The Dumbest Song that I Just Can't Help But Love
You know how when you're a kid and the things you love are...well, sort of just dumb? For example, I saw that horrible Madonna movie, "Who's That Girl" in 1986 or whenever it came out, and I thought it was fantastic. I just loved it. Then about ten years later I saw it on TV and was so embarrassed that I could have thought a movie that horrendous could be so good.
When I first discovered Napster (back in the days of free downloads without the threat of the feds banging your door down) one of the first songs I was so excited to download was called "Bad Boys" by WhamUK. Not Wham-Exclamation-Mark, just WhamUK. (They were called WhamUK before they changed their name to Wham!) And this song is so brutally dumb, it's embarrassing to even listen to. But I just can't help but love it, because it reminds me of watching Friday Night Videos, circa 1982. (I love Terry David Mulligan, and it's so great to still see him on TV every now and then. It makes me feel so Canadian for some reason.) I can even remember the video for "Bad Boys", some little English brat getting in trouble and running down the street, then he morphs into the grown up George Michael (about 19 years old back then) and he's singing about what a "bad boy" he is. (Okay, I have always been a sucker for the "bad boy," so I'm powerless against it; I just love it.)
I wasn't even a fan of Wham! (I'm definately not a fan of their stupid-ass exclamation mark at the end of their name,) but there was something about "Bad Boys" that I can't shake. I think it was because that song came out around the time I was getting interested in popular culture and music, and was starting to watch music videos on TV. It was one of the first videos that caught my attention, although it disappeared rather quickly, as anyone who's heard the song or seen the video could attest to. I always wondered what happened to it, and even if it really existed or was just my imagination, because I couldn't find any references to it anywhere and no one knew what the hell I was talking about when I brought it up. I can only describe to you the utter bliss I felt when I discovered it and copied it from Napster many years later. I'm listening to it right now. And loving it.
(Some lyrics for those of you who've never had the pleasure-brace yourselves:)
Dear Mummy dear Daddy
you have plans for me
Oh yeah I was your only son
And long before this baby boy could count to three
You knew just what he would become
Run on off to school
your child your man grows up a fool
Run on off to school
When you tried to tell me what to do
I just shut my mouth and smiled at you
one thing that I know for sure
Bad boys stick together never sad boys
Goods guys they make rules for fools so get wise
Dear Mummy dear Daddy
now I'm nineteen as you see
I'm handsome tall and strong
So what the hell gives you the right to look at me
as if to say:Hell what went wrong?
Where were you last night?
You look as if you had a fight
Where were you last night?
WellI think that you may just be right
But don't try keep me in tonight
'cause I'm big enough to break down the door
Bad boys stick together never sad boys...
[Really bad sultry female voice:]
Boys like you are bad through and through
Still girls like me always seem to be with you
We can't help but worry
you're in such a hurry
Mixing with the wrong boys
playing with the wrong toys
Easy girls and late nights
cigarettes and love bites
Why do you have to be so cruel? You're such a fool
Bad boys stick together never sad boys. . .
When I first discovered Napster (back in the days of free downloads without the threat of the feds banging your door down) one of the first songs I was so excited to download was called "Bad Boys" by WhamUK. Not Wham-Exclamation-Mark, just WhamUK. (They were called WhamUK before they changed their name to Wham!) And this song is so brutally dumb, it's embarrassing to even listen to. But I just can't help but love it, because it reminds me of watching Friday Night Videos, circa 1982. (I love Terry David Mulligan, and it's so great to still see him on TV every now and then. It makes me feel so Canadian for some reason.) I can even remember the video for "Bad Boys", some little English brat getting in trouble and running down the street, then he morphs into the grown up George Michael (about 19 years old back then) and he's singing about what a "bad boy" he is. (Okay, I have always been a sucker for the "bad boy," so I'm powerless against it; I just love it.)
I wasn't even a fan of Wham! (I'm definately not a fan of their stupid-ass exclamation mark at the end of their name,) but there was something about "Bad Boys" that I can't shake. I think it was because that song came out around the time I was getting interested in popular culture and music, and was starting to watch music videos on TV. It was one of the first videos that caught my attention, although it disappeared rather quickly, as anyone who's heard the song or seen the video could attest to. I always wondered what happened to it, and even if it really existed or was just my imagination, because I couldn't find any references to it anywhere and no one knew what the hell I was talking about when I brought it up. I can only describe to you the utter bliss I felt when I discovered it and copied it from Napster many years later. I'm listening to it right now. And loving it.
(Some lyrics for those of you who've never had the pleasure-brace yourselves:)
Dear Mummy dear Daddy
you have plans for me
Oh yeah I was your only son
And long before this baby boy could count to three
You knew just what he would become
Run on off to school
your child your man grows up a fool
Run on off to school
When you tried to tell me what to do
I just shut my mouth and smiled at you
one thing that I know for sure
Bad boys stick together never sad boys
Goods guys they make rules for fools so get wise
Dear Mummy dear Daddy
now I'm nineteen as you see
I'm handsome tall and strong
So what the hell gives you the right to look at me
as if to say:Hell what went wrong?
Where were you last night?
You look as if you had a fight
Where were you last night?
WellI think that you may just be right
But don't try keep me in tonight
'cause I'm big enough to break down the door
Bad boys stick together never sad boys...
[Really bad sultry female voice:]
Boys like you are bad through and through
Still girls like me always seem to be with you
We can't help but worry
you're in such a hurry
Mixing with the wrong boys
playing with the wrong toys
Easy girls and late nights
cigarettes and love bites
Why do you have to be so cruel? You're such a fool
Bad boys stick together never sad boys. . .
