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Rating: The Darkness was born in 2002 thanks to an idea by the Hawkins brothers to resurrect the defunct group that was attempting the progressive route, with a band that would emulate the melodies of Queen and the riffs of Led Zeppelin. "Permission to Land" was released in 2003, garnering incredible success with both the public and critics (the group literally raided the 2004 edition of the Brit Awards) which took them from playing in very small English clubs to much more important and visible locations, like the Astoria.
Without beating around the bush too much, it must be said immediately that this album is simply banal and low-level; it owes its success more to the gaudy costumes of the folkloric leader and the band's entertaining live performances than to the real musical substance of the group.
The album contains, if one dares to be partial, at most two good songs: "love is only a feeling" and "growing on me".
The rest is absolutely forgettable for various reasons: there are many bands that borrow quite explicitly from Led Zeppelin and Queen, but The Darkness seems to lack even the decency to "camouflage" their mishmash of hackneyed and recycled sounds, of pilfered riffs with something that is enjoyable and not only comical. Certainly, it's an album that entertains and is surely pleasant to listen to, perhaps in moments of incredible boredom and depression: but one must have an excessive taste for self-harm to do it!
The fact is that it's quite astonishing to see a group of this kind, which could be associated for originality and "fineness" of costumes to our country cousins (ok, ok I'm exaggerating), at the top of all the charts and praised by a good part of the critics. Personally, I am of the opinion that it is a band, like many others, concocted by some clever manager and marketed by MTV and the like as the new icon of rock.
One could, if desired, save Hawkins' voice, but, in the long run, even it tires with the monotonous repetition of shrieks and high notes.
If it were possible to give a score lower than 0, I would do so without hesitation but, unfortunately, I am forced to a "diplomatic" score to describe how little music there is in this album.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Stuck in a Rut (03:20)
Kiss my arse, kiss my arse goodbye
Propelled by a carriage of aluminium am I
No more to rot in this sty
Turn my back on this shit-hole in the blink of an eye
Gimme the keys
You ain't gonna see me for dust
The Barnby Bends ain't gonna get the better of me
Gimme the keys
To any old bucket of rust
The acle Straights are gonna take me where I wanna be
Stuck in a rut
Stuck in a rut for eternity
Stuck in a rut
Stuck in a rut for eternity
The road is long and the lights are bright
Just 'cos you've lived here all your life doesn't make it alright
And the golden mile is paved with shite
Don't mind telling you I'm sick of walking up and down it every single fucking night
Gimme the keys
You ain't gonna see me for dust
The Barnby Bends ain't gonna get the better of me
Gimme the keys
To any old bucket of rust
The acle Straights are gonna take me where I wanna be
Stuck in a rut
Stuck in a rut for eternity
Stuck in a rut
Stuck in a rut for eternity
Stuck in a rut
Stuck in a rut for eternity
Stuck in a rut
Stuck in a rut for eternity
04 I Believe in a Thing Called Love (03:38)
Can't explain all the feelings that you're making me feel
My heart's in overdrive and you're behind the steering wheel
Touching you, touching me,
Touching you cause you're touching me
I believe in a thing called love
Just listen to the rhythm of my heart
There's a chance we could make it now
We'll be rocking 'til the sun goes down
I believe in a thing called love
Ooh!
I wanna kiss you every minute, every hour, every day
You got me in a spin but everything is A OK!
Touching you, touching me
Touching you cause you're touching me
I believe in a thing called love
Just listen to the rhythm of my heart
There's a chance we could make it now
We'll be rocking 'til the sun goes down
I believe in a thing called love
Ooh!
Guitar!
Touching you, touching me
Touching you god you're touching me
I believe in a thing called love
Just listen to the rhythm of my heart
There's a chance we could make it now
We'll be rocking 'til the sun goes down
I believe in a thing called love
Ooh!
