Complete And Utter Nonsense
My Mixtape’s A Masterpiece is a weekly feature in which a guest compiles a playlist around some theme. This week, Jackie Jardine assembles 12 examples of gonzo songs with even more gonzo lyrics. Read Jackie’s thoughts on each song and listen along to the Spotify playlist on top and/or the YouTube playlist at the bottom of the post.
The earliest memories I have of my fledgling appreciation for music was the time spent poring over the liner notes and lyrics within the inserts of cassettes. Cassettes later became CDs, then mp3s, and finally the format fit for audiophiles everywhere—vinyl. And that’s something lost in this digital age. There are no inserts, no lyrics listed to follow along. But perhaps in this instance that doesn’t really matter. Because with these 12 tracks, the words may not mean what they seem or very much at all, in fact.
1) “Prisencolinensinainciusol” by Adriano Celentano
This is the song that inspired the whole theme. Adriano Celentano (pictured above) is a rock ’n’ roll crooner, composer, actor, filmmaker and all-around pride of Italy. The guy has released over 40 albums. So when he set out to intentionally create a song of total gibberish in 1972, his producers likely shrugged and said “Hmm. Why not?” Celentano wanted to make a statement on language barriers and communication. And he did so by imitating what English sounds like to an Italian audience who don’t grasp the language. The only legitimate word that isn’t complete and utter nonsense? “Alright.” You can’t deny that it has a funky beat. Just don’t ask me how to pronounce the title.
2) “Music Is My Radar” by Blur
Confession time: Prior to actually looking up the lyrics, I was completely wrong about at least 60% of the words. The sharp guitar riff and infectious drums gives way to noisy chaos. But vocalist Damon Albarn hazily slurs the lyrics like it’s a chore. And it works! It all works together like one big gloriously blended cocktail-too many. “Aah don’t stop me now.” That much I understood on my own, thank you.
3) “Sci-Fi Wasabi ” by Cibo Matto
Founding members of the alterna-pop band Cibo Matto, Miho Hatori and Yuka Honda, had a very lyrically food-focused theme in their early days. This made for some interesting songs, as you might imagine. “Sci-Fi Wasabi” is an expansion upon this idea, with the added bonus of Hatori’s flare for rap-sung word play and Honda’s sequencing and sampling. I think it’s an allegory involving New York as a video game for Japanese expats Hatori and Honda. I think?
4) “Planet Claire” by The B-52’s
And speaking of sci-fi, this little number sounds like a spy movie filmed in outer space, with equally puzzling lyrics. In truth, much of the B-52’s discography could fit the theme of this mixtape. But a planet where no one dies because “no one has a head” sounds like a solid follow up to Cibo Matto. Because even when the lyrics aren’t always understood, the theme will be, dammit.
5) “Land of 1000 Dances” by Wilson Pickett
There have been at least 10 iterations of this 1960s standard. And while I was tempted to include The Walker Brother’s version—recently featured on the LAST NIGHT IN SOHO soundtrack—the absence of the soul sound from Pickett’s original killed the vibe I had in mind. It’s literally a song about dances, so you can’t expect a lot lyrically. But hand’s down, best “nah-nah-nah-nah-nah” delivery.
6) “Into The Twilight” by Jack White
Jack White, the founding half of the indie-garage White Stripes is well-versed in multiple instruments and mixed musical genres. He’s also something of a wordsmith. But this funky little ditty is minimal on the words. And that is just fine, because this is a track where the elements swirl. It’s got a dose of Daft Punk, a little blues-rock revival, and some innovative sampling. That man speaking about the future around the 2-minute mark? William S. Burroughs. That’s right, beatnik Burroughs. Jack White, keeping it weird and wonderful.
7) “The Power Is On” by The Go! Team
Double-dutch chants, big band, and some seriously inspired sampling defines The Go! Team’s sound. “The Power Is On” is a big, brash anthem. A hype song. The whole album is really is as varied as it is indispensable for any indie-pop fan. The concept might sound supremely silly. But just try not to feel pumped when you give it a listen. It’s impossible.
8) “Fake French” by Le Tigre
Sometimes what seems like nonsense at face value, is pretty textually rich once you understand the core concept. Same can be said with “Fake French” from feminist electro-rock three piece, Le Tigre. Did I fully understand “post-binary gender chores” at first listen? Probably not. But third-wave feminism taught me a thing or two, like how front-woman Kathleen Hanna is an expert at lyrically weaving gender theory and feminist discourse with catchy beats. So while it seems Le Tigre may have a “secret vocabulary,” all that was thought to be nonsense is truly anything but.
9) “Goo Goo Muck” by The Cramps
It is undeniably catchy and back in a big way, thanks to Netflix’s reimagined angsty teen Wednesday of The Addams Family. And I’m not going to lie—Jenna Ortega’s quirky choreography gave me an all new appreciation for “Goo Goo Muck.” All those wild teenage pheromones and monsters on the loose makes its a perfect choice for the scene. And what exactly is a “teenage goo goo muck?” It’s a creature on the prowl in more ways than one. If you look at the lyrics as a whole, the sexualized double meaning is hard to miss.
10) “Crackity Jones” by Pixies
Pixies vocalist Black Francis is known for his angsty and unpredictable vocal stylings. “Crackity Jones” is no exception. But what is the song about? According to Wikipedia, during his college studies in Puerto Rico, Francis allegedly had a roommate who was more than just a little nutty. This explains the lyrics that are peppered with Spanish. It may also explain the frantic tempo, or why Black Francis moved back to the states after just six months to form Pixies. Guess he had some absurd kind of inspiration.
11) “Green Onions” by Booker T. & The M.G.’s
But Jackie, you can’t include an instrumental on this list. That’s nonsense! The hell I can’t. What’s truly crazy about this classic soulful instrumental is the amount of people who instantly recognize the song without knowing anything about it. Fun fact: It is the only instrumental to make Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time list. Complete and Utter Nonsense Fact: The track was originally going to be called “Funky Onions,” but one of the band member’s sister thought it sounded too much like profanity. So “Green Onions” it is. Still pretty ridiculous…for a totally badass song.
12) “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane
This is what Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland sounds like. Exactly like this. And Jefferson Airplane vocalist Grace Slick delivers it with just the right amount of bravado to make you almost admire the psychotropic influence. Mind expansion. Piquing curiosity and creativity. Mushrooms. It’s so utterly ridiculous that the metaphor has been made literal.
It was the ‘60s, after all. Now go “feed your head.”
