Pulp – Babies

Song

"Babies" is a song and single by British rock group Pulp. It was released as a single for Gift Records in 1992, and was later remixed for the Sisters EP in 1994. The remixed version is featured on the His 'n' Hers album and the original single mix on the Intro – The Gift Recordings and Hits compilations.

The song failed to chart in 1992, but became a Top 20 hit when re-released in 1994, peaking at #19 on the UK Singles Chart.

In 2005, Freaky Trigger placed it at number 84 in their list of "The Top 100 Songs of All Time".

Song

Babies follows a simple "teen angst" story-song. The song's protagonist, a teenage boy, spends platonic afternoons in a female friend's room listening to her older sister and the boys she takes to her room and, presumably, has sex with but this is not enough for him and he hides in the elder sister's wardrobe and watches her with David, who works in a local garage.

Unable to tell the younger sister, who appears to be the real object of his affections, for fear she will tell her mother the song's narrator listens outside as she proposes sex to a boy named Neve (The song's chorus is a proposal of sex: "I wanna take you home, I wanna give you children...".)

Finally he comes "home" to the disappointment that the elder sister has moved out, presumably in an act of nostalgia he re-enters the wardrobe but falls asleep and is found by the elder sister and the two have sex, only to be caught by the younger sister. The song ends with him insisting on the truth of his excuse: "I only went with her 'cos she looks like you."

Jarvis Cocker discussed the song with Will Hodgkinson in the 2009 Sky Arts Jarvis Cocker: Songbook. Cocker described the genesis for the song being when Pulp's drummer Nick Banks played a few mistaken chords on the guitar, leading to some interesting sounds that Cocker then worked into a song.

The Stanhope Road referred to in the song is in the Intake area of Sheffield, four miles south-east of the city centre.

Video(s)

The video features the band playing (including an improvised dance from Jarvis Cocker) interspersed with clips of two sisters fooling around on a bed as well as using text to preempt certain things i.e. 'Chorus' or 'Punch Line' before Jarvis sings "I only went with her cos she looks like you" it is currently available on the Hits DVD, and was previously included on the Sorted for Films and Vids VHS.

Island Records had the band make another video to promote the Sisters EP, extracts from which have been used in the stage backdrops for Pulp's 2011/2012 reunion gigs.

Album

His 'n' Hers è il quarto album discografico in studio del gruppo musicale rock inglese Pulp, pubblicato nel 1994.

Artist

I Pulp sono un gruppo musicale rock britannico, fondato nel 1978 dall'allora quindicenne Jarvis Cocker. Il nome originale, poi abbreviato, era Arabacus Pulp. Attivi soprattutto negli anni ottanta e novanta, la loro musica è un misto di rock e pop con elementi di disco music; hanno dichiarato di ispirarsi palesemente a David Bowie, Cure, The Beatles e The Kinks.

Dopo il loro ultimo disco We Love Life (2001), il gruppo è entrato in un periodo di inattività da cui pare sia poi approdato a definitivo scioglimento.

Well it happened years ago,
When you lived on Stanhope Road.
We listened to your sister,
When she came home from school,
'cause she was two years older,
And she had boys in her room.
We listened outside and heard her.

Alright.
Well that was alright for a while,
But soon I wanted more.
I want to see as well as hear,
And so I hid inside her wardrobe. And she came round four,
And she was with some kid called David,
From the garage up the road.
I listened outside I heard her.
Alright.

Oh I want to take you home.
I want to give you children.
You might be my girlfriend, yeah.

When I saw you next day,
I really couldn't tell,
'cause you might go and tell your mother.
And so you went with Neve, And Neve was coming on,
And I thought I heard you laughing,
When his Mum and Dad were gone.
I listened outside, I heard you.
Alright.

Oh I want to take you home.
I want to give you children.
You might be my girlfriend, yeah.

Well I guess it couldn't last too long.
I came home one day,
And all her things were gone,
I fell asleep inside.
I never heard her come.
And then she opened up her wardrobe,
And I had to get it on.

Oh, listen
We were on the bed when you came home,
I heard you stop outside the door.
I know you won't believe it's true, I only went with her
'cause she looks like you.
Oh I want to take you home.
I want to give you children.
You might be my girlfriend, yeah.

Beh, è ​​successo anni fa,
Quando vivevi su Stanhope Road.
Abbiamo ascoltato tua sorella,
Quando è tornata a casa da scuola,
perché aveva due anni più di
E aveva dei ragazzi nella sua stanza.
L'abbiamo ascoltata fuori e l'abbiamo ascoltata.

Tutto a posto.
Bene, per un po 'è andato tutto bene,
Ma presto volevo di più.
Voglio vedere oltre che sentire
E così mi sono nascosto nel suo guardaroba. E arrivò al quarto giro,
E lei era con un bambino di nome David,
Dal garage su per la strada.
Ho ascoltato fuori l'ho sentita.
Tutto a posto.

Oh, voglio portarti a casa.
Voglio darti figli.
Potresti essere la mia ragazza, sì.

Quando ti ho visto il giorno dopo,
Non potrei davvero dirlo
perche 'potresti andare a dirlo a tua madre.
E così sei andato con Neve, E Neve stava arrivando,
E pensavo di averti sentito ridere,
Quando sua mamma e suo papà erano spariti.
Ti ho ascoltato fuori, ti ho sentito.
Tutto a posto.

Oh, voglio portarti a casa.
Voglio darti figli.
Potresti essere la mia ragazza, sì.

Beh, immagino che non potrebbe durare troppo a lungo.
Sono tornato a casa un giorno
E tutte le sue cose erano sparite,
Mi sono addormentato dentro.
Non l'ho mai sentita venire.
E poi ha aperto il suo guardaroba,
E ho dovuto metterlo su.

Oh, ascolta
Eravamo sul letto quando sei tornato a casa,
Ti ho sentito fermarti fuori dalla porta.
So che non crederai che sia vero, Sono andato con lei
solo perché assomiglia a te.
Oh, voglio portarti a casa.
Voglio darti figli.
Potresti essere la mia ragazza, sì.