"Radios in Motion" is a song written by Andy Partridge. It appeared on the 1977 album White Music.
A live version appeared on the 1998 Transistor Blast box set.
XTC preformed the song along with "Statue of Liberty" on the British music show The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1977.
An early title for the song was "Volcano."
Quotes[]
Andy: “We couldn't think of any better way to start off our first album than with the ‘kick the door in’, breezy opener we used in our live set. On stage we'd play a tape of radio static and fast band sweeping as we plugged in our instruments and got going, but by the time we came to record it for White Music we considered these sound effects a little too Be-Bop Deluxe, and dropped them from the mix. Of course, the lyrics are very silly, picked for their sonic effect rather than meaning. The first refuge of an inexperienced song writer, forgive me, but they do have a youthful scattergun energy. I've just remembered I used to sing the line ‘The songs are too slow’ impersonating a tape recorder slowing down or turning off. Why I didn't just ask John Leckie to do this for real I don't know. I think I was far too excited to be in a recording studio to think straight at all. In fact, too wound up to even remember to eat or shit.”
Lyrics[]
There's A Message Up In China
That They Getting In Japan
Bouncing Off An Ocean Liner
Make 'Em Shake 'Em In Siam
All The Kids Are Complaining
That There's Nowhere To Go
All The Kids Are Complaining
That The Songs Are Too Slow
All Im Saying Is Your Deaf
To The Fact That There's
Radios In Motion
Atmosphere To Ocean
Radios In Motion
Get You Out Of Your Red White And Blues
When we move then so do you'se
There's a message in Milwaukee
That they getting in Moscow
Everybody walkie talkie
Everybody learning how
All The Kids Are Complaining
That There's Nowhere To Go
All The Kids Are Complaining
That The Songs Are Too Slow
All Im Saying Is Your Deaf
To The Fact That Theres
Radios In Motion
Atmosphere To Ocean
Radios In Motion
Get You Out Of Your Red White And Blues
When we move then so do you'se