Before Underworld, Hyde and Smith started out in 1979 on The Screen Gemz band while working together in a diner in the city of Cardiff, where both had been studying. In 1983 they recorded two albums for CBS Records with a new wave synthpop band whose name was a graphic squiggle, later entitled Freur.
In 1986 Hyde and Smith formed Underworld, after disbanding of Freur. They tried a more guitar-oriented funky electropop sound on their two albums released on Sire Records: Underneath the Radar (1987) and Change the Weather (1989). This initial lineup (also called Underworld Mk1) consisted of Karl Hyde, Rick Smith, Alfie Thomas, Bryn Burrows, Baz Allen and Pascal Consoli before sinking back into obscurity and disbanding in 1990.
British DJ Darren Emerson hooked up with Hyde and Smith in 1992 and helped them refine their sound into something more sleek and beat-oriented, yet still shot through with tinges of blues, rock and spoken-word streams of consciousness. After several releases on Junior Boy's Own as Lemon Interupt, the trio re-adopted the Underworld name in 1992. Two songs from this era are Rez and Spikee.
In addition to their music, Hyde and Smith are members of Tomato, a graphic design company which has done high-profile work for clients around the world as well as art for all of Underworld's releases. Hyde, along with former Freur keyboardist John Warwicker, has also published two typographic journals, Mmm... Skyscraper, I Love You (1994) and In The Belly Of Saint Paul (2003).
Their first full-length, dubnobasswithmyheadman, was released in 1994 to rave reviews and is still considered a landmark. It spawned several hit singles (Dark & Long, Cowgirl, Dirty Epic) and was followed a couple years later by the Born Slippy single.
The sophomore album Second Toughest in the Infants was released in 1996. This album showed Underworld maturing as a trio, mixing elements of techno, house, drum and bass and pop music to spectacular effect. The first track Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love (three parts) is one of the longest songs recorded by Underworld, with a length of over 16 minutes.
In the same year they issued an EP Pearl's Girl, containing various mixes of the song Pearl's Girl and five new tracks (one of them is Cherry Pie, an early version of Rowla). Underworld's much-praised remixography also grew, including Björk, Saint Etienne, Simply Red, Massive Attack and Leftfield.
After licensing out a remix of Born Slippy (entitled Born Slippy .NUXX) for the 1996 cult classic film Trainspotting, Underworld gained instant worldwide fame and found themselves touring the world. Their fame continued to run high into the release of Beaucoup Fish in 1999. Five singles were released: Moaner, Push Upstairs, Jumbo, King of Snake, and Bruce Lee.
Underworld issued a live set and a DVD named Everything, Everything in 2000, after which Emerson left the group to concentrate more on his DJ career. The mellower album A Hundred Days Off followed in 2002. It was promoted by two singles: Two Months Off and Dinosaur Adventure 3D.
In 2003 Underworld released a 2 CD compilation entitled 1992-2002, comprising some of their best songs. Also since 2003 the group has been trickling out new music on their official website www.underworldlive.com via a series of downloadable mp3s dubbed "The Riverrun Project". Each mp3 bundle features 25-or-so-minute of mixed new material, hundreds of photographs and traditional album art.
In 2005 the band issued another live album, Live in Tokyo 25th November 2005, a recording of Underworld's live performance at the Electraglide festival in Tokyo on 25 November 2005. There were apparently only 7000 copies of the album made.
Oblivion with Bells, their fifth studio album was released in October 2007, the first with additional collaboration with Darren Price who joined the band's live setup in 2005. It spawned four singles: Crocodile, Boy, Boy, Boy, Beautiful Burnout, and Ring Road.
On 13 May 2010, Underworld released a new single Scribble (Radio Edit), available for free download on their official site. This single was followed by a new album later that year, called Barking, which is still in the process of releasing singles, beginning with the aforementioned Scribble, Always Loved a Film and finally Diamond Jigsaw. Also released on a beatport remix contest was Bird 1 where amateur producers were able to put their take on Underworld's collaboration with Dubfire. As of 2011, the duo can also attach to their resumes soundtracking a live stage play. Frankenstein, produced and directed by Danny Boyle, starring both Johnny Lee Miller & Benedict Cumberbatch who are, on alternating nights, both Frankenstein, or the Creature. The Soundtrack is available through Underworld's Website.
January 2016 saw the release of I Exhale, in advance of Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future, released in March 2016.
In April 2018, Underworld released a standalone single, Brilliant Yes That Would Be, an ambient piece with its accompanying video inspired by the Icelandic landscape and their first performance in Reykjavík since 1994.
In May 2018, Underworld unveiled the World of Underworld project, which focuses on reflecting and re-imagining their nearly 30 year body of work. It also serves as an outlet for experimentation, new releases and spontaneous creativity. Brilliant Yes That Would Be was the first track to be released through the World of Underworld, which was recorded and mixed just days before it was released.
