80s Music Video Sunday #2

Last night was the second night of Hanukah Hanukkah Channuka Chanukah, and shortly after lighting the candles, the Little One fell asleep. The poor kid was positively exhausted, having not slept at all during the day, so when he put his head on my lap and closed his eyes, we realized (and indeed hoped) that it would be the beginning of his night's sleep. At eight-o'clock on the dot, Husband's brother – aka The Babysitter – knocked on the door. We left a few cursory instructions for what to do in the event that the Little One woke up while we were out (we needn't have bothered, as he ended up sleeping until 6:20 this morning), grabbed our winter coats (it was six degrees celsius outside!), and ran down to the car.

We spent the evening out with a group of friends, celebrating a birthday. We're still waiting for the foccacia to arrive, but other than that, I do believe that a good time was had by all. The service was atrocious and some of the dishes weren't as good as they should have been, but my gnocchi with veal and mushrooms in a red wine cream sauce tasted sensational (though truthfully, the gnocchi was a bit chewy, but the dish still tasted amazing). Hot cider with wine (my new favorite drink) ended the meal quite nicely, and we managed to make it home before midnight.

My friend Z (with whom I split two main courses - the one described above and a seafood fettucini dish, causing much confusion for the waiter, who was slow to realize that the man I'd chosen to twirl pasta with was not my husband) mentioned that he and his family had recently been driving up North, and during the course of the ride, they put on a CD of 80s music. One of the songs was by a-ha, and he and his wife R went crazy trying to remember the name of the lead singer, even going so far as to make a round of phone calls, but without any luck. At this point in his story, I interrupted and said "It's Morten Harket". Everyone who'd been paying attention to the story just looked at me (with what I've chosen to believe was reverent awe). Clearly, they didn't know who they were dealing with. I chastised R and Z for not having called me at the time, as this was definitely my area of expertise. We continued to discuss 80s music, and I told Z about 80s Music Video Sunday and my quandary regarding which song to choose for today's post. A number of options were discussed as we showed off our knowledge of 80s music trivia, and I narrowed it down to two choices. It wasn't an easy decision, as both songs are a lot of fun. One leans towards reggae, while the other is pure 80s, and appears on nearly every 80s music compilation I've ever heard. Somewhere, I believe I've got both singles, unless my parents unloaded them when they moved last year. The song I didn't choose will inevitably appear in another 80s Music Video Sunday post, as it's one of my faves.

The song I did choose was released in September 1982, by a group of four schoolboys from Birmingham, England. It took the world (at least my little corner of it) by storm with its catchy beat infused with reggae, and though we all knew and loved the song, we'd all have been hard-pressed to truly sing along, as the words were completely unintelligible. To this day, I still don't know the real words, but a quick internet search has filled this gaping hole in my life. Not surprisingly, the actual lyrics bear only a passing resemblance to what I always thought they were, so reading through them has truly been an eye-opening experience. Having read them, it's probably best that we didn't know them then, as we'd have made total idiots of ourselves as awkward little white-bread American pre-teens from the 'burbs trying to sing lines like, "Give me little music make me wind up me waist", "You play it on the radio a so me say", or this classic line, "'cause the spirit of jah you know he leads you on." This group remained together for a while, but the boys were never able to match the success of their first and only hit, placing them in that infamous 80s sub-genre of one-hit wonders, many of which, will undoubtedly be featured in the 80s Music Video Sunday series.

Anyway, back to our song. Figured it out yet? Did the lines above jar your memories at all? Without further adieu, I present to you today's 80s music video. Pass the Dutchie, by Musical Youth. The lyrics appear below the video, and now that we finally know what they really are, I expect that we'll all be sleeping much better at night, having crossed another burning musical question off our list.



Pass The Dutchie
Musical Youth
Music & Lyrics : Mittoo - Simpson - Ferguson

This generation
Rules the nation
With version

Music happen to be the food of love
Sounds to really make you rub and scrub

I say: Pass the Dutchie on the left hand side
Pass the Dutchie on the left hand side
It a gonna burn, give me music make me jump and prance
It a go done, give me the music make me rock in the dance

It was a cool and lovely breezy afternoon
(How does it feel when you've got no food ?)
You could feel it 'cause it was the month of June
(How does it feel when you've got no food ?)
So I left my gate and went out for a walk
(How does it feel when you've got no food ?)
As I pass the dreadlocks' camp I heard them say
(How does it feel when you've got no food ?)

Pass the Dutchie on the left hand side
Pass the Dutchie on the left hand side
It a gonna burn, give me music make me jump and prance
It a go done, give me the music make me rock in the dance

So I stopped to find out what was going on.
(How does it feel when you've got no food ?)
'Cause the spirit of Jah, you know he leads you on
(How does it feel when you've got no food ?)
There was a ring of dreads and a session was there in swing
(How does it feel when you've got no food ?)
You could feel the chill as I seen and heard them say
(How does it feel when you've got no food ?)

Pass the Dutchie on the left hand side
Pass the Dutchie on the left hand side
It a gonna burn, give me music make me jump and prance
It a go done, give me the music make me rock in the dance

'Cause me say listen to the drummer, me say listen to the bass
Give me little music make me wind up me waist
Me say listen to the drummer, me say listen to the bass
Give me little music make me wind up me waist, I say

Pass the Dutchie on the left hand side
Pass the Dutchie on the left hand side
It a gonna burn, give me music make me jump and prance
It a go done, give me the music make me rock in the dance

You play it on the radio, a so me say, we a go hear it on the stereo
A so me know you a go play it on the disco
A so me say we a go hear it on the stereo

Pass the Dutchie on the left hand side
Pass the Dutchie on the left hand side
It a gonna burn, give me music make me jump and prance
It a go done, give me the music make me rock in the dance

I say east, say west, say north and south (on the left hand side)
This is gonna make us jump and shout (on the left hand side)