet
I'm the genius of love
I got an honors degree
Baby, you're in luck
I'm gonna teach you for free
I'll show you things
You don't learn at school
I'll show you, baby
How to break the rules
Blow torch, baby, give me hot job precision
Apocalypse lips nuclear kissing
Oh baby, it ain't solitaire
Horizontal hold, get your legs in the air
Gimme back seat education
Working up a sweat on the leatherette
Back seat education
Baby, baby, baby, you're the teacher's pet
Yeah, crawling from the wreckage, baby
Back seat education
I said back seat education
I said back seat education
I said back seat education
Back seat education
Working up a sweat on the leatherette
Back seat education
Little girl, you're the teacher's pet
- ZODIAC MINDWARP, "Backseat Education"
ilpunitore
The reason Zodiac was so brilliant was bc he was parodying a style of music (metal) that was itself a parody of the cliches of rock and roll...this video is a lot like the vid for Motley's Too Fast For Love...but Zodiac seems in on the joke...
Yann le-corf
Pure 80's spirit !
Daz Paden
Horizontal Hold, get your legs in the air!
Best Sleaze Band EVER🤣🤘
bushmanpm
I saw these guys originally at the old Woolwich Coronet and then plenty of times after that, including their 30th anniversary gig of Tattooed Beat Messiah at New Cross in SE London a few years ago ( yeah, we all felt WELL old!) and they were still the dogs bollocks!
As a biker I always thought they would go down an absolute storm at a bike rally but the main one they did was Storming The Castle all the way up in Newcastle (1994 IIRC) so I got a load of mates together and hired a minibus and took us all up there.
Mawb
@JethrineBodine It was meant to be a self-parody of the excesses of metal and rock. They were/are very self-aware. As a feminist even in the 80s I actually appreciated them a lot because they flagged up so much that in those days went completely unnoticed in rock.