Set The Timer/Uptight

Sire/Warner Bros. 0-20445 (1985)
Written, arranged and produced by
Mikel Rouse
EXITMUSIC RECORDINGS

“…quite beautiful in its quiet sincerity.”
-Brian Chin, BILLBOARD

This Tirez Tirez 12″ Maxi single would be the bands first major label outing. It was a critical hit and entered the Top Ten charts in Holland. This remix was for the dance floor and became a modest club hit as well. Perhaps the most inventive aspect of the single was not the dance remixes of Set The Timer, but the B side, Uptight. The band managed to slip this by the censors and the song, with it’s inspirational message, became a counter-weight to the bubble-gum direction pop music had taken.

01. Set The Timer (with guitars)
02. Set The Timer (without guitars)
03. Uptight

Lyrics

SET THE TIMER

Alone in the rain
It’s all over the rain
Now feet settle down
There’s plenty of time

Don’t answer the phone
It’s all over the phone
If nobody cares
Then I’ll settle there

Someone set the timer baby
Someone set you up

I call-I call you a wonderful girl
I walk-I walk up and out of your world
You wake-you wake up to tell me goodbye
Your face-your face and the rest of your life

Away from the door
Get away from the door

Someone set the timer baby
Someone set you up

Alone on my back
My own, my back
Someone set the timer baby
Someone set you up

UPTIGHT

If everybody takes a minute
If everybody has the right
And everybody keeps their heads on straight
And nobody gets uptight
Gets uptight

If everyone gives a little
Everybody gets a lot

A recipe for failure
A way to break the ice
A waiting line for millions
Who’ve been waiting all their lives
If everybody gives a little
Everybody gets a lot. Uh huh huh

If everybody thinks a little
Everybody gets around
A little news here and a little news there
And everybody is informed
They’re informed

If everybody gives a little
Everybody gets a lot

If you’ve got a little money
If the writings on the wall
If you’re waiting for the lightning to strike
You’ve been waiting way too long
If everybody gives a little
Everybody gets a lot. Uh huh huh huh

If everybody wants a future
And nobody wants to fight
A lot of people don’t know what they want
But they can change that overnight
Overnight

If everybody gives a little
Everybody gets a lot

You can take a long vacation
Go halfway ‘round the world
Get a condo on the upper east side
But you still won’t be my girl
If everybody gives a little
Everybody gets a lot. Uh huh huh huh

If everybody compromises
No shadow of a doubt
You can wash your hands forever baby
But the stains just won’t come out
It won’t come out

If everybody gives a little
Everybody gets a lot

And the time I skipped some payments
And the time I missed my rent
And the time I had for loving you
Well baby that time’s been spent
If everybody gives a little
Everybody gets a lot