Friday, November 30, 2007

Yes Sir



Ah, a sultry Spanish-accented vocal, lush disco strings and a lyric that deploys the oldest euphemism in pop (‘I can boogie all night long’ – I bet you can love).

They’ll have worked ages on that dance routine too.

My French pen-pal had a cassette compilation of disco classics and I’m certain this was on it, along with Donna Summer’s sublime ‘Down Deep Inside’ from 'The Deep’ (music by John Barry).

Phew. Baccara and Donna Summer moaning and Jacqueline Bisset jumping in and out of the sea in the most famous white T-shirt in movies. For me 1977 was a year of awakening - and punk rock had nothing to do with it…

8 comments:

  1. "Bud id takesh a shertain shong"

    Did they have elocution lessons from Sean Connery?

    I had this on the mighty K Tel comp' Disco Fever which also had Rah Band 'The Crunch' and Meri Wilson 'Telephone Man' on it too.

    1967 regularly gets cited as the year Rock/Pop culture came of age -but 1977 was equally vintage - skateboards, Punk explosion, death of Elvis, Disco meltdown, Star Wars and the best James Bond car

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  2. This instantly takes me back to college and the juke box records that no-one owned up to liking but somebody was playing. Black is Black by La Belle Epoque was another one. I was secretly delighted when this turned up on one of those free newspaper CDs. Want a copy?

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  3. The follow-up was 'Sorry I'm A Lady', I believe, the biggest paradox in showbusiness.

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  4. Yes, I almost mentioned that follow-up - a tawdry exercise in first hit re-hash if ever I witnessed one.

    But ah, yes 1977...admiring the Gullwing trucks and OJ wheels in 'Skateboarding' magazine, Borg and Connors in the Wimbledon final, jumpers for goalposts, etc.

    Mick - yes! yes! yes! Please!

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  5. Oh, don't knock "Sorry I'm A Lady". That spoken intro may well have been the first time a record fuelled me with angsty, intense sexual desire. Well, I was 11.

    "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" is a seminal song in my life. Growing up in West Germany, I had learned English at school for a year. Following the lyrics to "Yes Sir...", I felt the need to look up what "urzeetation" means. Happily, I had a lyrics book, which revealed that the word I needed to know was "hesitation". And thus my love for the English language was born, one that would see me eventually working with it professionally. And all thanks to two Spanish pop singers violating the language so brutally as I wished to be violated by them (well, the black-dressed one anyway).

    As always, I really enjoy your blog. And 1977 was a great year.

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  6. Not least because it was the year of Aja.

    Audacious cowboys will always be welcome here.

    You are linked mi amigo.

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  7. Indeed. But also the year of Hotel California....

    And the link is reciprocated. Cheers.

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