Getting Plenty

And I'm not going down
Oh you'll not have me now
You cannot drag me down
So easy to approach me
I only keep with cut-throats
You think I'm only joking around
That I'm holier than thou
And you'll not have me now

You make a bee-line for me
What I say must mean something
And I can't turn my back on the world
Cos I've got to put it straight
And I don't wanna wait

You're draggin' me, draggin' me down
Take me down
Show me around
But don't have me now
Cos I'm nobody now
You cannot help us now
You will not drag me down

You can have me whenever you want me

You're draggin' me, draggin' me down
Take me down, show me around
But don't drag me down
Cos I'm nobody now
You cannot help us now
You will not drag me down

You can have me whenever you want me
You can have me whenever you want me
Whenever you want me, whenever you want me
Whenever you want me
You can have me whenever you want
Whenever you want

You can have me whenever you want me
You can have me whenever you want me
Cos I'll get it one day
I'll get it one day
Whenever you want me
You can have me whenever you want
Brrrrrrum !

Lyrics by:
Brown

Music by:
Squire / Brown / Couzens

Written:
1984

Personnel:
John Squire (lead guitar)
Ian Brown (vocals)
Andy Couzens (rhythm guitar)
Pete Garner (bass)
Alan Wren (drums)

Produced by:
Martin Hannett

Available on:
Garage Flower (4.01)

First live performance:
In 1984

Pseudonyms:
'Draggin' Me Down', 'Whenever You Want'

Details:
Getting Plenty, the opening song of Garage Flower, is an uninspired effort. The lyrics are a take on the Sex Pistols’ 'Submission', which contains the repetitive line "down, down, dragging me down". In 2005, Brown covered this Sex Pistols song several times on his solo tour, including a performance with the Sex Pistols' Steve Jones. The Sex Pistols' guitarist featured on Ian Brown's fifth solo LP, The World Is Yours. Squire's biggest influence in the early Roses was The Clash but the Pistols*, and Lydon in particular, were the biggest influence on Ian, who first became exposed to punk at the age of 14. On their first ever TV appearance, the Sex Pistols performed 'Anarchy In the UK' on Granada TV's 'So It Goes', presented by Tony Wilson; at the start of the song, Lydon shouts "Get off your arse !!!", the exact words shouted by Brown in an intro to a song at a 1985 Swedish gig (the tilted head, wide-eyed look had strong precedent too in the Sex Pistols frontman). At early Roses gigs, Brown was intent in provoking reaction from what he perceived as apathetic audiences, on many occasions going into the crowd (even at Patrol gigs, Ian - bassist at the time - always ensured he had a microphone in front of him, illustrative of how, even at this early stage, the role of front-man was more to his liking). This theatrical style developed in the 1960s, with musicians soaking up the cultural influence of the Theatre of the Absurd. Jim Morrison of The Doors spearheaded this, incorporating the ideology of Julian Beck (1925 - 1985) and The Living Theatre, in the creation of his threatening persona, The Lizard King.

Reading Ian Tilton's exclusive interview with this site leads one to believe that the following lyric may be autobiographical on Brown's part:

So easy to approach me
I only keep with cut-throats

"I remember going to where Ian lived (Probably around 1988) on Chatham Grove, West Didsbury border. There were loads of rough looking guys in the house, real gangsters ! And Ian introduced me to them all quite casually. I'd never met gangsters in Manchester before. I soon came to realize that was just Ian's way. He makes friends very easily, takes people as he finds them."
(From Ian Tilton's exclusive interview with This Is The Daybreak)

* The Sex Pistols were, despite their short existence, arguably the most influential British punk band. While The Clash were both more articulate and politically motivated, no other band so strongly exemplified the British punk movement's spirit and inherent contradictions or made such a lasting impression on British popular culture. Another significant influence on Brown were Wythenshawe punk outfit Slaughter and the Dogs, whose singles include 'Cranked Up Really High' and 'Where Have All The Boot Boys Gone ?'. Ian saw the band at Wythenshawe Forum and the Belle Vue on several occasions and had close association with them, with his neighbour being a friend of guitarist Rossi.

Back To The Songs