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Rating: There are those who say that for years Motörhead have been making the same songs over and over again without ever changing. Some see it as a merit, others as a flaw, but in any case, they are wrong: there was a period, at the beginning of the '90s, when even Motörhead tried to make "variations on the theme." A period marked by the release of albums like March ör Die or, in fact, 1916.
The album opens (and this may seem like a contradiction to you) with two typical tracks: "The One to Sing the Blues" and "I'm So Bad (Baby I Don't Care)", two powerful and rhythmic speed metal pieces, as only Lemmy and crew can play. Then we move on to "No Voices in the Sky", where the rough singing blends perfectly with an unusual melody for the English group. Next is "Going to Brazil", which, despite being closer to the "Motörhead standard," holds some surprises. We then return to decidedly valid melodic pieces: "Nightmare/The Dreamtime" (a gloomy and frightening piece that could easily be the soundtrack for the best horror films) and the poignant "Love Me Forever", followed by two other typical tracks like "Angel City" and "Make My Day" and by "Ramones", Lemmy's tribute to the quintessential punk band. The journey resumes with another usual piece for the group, "Shut You Down" and concludes with the title track, a slow, melodic, and romantic piece where Lemmy tells us about the horrors of war, accompanied by a backdrop of string instruments.
Unfortunately, this change in register (even more marked in the subsequent "March ör Die") was not rewarded by the fans of the resilient band, who subsequently had to retrace their steps. But albums like this excellent "1916" remain, as a testament that Motörhead are true, sincere, and complete musicians.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
04 Going to Brazil (02:32)
Here we go again, on a 747,
Looking at the clouds from the other side of heaven,
Smoking & drinking, never gonna stop,
Reading magazines, stop me looking at the clock,
Wanna watch the movie, can't sit still,
Flying down to Rio, going to Brazil,
Watching all the roadcrew attacking little girls,
Joined the mile high club, goin' round the world,
All the booze is free, airline going broke,
Here come the lady with another jack and coke,
Wanna watch the movie, can't sit still,
Flying down to Rio, going to Brazil,
Steve, Clem, Hobbsy, John, Crazy Dil & Pappy,
Had to travel second class, they ain't too fucking happy,
Elevator music, butter in my ears,
Think we're gonna die, just the pilot changing gear,
Wanna watch the movie, can't sit still,
Flying down to Rio, going to Brazil.
09 R.A.M.O.N.E.S. (01:28)
New York City, N.Y.C.
Pretty mean when it wants to be
Black leather, knee-hole pants
Can't play no highschool dance
Fuzz tone, hear 'em go,
Hear 'em on the radio
(chorus)
Misfits, twilight zone
R-A-M-O-N-E-S, R-A-M-O-N-E-S
RAMONES!
Bad boy rock, bad boy roll
Gabba gabba see them go
C. Jay, now, hit the gas
See Marky kick some ass
Go, Johnny, go, go, go
Go Tommy, o-way-o
(chorus)
Bad boy then, bad boy now
Good buddy, mau, mau, mau
Keep it up, rock 'n' roll
Good music, save your soul
Dee Dee, he left home
Joey call me on the phone
(chorus)
11 1916 (03:45)
16 years old when I went to war,
To fight for a land fit for heroes,
God on my side, and a gun in my hand,
Chasing my days down to zero,
And I marched and I fought and I bled and I died,
And I never did get any older,
But I knew at the time that a year in the line,
Is a long enough life for a soldier,
We all volunteered, and we wrote down our names,
And we added two years to our ages,
Eager for life and ahead of the game,
Ready for history's pages,
And we brawled and we fought and we whored 'til we stood,
Ten thousand shoulder to shoulder,
A thirst for the Hun, we were food for the gun,
And that's what you are when you're soldiers,
I heard my friend cry, and he sank to his knees,
Coughing blood as he screamed for his mother,
And I fell by his side, and that's how we died,
Clinging like kids to each other,
And I lay in the mud and the guts and the blood,
And I wept as his body grew colder,
And I called for my mother and she never came,
Though it wasn't my fault and I wasn't to blame,
The day not half over and ten thousand slain,
And now there's nobody remembers our names,
And that's how it is for a soldier.
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By Deep-Frenk
I never thought that a band like Motorhead and especially its singer, Lemmy Kilmister, could make me shiver with emotion with one of their songs.
The march is the perfect accompaniment for the lyrics, which deal with the massacres of the First World War.