Later in that same month, Underworld debuted a new collaboration with Iggy Pop titled Bells & Circles, live at the BBC Biggest Weekend 2018. Shortly after, a four-track collaborative EP with the two artists was released, Teatime Dub Encounters.
On November 1st, 2018, Underworld announced the Drift project, an ongoing music-and-video experiment that publishes new Underworld material on their official website every week. The first instalment began with Another Silent Way, also released on the same day.
On November 1st, 2019, Underworld released Drift Series 1, their tenth studio album. It is the conclusion of the first year of the band's year-long music-and-video experiment Drift. Underworld announced the Drift project will continue on for another year. The now-renamed Drift Series 1, was released exactly one year after the launch of the series, as a box set featuring 7 CDs, a Blu-ray, and an 80-page book documenting the creative process around Drift. A single-disc Drift Series 1 Sampler Edition was also released simultaneously.
8 Ball
Underworld Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Today
I saw a man
Today
I saw a man
Using an empty whiskey flask
As a walkie talkie
Today
Today
I saw a man
Today
I saw a man
With a flaming eight ball
Tattooed on his arm
Today
Today
Today
I saw a man
Today
I saw a man
Using an empty whiskey flask
As a walkie talkie
Today
I met a man
Who threw his arms around me
And you give in...
Today...
We laughed
We laughed waiting for a train
For a few into the city
Seconds today
That great stuff
That great stuff
That stuff
That stuff makes me feel waiting for a train
Feel into the city
Feel today
Happy today
The lyrics of the song "8 Ball" by Underworld are not overtly complex and perhaps can be considered as a commentary on modern-day urban life. The artist seems to be depicting the banality of life and how people use different means to create excitement in their daily existence. The lyrics start with the line "Today, Today" which gives the impression that the song is a snapshot of a particular day.
The first verse talks about a man who uses an empty whiskey flask as a walkie-talkie, indicating how people try to make things work with the resources they have, even if they are not the right tools for the job. It could also be interpreted as the man being so drunk that he is talking to an inanimate object as if it were alive, which is a rather worrying thought. The second verse talks about a man with a flaming eight ball tattooed on his arm, which could be a symbol of a dangerous or rebellious lifestyle.
Towards the end of the song, the artist talks about meeting someone who throws their arms around them. This could be viewed as a positive interaction and a moment of connection in an otherwise mundane day. The lyrics end on a positive note, with the artist claiming that the "great stuff" makes him feel "happy today."
Line by Line Meaning
Today
This is the present day, and something interesting is about to be described.
Today
Again, this line reemphasizes that the events of the song happened on the day being described.
I saw a man
The singer is about to describe something strange or noteworthy that he witnessed.
Today
Reemphasizes that these events are happening on the day being described.
I saw a man
Another notable thing has caught the attention of the artist.
Using an empty whiskey flask / As a walkie talkie
The man the singer saw earlier was using an empty whiskey flask in place of a two-way radio.
Today
Once again, the narration is brought back to the present day.
Today
This line reiterates that this song is about the present day and the odd happenings that took place.
Today
Yet another line emphasizing that these events all took place on a specific day.
I saw a man
Perhaps the events are building to a climax, as the artist is once again suggesting he saw something else unusual.
Today
Reemphasizes the importance of the specific day this song is about.
I saw a man
The song's narrator is still seeing things that strike him as strange.
With a flaming eight ball / Tattooed on his arm
This man had an unusual tattoo, something that caught the singer's eye.
Today / Today / Today
Yet again, the singer states the importance of the specific day these events took place.
I saw a man / Today / I saw a man
These lines summarize the things the singer has seen so far today.
Using an empty whiskey flask / As a walkie talkie
The artist reiterates what he saw the man doing earlier, perhaps to drive home just how bizarre it was.
Today
Once again, the artist points out that this all happened on the same day.
I met a man / Who threw his arms around me
We are introduced to a new character, who greets the singer warmly.
And you give in...
The remainder of the lyrics seems to describe a euphoric encounter the singer had with someone, possibly the man mentioned in the previous line. The line 'and you give in' could perhaps refer to letting yourself be swept up in the moment.
Today...
A final reminder that this all took place on a specific day.
We laughed / We laughed waiting for a train / For a few into the city / Seconds today
The artist and his companions share a moment of joy, waiting for a train to arrive. This is the emotional climax of the song.
That great stuff / That great stuff / That stuff / That stuff makes me feel / Feel into the city / Feel today / Happy today
The artist describes his happy state of mind, brought on by the camaraderie he shared with his companions on this particular day. The repetition of 'that great stuff / that stuff' perhaps hints at a particular drug or drink that helped put the artist in a euphoric state.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: SIMON SMITH, ANDREW WRIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind