Chumbawamba's mainstream success came as a surprise to most people familiar with the group's work prior to 1997. The English, politically motivated group formed in 1984 and began irking British conservatives left and right, spearheading movements andinciting police raids. Their message-driven debut, Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records: Starvation, Charity and Rock 'N' Roll -- Lies and Tradition, was released in 1986. The album attacked media exposure and how musical careers are made and broken by it.

Their follow-up release, Never Mind the Ballots...Here's the Rest of Your Lives, was purposely released at the time of the general elections, further fortifying the fact that the band had an agenda and wasn't playing music just for the fun or fame of it. The EP English Rebel Songs 1391-1914 featured actual anti-poll tax protest songs written throughout history. The group had no qualms with stepping outside of the box, that was for sure. When a number of cover songs on their next album were banned just before the record's release, the group found inspiration for their 1992 release Shhh, which harped on the idea of censorship.

1994's Anarchy gave the group their most mainstream success to that point, propelled by the hit single "Enough is Enough," which condemned racism. After Chumbawamba signed with EMI, they released their first major-label effort in the form of Tubthumper. The single "Tubthumping" was a hit in both the U.K. and the U.S., cracking the top 10 in both countries. Their mainstream popularity expanded the amount of fans that their rebellious messages could reach, which the group capitalized on, much to the chagrin of EMI, who eventually dropped the group.

Chumbawamba was not discouraged and has continued to release their music, all the while equipped with commentaries and opinions on a variety of subjects. They released The Boy Bands Have Won in 2008.