Motorhead have written on a number of different topics throughout the years.
Let's look at the first verse from "Love me like reptile" off of Ace of spades.
"Knew I had to bite you baby when I first set eyes on you,
That moment turned me on, I can't believe it's true,
I like to watch your body sway,
I got no choice, I'm gonna twist your tail,
Love Me Like A Reptile, I'm gonna sink my fangs in you"
We know what they are talking about yet it's an odd interpretation. I think that this song is a good representation of Motorhead's approach to lyrics. I think that normally their lyrics are somewhat unique. It seems to come natural from them and doesn't sound forced.
Here is the last part of "I'm the doctor" off of the Iron Fist album.
"Don't get too depressed, I've found a way to help your case
A little hypodermic sends you into outer space
You'll feel much better when you take these little pills
I'm gonna give you 60 bottles, I believe in overkill
Heart attack, you know you're never coming back
Cos I'm the Doctor"
It's rather nasty sounding yet somehow it's done so that it comes across as being like a dark comedy in a way. Not everyone could pull this off.
Lastly here is the first past of "Angel City" from 1916.
"I wanna grow my hair, live in Bel Air,
Lose my head,keep a live snake in my bed,
I wanna backstage pass, Drink Bon Jovi's booze for free,
I wanna be a star and buy a hundred guitars,
Eat everything I can bite,
I wanna feel a little danger,Feel a little stranger,
Angel City tonight,"
More straightforward in the humor here, but a good take on hard rock stardom back when this was written (1990).
Dude I saw your Avatar and thought anyone who is named Metal Mark and has Eddie as their avatar is probably pretty cool. I am a metal head to the bone, just wanted to say \m/ FUCKING SLAYER!! \m/ and Lemmy is the king, dude.
ReplyDeleteThey have great lyrics, definitely stuff from people who had some deep thoughts on life and not just some lame ass stuff. I like the No Voices in the Sky lyrics especially :
ReplyDelete"Nobody gives a damn about anybody else,
Think everybody should feel the way they feel themselves,
Rich men think that happiness is a million dollar bills,
So how come most of them O.D. on sleeping pills,
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, you all know what I mean,
What's the use of a cry for help, if no one hears the scream,
No one hears the scream,
No voices in the sky, confusion blinds the eye,
Can't take it with you when you die,
No voices in the sky,"
Well thats why Metal will always come out KING. LYRICS...nothing compair to it. You can sing along scream along and even laugh. Human nature is made to laughed about.I wanna backstage pass, Drink Bon Jovi's booze for free,
ReplyDeleteAhhhh Bon Jovi....whahahahaha....
Cool post! I can almost hear him singing it into that mic perched way above his head! Awesome!
ReplyDeleteWait...so you mean that "sing my fangs into you" doest simply mean that he's a half snake, half man with fangs? ;)
ReplyDeleteSteve~
Lemmy's eyes always un-nerve me somewhat
ReplyDeleteMotorhead have some interesting lyrics. They can go from juvenile to thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Motorhead gem is:
If you squeeze my lizard
I'll put my snake on you
I'm a romantic adventure
And I'm a reptile too
How can you not love those lyrics? I wonder what Lemmy is talking about.
But seriously, Lemmy can write some really great lyrics. I particularly like the lyrics to Don't Believe a word:
I have seen the Devil laugh
I have seen God turn his face away
I have nothing left to lose
I have nothing left to say
I have seen the sky turn black
I have seen the seas run dry
I have nothing that is yours
I have nothing now that is not mine
When he sings those lyrics I get a chill because the guy is talking from experience. Lemmy is a veteran of of the music business and has seen it all. This is a guy who has lived more in one life than most could do in a 100 lives.
Great week of posts, btw.
hey, Bostick, shout out to you...was just watching the Slayer "Still Reigning" DVD...pretty awesome with that raining blood effect at the end...
ReplyDeleteI loved your choice of "Angel City," Mark, because I was always struck by the perspective of a British hard drinker and hard player who perhaps had as wise an eye on the LA scene as anyone living it.
Of course, I will always love Motorhead for their introspective war commentary on "1916," particulary the gut-wrenching final stanza
bostick-Welcome.
ReplyDeleteAndre-Lemmy's voice is just 100% there on "No voices in the sky". It was a bit more melodic for them, but a great song.
etain-Some metal lyrics are worth forgetting, but there are bands like Sabbath, Maiden and Motorhead where they are just so in control.
rockdog-I never understood the point of doing that with the mic stand.
steven novak-You are free to interpret lyrics however you want to.
Pixie-He can make his eyes look crazy.
Fred-Lemmy has written some great lyrics and very few clunkers considering how much material they have done.
Ray-The title track on 1916, was brilliant. Uncharacteristic at the time for them, but still utterly brilliant even sixteen years later.
You're right, Motorhead's lyrics are one of their most distinctive elements. They do the "tough guy" thing classically, like Priest used to back in the day. I remember hearing "Shake Your Blood," the Probot track that Lemmy was on, and thinking "Only Lemmy could sing something like this and make it sound cool."
ReplyDeleteIt takes a good lyricist to create "poetry" out of the average things. It sounds like Motorhead looked at the world with a slightly different perspective and therefore can bring original lyrics to what would normally be cheesy. I don't know much about Motorhead, but I've alwayds respected them.
ReplyDelete