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You can all stand down. There is no force in heaven or earth that can make any Clean Bandit song cool
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">Ha, you got old</span>
^^ I am old at 43 and certainly have never had much claim to be cool - but Clean Bandit! Jesus!
Clean Bandit make 1990’s era Cliff Richard look amazingly edgy... This is the band who went front and centre in a cringy Microsoft advert a couple of years back.
Awful act. Just ask Cortana! 😉
But on the other hand, it feels like part of the overall insidious sexualisation of childhood thing.
Say what now? I really don’t know much about Clean Bandit, other than that they exist, but since when has their music been aimed at young children? ‘Nelly the Elephant’, on the other hand...
Clean Bandit make 1990’s era Cliff Richard look amazingly edgy…
I don't remember any Cliff songs about spanking the monkey. Unless "Living Doll" actually a prophetic song about robotic sex dolls?
Certainly don't remember any Cliff songs with a video that looked like this:

(she needs to turn her vape down a bit!)
since when has their music been aimed at young children?
Not sure who it is aimed at, but the kids all know it. It was number one in the singles chart and is still at number three after eight weeks in the chart, so it gets a fair amount of play time on the radio etc.
That video has had 105,151,741 views on YouTube and the song is nominated in the Teen Choice awards.
I don’t remember any Cliff songs about spanking the monkey. Unless “Living Doll” actually a prophetic song about robotic sex dolls?
Please don’t take my post too seriously! I do think they are a bit crap though!
particularly fond of the lyrics in Squeeze's cool for cats only got to number 2 in the charts in 1979 and a popular sing a long for kids at the time:
Shape up at the disco when I think I've got a pull
I ask her lots of questions as she hangs onto the wall
I kiss her for the first time, and then I take her home
I'm invited in for coffee, and I give the dog a bone....
I had absolutely no idea that whoop whoop song was by Clean Bandit or what it was prattling on about, I thought it was a follow up to Israel's Eurovision winner...
Ill pay more attention to the lyrics when I will undoubtedly hear it on the radio later today.
As for inappropriate lyrics, may I suggest cueing up Plaistow Patricia by Ian Dury and the Blockheads and turning it up to 11? 😜
Indiana is rather something isn't she?
Ford Ec(h)o sport has Elvis Costello Pump it up as its backing track. A song about knocking one out.
Now 'come on' do they do any research before picking these songs or was it a clever sound man giving us a message
When my Mom was in her late teens she had T-Rex 'Get it on' on vinyl - apparently after hearing it my granddad banned her from playing it....
That Clean Bandit song was on in the Chippy last night - never really paid too much attention to the lyrics until I read this thread. It's quite refreshing though that it's about DIY and not just going out and sleeping around - very unlike a lot of modern-pop-chart-hit-parade songs. I watched the video on the train this morning - didn't realise it was Demi Lovato either until then (can't beat a bit of Demi first thing in the morning.....). What's with the mutli-coloured dog though??
My Mrs used to get the Now albums and stick them on the kids iPods - she stopped doing that a couple of years back though as the amount of inappropriate songs outweighed the others. She just now downloads the less offensive ones off iTunes for them.
But yeah, there are always going to be offensive/inappropriate lyrics - and I think as time goes on they've become more acceptable (sadly..) and more accessible by/too younger kids with youtube etc.
Oh, and I give you:
My Ding-A-Ling-A-Ling/ Chuck Berry 1972
When I was a little bitty boy
My grandma bought me a cute little toy
Two silver bells on a string
She told me it was my ding-a-ling-a-lingMy Ding-A-Ling My Ding-A-Ling, won't you play with My Ding-A-Ling?
My Ding-A-Ling My Ding-A-Ling, won't you play with My Ding-A-Ling?When I was little boy in grammar school
Always went by the very best rule
But ever'time the bell would ring
You'd catch me playing with my ding-a-lingOnce while climbing the garden wall
Slipped and fell, had a very bad fall
I fell so hard I heard birds sing
But I held on to my ding-a-lingOnce while swimmin' 'cross Turtle Creek
Man them snappers right at my feet
Sure was hard swimmin' 'cross that thing
With both hands holding my ding-a-lingNow this here song, it ain't so bad
Prettiest little song that you ever had
And those of you who will not sing
Must be playing with your own ding-a-ling
Wait - Turning Japanese has a hidden meaning! Well I never..
When my eldest was around 4/5 one of her favourite songs was "filthy gorgeous" by The Scissor Sisters - they grow out of loving particular songs.. nowadays as my two angelic little girls approach 14/16 - I have little reservations about what they know or don't know. There are bigger issues to worry about, banning stuff never works IMO.
Off to YouTube now to check out the lyrics of Turning Japanese..
And probably most of the Darkness' repertoire (this one's about STDs apparently).
That Indiana vid is quite amusing but i don't get half the references...... could someone list them out with times for me?
Not exactly Pop Music but this one's about oral sex..
Also I think B'Witched had a few vaguely inappropriate lyrics in C'est la Vie
I'll show you mine if you show me yours.. Let the fun begin.. I'll huff I'll puff and blow you away
One of the more misinterpreted songs of all time, word was that "Turning Japanese" refers to the Asian facial features people get at the moment of climax during masturbation. In a VH1 <i>True Spin</i> special, they asked The Vapors about this song, and they explained that it is a love song about someone who lost their girlfriend and was going slowly crazy. Lead singer Dave Fenton said: "Turning Japanese is all the clichés about angst and youth and turning into something you didn't expect to." It was inspired by Fenton's relationship problems.
I might need Turning Japanese explained - feeling a little dumb today
My 10 year old explained it to me thus - sweary songs are awesome.
Basically all of Grease - especially the non-edit version of Grease Lightning, and my favourite Beauty School Dropout

Cliff did Honky Tonk Angel and then disowned it when he found out it was about a prostitute.
🙂 Fair point Drac. Enough of this silly Victorian prudishness.
I'll show my 5 year old "Lemon Party", "Two Girls One Cup", "4 Girls Finger Paint", "Blue Waffles", "Tub Girl" and "Mr Hands" tonight and be done with it. 😉
I don't remember those in the Sunday afternoon countdown Graham 😀
Every generation of kids has probably sung along to songs about masturbation without realising it until years later – for my generation it was Turning Japanese and Dancing with Myself.
Pictures of Lily
GrahamSI’ll show my 5 year old “Lemon Party”, “Two Girls One Cup”, “4 Girls Finger Paint”, “Blue Waffles”, “Tub Girl” and “Mr Hands” tonight and be done with it.
You forgot 1guy1jar
My 8 year old did return home from school one day discussing scenes from "The Human Centipede" movies. But that's a different story.
Bottle of Smoke by the Pogues is pretty blatant, although hilarious when my little guys sing it.
- on the compilation <i>The Copulatin' Blues, Volume Two (2011)</i>
- on the compilation <i>The Rough Guide to Blues Women (2016)</i>
Lucill Brogan 1935
I got nipples on my titties, big as the end of my thumb
I got somethin' between my legs'll make a dead man come
Oh daddy, baby won't you shave 'em dry?
Now, draw it out!
Want you to grind me baby, grind me until I cry
Say I ****ed all night, and all the night before baby
And I feel just like I wanna, **** some more
Oh great God daddy
Grind me honey and shave me dry
And when you hear me holler baby, want you to shave it dry
I got nipples on my titties, big as the end of my thumb
Daddy you say that's the kind of 'em you want, and you can make 'em come
Oh, daddy shave me dry
And I'll give you somethin' baby, swear it'll make you cry
I'm gon' turn back my mattress, and let you oil my springs
I want you to grind me daddy, 'til the bell do ring
Oh daddy, want you to shave 'em dry
Oh great God daddy, if you can't shave 'em baby won't you try?
Now if ****in' was the thing, that would take me to heaven
I'd be ****in' in the studio, till the clock strike eleven
Oh daddy, daddy shave 'em dry
I would **** you baby, honey I'd make you cry
Now your nuts hang down like a damn bell sapper
And your dick stands up like a steeple
Your goddam ass-hole stands open like a church door
And the crabs walks in like people
Ow, shit!
Ooh! Baby, won't you shave 'em dry
A big sow gets fat from eatin' corn
And a pig gets fat from suckin'
Reason you see this whore, fat like I am
Great God, I got fat from ****in'
Eeeeh! Shave 'em dry
My back is made of whalebone
And my cock is made of brass
And my ****in' is made for workin' men's two dollars
Great God, round to kiss my ass
Oh! Whoo, daddy, shave 'em dry