SLS: Cannibals And Darkness

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Jim is continuing his run of British themes for this week’s Song Lyric Sunday by asking us to play a song that won the Brit Award for the British Album of the Year – well, its album did, anyway. As usual, you can read all about it in his post. Fortunately for me this gave a much wider choice than last week’s song of the year: though there was still a fair amount of dross in there I found quite a few albums that I owned from which I could choose. I’ve gone for two of them, and the clue to the bands is in my title.

Lead off track is from the album that won the award in 1990:

That still sounds as fresh and fantastic to me now as it did all those years ago. As this is SLS, here are the lyrics:

I can’t stop the way I feelThings you do don’t seem realTell me what you’ve got in mind‘Cause we’re running out of timeWon’t you ever set me free?This waiting ’round’s killing me

She drives me crazyLike no one elseShe drives me crazyAnd I can’t help myself

I can’t get any restPeople say I’m obsessedEverything you say is liesBut to me there’s no surpriseWhat I had for you was trueThings go wrong, they always do

She drives me crazyLike no one elseShe drives me crazyAnd I can’t help myself

I won’t make it on my ownNo one likes to be alone
 
She drives me crazyLike no one elseShe drives me crazyAnd I can’t help myself

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: David Steele / Roland Gift

She Drives Me Crazy lyrics © Royalty Network, TuneCore Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
 
Fine Young Cannibals won the award for their second album, The Raw And The Cooked, which was released in January 1989, and from which the single She Drives Me Crazy was taken. They also won the Best Group Award that year. The album was a huge success, making #1 in both the UK and the US, and also in Australia and Canada. This was the first single from it, released the previous month, and it got to #1 in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, but perhaps a little surprisingly only #5 in the UK. The album sold more than 2m in the US, going 2x Platinum, and went 3x Platinum in the UK for 900k sales. The single sold 500k in the US (Gold) and despite its lower chart placing it actually did better overall in the UK, selling 600k and going Platinum in the process. The band members had several other musical interests, and lead singer Roland Gift was also an actor, so perhaps it wasn’t a surprise when they disbanded in 1992 without making another album. A short career together, but a good one, and I loved this album. I had it on cassette and luckily had it with me coming up to Christmas that year when the boss had us all into his office for an impromptu drinks session one evening. This was played to raucous community singing of the chorus, and prompted one of our team to admit his feelings to a lovely colleague: they later married, so I like to think I played Cupid for them.
 
My second tune for today comes from the album that won the award in 2004. The main single from this is probably still their trademark track, but I prefer this one:
 
 
Permission To Land was the debut album by The Darkness, released in July 2003, peaking at #1 in the UK but only #36 in the US. Despite that its US sales are impressive, at 710k and Gold, compared with 1.5m in the UK, where it went 4x Platinum. In addition to this one, the band also won the Best Group and Best Rock Group awards that year. Love Is Only A Feeling was the last of five tracks from the album to be released as singles, in March 2004, and it got to #5 in the UK, though it didn’t make the US chart. This is another album that I bought and played to bits, and I still love it today. I have all of their records, and am looking forward to their next one, which is scheduled for a March 2025 release with the intriguing title of Dreams On Toast. The band are from Suffolk, in East Anglia, which is known as a fairly flat county: this video was recorded in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, in Australia, as you don’t get hills like that in Suffolk!
 
That would be it for today, but I thought I’d add in a bonus video. One of The Darkness’ fellow countyfolk is Ed Sheeran. He wouldn’t normally get a look in here, but last December he joined with the band for a Suffolk session during a gig in London – I guess it was their Christmas present to him. They played that same song, and they all seemed to be having a whale of a time, so here it is:
 
 
Mutual respect and everyone enjoying themselves: isn’t that what music is about? I enjoyed that collaboration, and I have to admit that it has made me reconsider my view of Ed Sheeran. But only a little…
 
That’s all for today. Enjoy your day and I’ll see you again on Tuesday for the latest instalment in my Advent Countdown. Not long till the big day now – eek! 🤣

38 thoughts on “SLS: Cannibals And Darkness”

  2. I too liked the FYC, Gift had a memorable voice and this was a bright neat poppy song, and there’s nothing wrong with that. He spent a few years in NZ after they broke up, but I thiiiiiiink he’s back in the UK now.

    (Commiserations on losing that 7 pointer today too.)

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    • He seems to have flitted around a bit. Various bits of acting work, a solo album, appearances with Jools Holland both on tv and in concerts, but nothing major. It’s a shame, as his voice deserved to be heard more.

      Thanks, but it was Chelski and we always lose to them. Even at 2-0 up I had no confidence!

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      • I get that feeling with just about every Spurs game at present! Incredibly long injury list, a couple of suspensions, it’s hard to put out a decent team – assuming we had one to begin with. Your boys did well yesterday, putting some daylight between them and the bottom three.

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  7. I thinker in the US, there was confusion about The Darkness – was it a parody like Spinal Tap? I had the first two albums and liked the energy and sense of fun in the music, but many thought it was a joke.

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    • That’s probably because they have never taken themselves too seriously. They have a lot of fun with their videos: this is one where they actually play it straight, though Justin can’t resist those bum wiggles! I have all of their albums – seven so far, four of which went top ten here and the others made top twenty. I think the seven year gap between the second and third – as a result of Justin’s addiction issues – did for them as a singles band, though. My favourite is the third one, Hot Cakes, which gave us this piece of lunacy:

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    • I thought Americans would know the first but not the second. Unfortunately, everyone has heard of Ed Sheeran. There’s even a meme for him: “Alexa, play Ed Sheeran.” “ Do I have to?” 🤣

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  9. I knew the Fine Young Cannibals song from hearing it on the radio, but I never paid attention to who was singing this. The Darkness was new to me, as I never heard of them or this song. The song is really nice, and I enjoyed watching the video. Two great selections today, Clive.

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    • Thanks, Jim, I’m glad you liked the choices. FYC did well over there with this song but I didn’t expect many to know The Darkness one, as they haven’t had limited success in N America.

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  11. She Drives Me Crazy is such a fun song that you have sing/scream along every time you listen to it! I never heard the secong choice before, but I enjoyed it, and I thank you for introducing me to so many new pieces….

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    • It works well like that, doesn’t it! I thought the other would be new to most over there, and I’m glad you enjoyed it. I always like introducing people to songs they may not know 😊

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    • I got that impression when I looked at their discography for this piece: their only US hit, but it sold a million. They haven’t had a hit single here for many years either but their albums always do well.

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  13. Like you Clive I’m not a fan of Sheeran but I like this collaboration…I agrree about “She Drives Me Crazy ” it still sounds the same… some songs when I haven’t listened to them for a while don’t quite seem the same this is still great to listen too. xx

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  14. Nice choices, and I have to say you can’t beat a cliched view of an ariel view of a rock band on a mountain top, the most natural place to have a whole stack of guitars and amplifiers!

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