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3 Wacky Lyrics From the 80s That We Still Scratch Our Heads Over Today
A 1980s music feature revisits three lyrics that sound puzzling or unsettling, from songs by Blondie, Peter Gabriel and the Smiths. It explores how the words can seem strange on their own, while their songs’ backgrounds or meanings add context.
Blondie’s “Rapture”, her final US Billboard Hot 100 number one, includes a fantastical image of an alien eating cars; the song drew on rap performances Debbie Harry and Chris Stein saw in the 1970s. Peter Gabriel said “Shock the Monkey” uses a monkey as a metaphor for jealousy and the return of animal instincts. The Smiths’ “Girlfriend in a Coma” pairs a pleasant sound with a narrator who says he could have killed his girlfriend, but would hate for anything to happen to her.
In short
- Three 1980s songs have lyrics that still sound unusual.
- Blondie’s hit was inspired in part by 1970s rap performances.
- Peter Gabriel linked his monkey song to jealousy.
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