05 Holding My Own (04:58)
Baby, everything has fallen into place
My life is so exciting now I've got my space
Like a splash of water on my face
Lately I'm doing what I can to pleasure me
I'm finding time to focus on my fantasies
I'm satisfied in my own company
I don't need your permission
To take this matter in my own two hands
'Cos i'm holding my own
Give or take a tear or two
I'm holding my own
No matter what I put myself through
Lady, all we seem to do is talk about
We take apart and analyse our ins and outs
Honey, i would rather do without
No-one to answer to
I won't spend another lifetime begging you
'Cos i'm holding my own
Give or take a tear or two
I'm holding my own
No matter what I put myself through
I'm holding my own
There's a spring in my stride
There's a twinkle in my dying eyes
'Cos i'm holding my own
Give or take a tear or two
I'm holding my own
No matter what I put myself through
06 Growing on Me (03:33)
I can't get rid of you
I don't know what to do
I don't even know who is growing on who
'Cos everywhere I go your there
Can't get you out of my hair
Can't pretend that I don't care - it's not fair
I'm being punished for all my offences
I wanna touch you but I'm afraid if the consequences
I wanna banish you from whence you came
But you're part of me now
And I've only got myself to blame
You're really growing on me
(or am I growing on you)
You're really growing on me
(or am I growing on you)
Any fool can see
Sleeping in an empty bed
I can't get you off my head
I won't have a life until you're dead
Yeah you heard what I said
I wanna shake you off but you just won't go
You're all over me but I don't want anyone to know
That you're attached to me, that's how you've grown
Won't you leave me, leave me, leave me alone
You're really growing on me
(or am I growing on you)
You're really growing on me
(or am I growing on you)
Any fool can see
You're really growing on me
(Or am I growing on you)
You're really growing on me
(Or am I growing on you)
07 Givin' Up (03:36)
my mamma wants to know
where im spending all my dough
honey, all she does is nag, nag, nag
but i wont apologise
i'd inject into my eyes
if there was nowhere else to stick my skag
all i want is brown
and im going into town
shooting up as soon as im back
my friends have got some good shit
all i want is some of it
gimme, gimme, gimme that smack
well, i've ruined nearly all of my veins
sticking that fucking shit into my arms
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
givin' up, givin' up, givin' a fuck
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
givin' up, givin' up, givin' a fuck
getting off my face
there's a dragon i must chase
honey' i'm the scourge of all mankind
and everyone but me
is destined just to be
slaves to the remorseless grind
but i found myself an easy way out
sticking that fucking shit into my arms
into my arms
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
givin' up, givin' up, givin' a fuck
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
givin' up, givin' up, givin' a fuck
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
givin' up, givin' up, givin' a fuck
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
givin' up, givin' up, givin' a fuck
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
givin' up, givin' up, givin' a fuck
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
givin' up, givin' up, givin' a fuck
08 Get Your Hands Off My Woman (02:48)
You are drunk and you are surly
In Latino lover mode
We all know what's on your agenda
We've broken the code
I've got no right to lay claim to her frame
She's not my possession
You cunt
Get your hands off my woman, motherfucker
Get your hands off my woman, motherfucker
Octoped you've got six hands too many
And you can't keep them to yourself
You're too fat and too old to marry
So they left you on the shelf
I've got no right to lay claim to her frame
But you soiled my obsession
You cunt
Get your hands off my woman, motherfucker
Get your hands off my woman, motherfucker
Get your hands off my woman, motherfucker
Get your hands off my woman, motherfucker
Ow!
Get your hands off my woman, motherfucker
Get your hands off my woman, motherfucker
09 Friday Night (02:57)
Hey you!
Do you remember me
I used to sit next to you at school
We indulged in all the extra-curricular activities
We weren't particularly cool
Monday cycling
Tuesday gymnastics
Dancing on a Friday night
I got Bridge Club on Wednesday
Archery on Thursday
Dancing on a Friday night
Hey you!
Could you ever fall for me
The way I fell for you
And do you dwell upon the thoughts that I occupy
Or do you give yourself things to do
Monday rowing
Tuesday badminton
Dancing on a Friday night
I got ping pong on Wednesday
Needlework on Thursday
Dancing on a Friday night
With you, with you
Monday, Tuesday
Wednesday, Thursday
Dancing on a Friday night
Let the music smother me
Whole weekend recovery
Dancing on a Friday night
See the lady I adore
Dancing on the dancing floor
Dancing on a Friday night
God the way she moves moves me
To write bad poetry
Dancing on a Friday night
With you.
10 Black Shuck (03:21)
In a town in the east
The parishioners were visited upon
By a curious beast
And his eyes numbered but one and shone
like the sun
And a glance beckoned the immediate loss
Of a cherished one
It was the coming of the
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) That dog don't give a fuck
Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) That dog don't give a fuck
Flames licked round the sacred spire
And the congregation's last line of defence
Was engulfed in fire
As the flaming priest stepped into the firing line
On the business end of a beam of dispair
God, he took his own life
During the coming of the
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) That dog don't give a fuck
Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) That dog don't gove a fuck
A nimbus of blue light surrounds a crimson paw
As he takes another fatal swipe
At the Blytheburgh Church Door
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) That dog don't give a fuck
Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) That dog don't give a fuck
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) That dog don't give a fuck
Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) Black Shuck
(Black Shuck) That dog don't give a fuck
Woof!
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Other reviews
By Sallu
The high notes then hit you, the effect they create contrasting with the solid riffs of the guitars is beautiful.
The Darkness talk about all there is to talk about, they tell stories of love, of issues tied to everyday life, about everything, and they do it naturally.
By ste84
Kurt Cobain would sound better with a right-handed guitar tuned badly that’s on fire!
Freddy Mercury who, after listening to this atrocity, surely turned off the stereo and went to roll over in his grave (R.I.P.)... my God how they irritate!!!
By trix
The combination of lead singer Justin Hawkins' high-pitched voice and their clothing style... make this band unique and distinctive.
'Permission to Land' is an album that really deserves to be listened to, both by the younger crowd and by big rock listeners.
By Starblazer
Riffs at max volume, omnipresent electric guitar, bloody catchy melodies.
For me all that matters is the impact and the emotion, and Justin Hawkins and his gang have given me plenty of emotions.
