This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get
Encyclopedia
This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get is a 1984 album by Public Image Ltd. It is the band's fourth official studio album and includes the single "Bad Life," and a re-recorded version of a "This is Not a Love Song", which had been a #5 UK and international hit when released as a single in 1983.
An early version of the album was released in 1983 by founding PiL guitarist Keith Levene
as Commercial Zone
. The album was then re-recorded after Levene's departure from the band, with no contributions from either Levene or bassist Pete Jones (who contributed to several tracks on Commercial Zone).
The song "The Order of Death" appears on the soundtrack of the movie, The Blair Witch Project
, and the 1990 science fiction film, Hardware. It was also featured in the Miami Vice
episode, "Little Miss Dangerous". "This is Not a Love Song" appears in the film Waltz With Bashir
.
Five songs on This is What You Want...This is What You Get are re-recordings of tracks which originally appeared on Commercial Zone: "Bad Life" (originally titled "Mad Max"), "This is Not a Love Song" (originally titled "Love Song"), "Solitaire" (entitled "Young Brits" on the second pressing of Commercial Zone), "The Order of Death" (originally titled "The Slab"), and "Where Are You?" (originally titled "Lou Reed Part 2"). Four songs from Commercial Zone, "Bad Night," "Lou Reed Part 1," "Blue Water" and "Miller Hi-Life", were not re-recorded for This is What You Want...This is What You Get (although a remixed version of "Blue Water" was included as the B-side on the "This is Not a Love Song" single). Songs on This is What You Want...This is What You Get which did not appear in any form on Commercial Zone are "Tie Me to the Length of That," "The Pardon" and "1981," and are the only songs on the album which do not credit Keith Levene as a co-writer.
"This Is Not A Love Song":
"Tie Me to The Length of That":
"The Pardon":
"Where Are You?":
"1981":
An early version of the album was released in 1983 by founding PiL guitarist Keith Levene
Keith Levene
Keith Levene is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was an early member of The Clash, but is best known as being a founding member of Public Image Limited, along with John Lydon....
as Commercial Zone
Commercial Zone
Commercial Zone is an album of studio recordings by Public Image Ltd., recorded in 1982-1983 and released in 1984 by PiL founding guitarist Keith Levene. Following his departure from the band, Levene fled with the master tapes to America, where he sold the rights for the material and had several...
. The album was then re-recorded after Levene's departure from the band, with no contributions from either Levene or bassist Pete Jones (who contributed to several tracks on Commercial Zone).
The song "The Order of Death" appears on the soundtrack of the movie, The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...
, and the 1990 science fiction film, Hardware. It was also featured in the Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
episode, "Little Miss Dangerous". "This is Not a Love Song" appears in the film Waltz With Bashir
Waltz with Bashir
Waltz with Bashir is a 2008 Israeli animated documentary film written and directed by Ari Folman. It depicts Folman in search of his lost memories from the 1982 Lebanon War....
.
Track listing
All songs by John Lydon, Keith Levene and Martin Atkins except * by John Lydon and Martin Atkins- "Bad Life"
- "This is Not a Love Song" (re-recorded Version)
- "Solitaire"
- "Tie Me to the Length of That"*
- "The Pardon"*
- "Where Are You?"
- "1981"*
- "The Order Of Death"
Five songs on This is What You Want...This is What You Get are re-recordings of tracks which originally appeared on Commercial Zone: "Bad Life" (originally titled "Mad Max"), "This is Not a Love Song" (originally titled "Love Song"), "Solitaire" (entitled "Young Brits" on the second pressing of Commercial Zone), "The Order of Death" (originally titled "The Slab"), and "Where Are You?" (originally titled "Lou Reed Part 2"). Four songs from Commercial Zone, "Bad Night," "Lou Reed Part 1," "Blue Water" and "Miller Hi-Life", were not re-recorded for This is What You Want...This is What You Get (although a remixed version of "Blue Water" was included as the B-side on the "This is Not a Love Song" single). Songs on This is What You Want...This is What You Get which did not appear in any form on Commercial Zone are "Tie Me to the Length of That," "The Pardon" and "1981," and are the only songs on the album which do not credit Keith Levene as a co-writer.
Track by track commentary by the band
"Bad Life":- John Lydon (1984): “It was originally 'Bad Life', then it went to 'Mad Max'. There were two sets of lyrics, see, for the same song. Well, things got a bit haywire but we were going to put out the same song with different lyrics as a- and b-side [of the 'Bad Life' single]. But that never came to pass.” “We gave [Keith Levene songwriting] credit for that but we'd sacked him before the album was even started. You know, it was just on good faith. Many of the songs were written before he quit, but his participation in all honesty was zero.”
"This Is Not A Love Song":
- John Lydon (1992/99): “At the time people were saying that I'd joined big business and become a bourgeois shit. So I thought the best way of tackling this would be to pump out a song saying 'That's exactly what I am!' Tongue firmly in cheek. And that kind of stopped that nonsense - so it worked.” “'This Is Not A Love Song' was a sort of response to that constant request from the record company for those HITS. Someone said 'Why don't you write a love song?' Ha, I said, love song - ehh, well, this is not a love song!”
"Tie Me to The Length of That":
- John Lydon (1992): “That was about being born [...] I don't know why they slap their bottoms, I think it's enormously cruel. It might have influenced me, is what I'm trying to say. Maybe they slapped the wrong end, they couldn't tell my arse from my head!”
- Martin Atkins (2009): “Things like 'Tie Me to The Length of That', we just jammed. JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
played this thing that was like a cross between a mellotron and an electric organ, and we got some great sounds out of it. He played this walking, ever changing bassline and I drummed to it, and I felt that we were just totally connected at that point - every time he changed I was there with him, I'd change and he'd be there.”
"The Pardon":
- John Lydon (1999): “I was just saying something about most people's lack of desire for change. I like change, but not just for change's sake.”
"Where Are You?":
- John Lydon (1992): “[Working with session musicians], there's no give and take in that. It's just me giving orders and them receiving them. There was no feedback. If I had a crap idea, the crap idea would go on to vinyl almost directly!”
"1981":
- Martin Atkins (2001): “'1981', that went on the 'This Is What You Want' album, was written for The Flowers of Romance [...] It's from 1981, that's what JohnJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
was singing about.”
Related tracks
"This Is Not A Love Song" (Club Mix):- Martin Atkins (2001): “I really thought the 'Plastic Box' could have really been a great thing for the fans, it didn't have to be shit. I think really all that's on 'Plastic Box' that's a different mix is the version 'This is Not a Love Song'.”
Personnel
- John LydonJohn LydonJohn Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, synthesiserSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Colin Woore - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Louis Bernardi - Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Richard Cottle - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Gary BarnacleGary BarnacleGary Barnacle is a saxophonist/flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer and producer, primarily noted for session work, live work Gary Barnacle (born 1959, Dover, England) is a saxophonist/flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer and producer, primarily noted for session work, live work...
- brassBrass instrumentA brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips... - Martin AtkinsMartin AtkinsMartin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd., Ministry, Pigface, and Killing Joke...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
UK
- “This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get” briefly entered the UK Albums ChartUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, where it stayed for 2 weeks and reached #56 on 21 July 1984. - The single “Bad Life” briefly entered the UK Top 75UK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, where it stayed for 2 weeks and reached #71 on 19 May 1984.
USA
- “This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get” did not enter the Billboard 200Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart.