tubthumping

British anarchist musical collective Chumbawamba took their message to the masses with this anthemic drinking song
and infuriated their hardcore fanbase. 'Tubthumping' brought the radical band into international prominence when they signed with a major record label. Guitarist Boff explains the title:  "It's a term taken from the anarchistic tradition. Tubthumpers stood on street corners, and before factories, on boxes to voice radical political opinions. That requires a lot of guts and we liked the idea so much that we thought we're some sort of modern Tubthumpers with electric guitars and loudspeakers."

When their independent label One Little Indian wanted them to use outside producers for the 'Tubthumper' album, they refused and recorded it themselves with Lou Watts on vocals and keyboards, Alice Nutter and Danbert Nobacon on vocals, Paul Greco on bass, Boff on guitar and vocals, Jude Abbott on trumpet and vocals, Dunstan Bruce on vocals and percussion, Harry Hamer on drums and programming, and Neil Ferguson on keyboards and guitars. When they decided to sign with major label EMI, they were accused of betraying their ideals.  

Nutter explains: "It ain't so simple. We still want to change the whole system, turn it upside down! We're not stars. We're revolutionaries. We just moved our battle zones. We're fighting the system now from within and not from the outside anymore and that's even better. This way we can do far more than we could in the past. If you fight from within the lines, you're bound to be more successful in achieving your goals."

Boff considers: "I don't think politics alone can change anything. I really believe you need good pop and a couple of good beats. You see you need the youngsters to change something. They're the people who will join a revolution and the easiest way to reach the youngsters is with pop. They all love pop and they're bound to listen to lyrics if you put them in some catchy pop songs...We decided to become a successful band. We really tried to achieve that. The reason for it is not to be on heavy MTV rotation. The reason why we wanted to be a successful band was that the more successful you are, the more people hear your lyrics, the more people might actually listen to them, think about them and if we're really really lucky, some might even get off their butts and do something. We don't really know if it will work out but it's certainly worth a try...The most important thing for us was that we got a good distribution, that the people out there get a chance to hear our music and our message. Now our album is available almost everywhere, not as an expensive import, but as a regular album. With an indie-label that wouldn't be possible. Anyway, we needed a new label because Virgin dropped us. We sent them the tape with our new recordings and they sent it right back to us. They weren't interested anymore and we shopped around and found another – even bigger – label...We realize that there is a conflict between being popular and being true to the roots and the message, and we're thinking about how – even if the outside form changes – we can keep our intergrety intact. How we can protect our message. I think if we'd lose our message, we'd be just a flash in the pan, but I don't think that it will happen."

The single for 'Tubthumping'  went to number six in the US, number two in the UK, and number one in Canada.  The song quotes the refrain from Frederic Weatherly's famous ballad 'Danny Boy'; parodies the tune 'Don't Cry for Me, Argentina' by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice; and references the Baroque Prince of Denmark's March by Jeremiah Clarke.  Its success pushed the album 'Tubthumper' to number nineteen on the British album charts and number three in the US, selling triple platinum.  The band is often called a one-hit wonder, although they did have several hits on the UK indie chart and the follow-up single 'Amnesia' charted at one hundred and one in the US, ten in the UK, and seven in Canada.









http://www.chumba.com/

















We'll be singing, 
When we're winning
We'll be singing

I get knocked down, but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down 
I get knocked, down but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down
I get knocked, down but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down
I get knocked, down but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down

(Pissing the night away, pissing the night away)

He drinks a Whiskey drink, he drinks a Vodka drink
He drinks a Lager drink, he drinks a Cider drink
He sings the songs that remind him of the good times
He sings the songs that remind him of the best times

(Oh Danny Boy, Danny Boy, Danny Boy)

I get knocked down, but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down 
I get knocked, down but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down
I get knocked, down but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down
I get knocked, down but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down

(Pissing the night away, pissing the night away)

He drinks a Whiskey drink, he drinks a Vodka drink
He drinks a Lager drink, he drinks a Cider drink
He sings the songs that remind him of the good times
He sings the songs that remind him of the best times

(Don't cry for me, next door neighbour)

I get knocked down, but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down 
I get knocked, down but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down
I get knocked, down but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down
I get knocked, down but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down







The album version samples the monologue by Pete Postlethwaite in the film 'Brassed Off': "Truth is, I thought it mattered; I thought that music mattered. But does it? Bollocks! Not compared to how people matter."






'Tubthumping' documentary:








full album:



01 - 0:00 Tubthumping
02 - 4:38 Amnesia
03 - 8:46 Drip, Drip, Drip
04 - 13:54 The Big Issue
05 - 18:32 The Good Ship Lifestyle
06 - 23:46 One By One
07 - 29:33 Outsider
08 - 33:40 Creepy Crawling
09 - 37:46 Mary, Mary
10 - 42:43 Smalltown
11 - 45:56 I Want More

12 - 50:11 Scapegoat