Arnee and the Terminaters

I'll Be Back

"I'll Be Back" (subtitled "The Dancefloor Devastation Kick-Up" on the back of the single sleeve) was written and produced by Richard Easter (a member of Steve Wright's "posse" on his BBC Radio 1 show of the time) and Mike Woolmans.

It was released on the Epic Records label, and entered the UK Top 40 Singles Chart in August 1991, peaking at #5.

The song parodies both Austrian actor Arnold ("Arnie") Schwarzenegger's in-film catchphrase, "I'll be back" and his role in the Terminator films, particularly Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which had been released the previous month. Many phrases from the latter film are featured, such as "I'll be back", "Hasta la vista, baby", "It's nothing personal" and "I swear I will not hurt anybody".

Lyrical themes

Lyrically, "I'll Be Back" consists of singer and protagonist "Arnee" informing the listener that "it's not that I'm ill-mannered or a psychopathic hater, I just like to be treated right like any Terminator" before driving home the central message that "you don't need "please" or "thank you", you just need "I'll be back"". In the final verse, he advises the listener to follow the same path in difficult situations such as when "your lover gives you the elbow or you're threatened with the sack".