The Stranglers have outlasted and outsold virtually every other band of their era, recording ten hit albums and releasing 21 Top 40 singles. Their list of hits, including Golden Brown, were written against a background of spectacular success, dismal failure, drug dependency, financial ruin, infighting and misfortune.As a response to David Buckley's one-sided biography of the band ("No Mercy" Hodder & Stoughton, 1997) and the band's reticence to reveal the true meaning behind their songs, Hugh Cornwell, founding member and songwriter, sets the record straight, displaces the myths and for the first time explains the real stories behind The Stranglers, his departure and the origins of their songs.