"After the Watershed" is a single by Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, released in 1991, and was not featured on any original album by the band, only on compilations later on. Legal complications arose following the release of the song, as The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

 took a dim view of the use of the refrain "Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday" in the song's chorus. The song is memorable as being performed at the Smash Hits

Smash Hits

Smash Hits was a pop music based magazine, aimed at teenagers and young adults and originally published in the United Kingdom by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006 and was issued fortnightly for most of that time...

 Poll Winners Party of 1991, when Fruitbat rugby tackled Philip Schofield on live TV after his reference to Carter's instrument-smashing performance lacking originality

Originality

Originality is the aspect of created or invented works by as being new or novel, and thus can be distinguished from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or derivative works....

..

Meaning

The title of the song refers to the BBC's

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 watershed

Watershed (television)

In television, the term watershed denotes the time period in a television schedule during which programs with adult content can air....

 time period, controlled mainly by Ofcom

Ofcom

Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...

, as a way of preventing younger audiences seeing unnecessary imagery

Image

An image is an artifact, for example a two-dimensional picture, that has a similar appearance to some subject—usually a physical object or a person.-Characteristics:...

, which was shown on TV after 9pm.

The "Hard Way" reference was simply put to have two meanings: one was, that it meant "a young boy watching adult films saw something graphical and learnt his lesson to never watch that genre again"; the other meaning was the definition of a young boy watching adult programming with an erection, or in Carter USM's meaning, a hard on.

Sampling

The song samples lyrics from the song Ruby Tuesday through the lyrics "goodbye Ruby Tuesday, come home

Home

A home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either...

 you silly cow", it also uses the bass

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

 riff from Satisfaction

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

" Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones, released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Richards's throwaway three-note guitar riff — intended to be replaced by horns — opens and drives the song...

. Following legal action by The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

, the track is now credited to Morrison

Jim Bob

Jim Bob is the stage name for James Morrison, the London born writer and musician best known as the singer of indie punk band Carter USM.-Biography:Jim Bob was born James Neil Morrison in the city of London, on 22 November 1960...

, Carter, Richards

Keith Richards

Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...

 and Jagger

Mick Jagger

Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....

.

Lyrics

The song also pays tribute to the well-known author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

 David Icke

David Icke

David Vaughan Icke is an English writer and public speaker, best known for his views on what he calls "who and what is really controlling the world." Describing himself as the most controversial speaker in the world, he has written 18 books explaining his position, and has attracted a substantial...

, by stating "David Icke said, he'd like to show us how

Conspiracy theory

A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...

, to love us back to life again now".

Track listings

• CD USMCD1 12" VINYL ABB100T

1. "After the Watershed (Early Learning the Hard Way"