Hear No See No Speak No

Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah...

Hear no, see no, speak no
Hear no, see no, speak no
Hear no, see no, speak no
Hear no, see no, speak no

Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah...

Playing feed the donkey like a rampant little monkey
Seeking a round of applause, spending your day on all fours
I'm sending no semaphores with my metaphors
You're moving and grinding on my killing floor

Hear no, see no, speak no
Hear no, see no, speak no
Hear no, see no, speak no
Hear no, see no, speak no
Hear no, see no, speak no
Hear no, see no, speak no

Hear no, see no, speak no
Hear no, see no, speak no

Lyrics by:
Brown / McCracken / Sayfritz

Available on:
Music Of The Spheres (3.30)
F.E.A.R. (as b-side) (5.24)

Details:
Offering his opinion on David Bowie in 1990, Ian said that he liked parts of the 'Low' LP, but was otherwise dismissive of his vast body of work (I personally think that Bowie is one of the finest artists of the twentieth century; if the Sixties belong to The Beatles, then the Seventies belong to Bowie).

"David Bowie, when he came, everybody thought he was from Mars then you realise he's just this businessman. A chancer. I like seeing pricks make pricks of themselves in public, especially when they don't know they're doing it. Bowie a hero ? Oh no I hate him, useless, rubbish. His songs never meant anything to me. I like bits of that 'Low' LP, we don't want him in the article anyway though. David who ?"
(Ian Brown speaking to NME, 14th July 1990)

Prince and Bowie lost it. Does age wither the muse ?
Craig Gunner via email
"I really like that new Prince song, 'Greatest Romance In The World'. It's really good that, yeah. He might come back better than ever. Bowie never had it. He's just a poser."
(Ian Brown speaking to Jockey Slut magazine, March 2000)

The electronic ambience of 'Subterraneans', from the second side of 'Low', is a distinct influence on this Ian Brown track. Contrary to the opinion of both Craig Gunner and Ian Brown, I would argue that the muse of a man who had recently released '1. Outside', 'Earthling' and 'Hours...' was anything but withering. Ian often boasts about how he is one of a limited number of artists to have broken through in 1989, yet still hold appeal to a younger audience some twenty years later; David Bowie broke through in 1969 and is still very much a relevant artist at the time of writing. On the subject of figures in music who turned out to be businessmen...

 

Top left: 'Low' (1977) by David Bowie. Widely regarded as one of his most influential releases, Low was the first of the 'Berlin Trilogy', a series of collaborations with Brian Eno. The experimental, avant-garde style would be further explored on '"Heroes"' and 'Lodger.' With Music Of The Spheres, Ian Brown's solo work begins to take on a more ethereal quality. In an interview with Channelbee.com in 2009, Ian cited 'Koyaanisqatsi' (1982, bottom), featuring a score by Philip Glass (top right), as his favourite film.

The adage, 'See No Hear No Speak No Evil', was co-opted by John Squire into a Stone Roses photoshoot.

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