Lush opened the album with an interesting choice that had reached the top of the UK charts in 1971 by Scottish band Middle of the Road. Yes, I suppose we could discuss the song's theme of child abandonment ("Woke up this morning and my momma was gone"), an odd one for a sugary pop song, but we have enough going on in the world right now without adding this to the pile. These pages are all about putting on the blinders.
If you're an American with an encyclopedic knowledge of '70s soft rock, this Middle of the Road business is probably a head scratcher. You'll agree this song was a hit in 1971, but not by a bunch of Scots. Well, your mind is still sharp, my friend. I'm sure Miki and Emma chose this song after hearing the version by Middle of the Road, but on the other side of the Atlantic Trinidadian brother-and-sister duo (and English residents) Mac and Katie Kissoon took it to No. 20 on the Billboard charts. I don't have the version by Middle of the Road, we will have to settle for a YouTube clip, but I do have the one made famous over here. As for Lush's take, it's a faithful version with a sound that wouldn't have been out of a place as a deep (key word is deep) cut on 'Scar.'
Mac and Katie Kissoon - Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep
Lush - Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep
7 comments:
This series was so good until I suddenly realised yesterday that this cover was going to turn up.
I'm going to be diplomatic and blame the song, not the rendition, but I can't help think of The Dream Academy for "some" reason before the chorus refrain...
Middle of the Road? Suddenly I'm 11 years old again. I was totally unaware of the Mac and Katie Kissoon version though.
I actually *do* put this high on my list of favorite covers! I know it's not exactly free of cheese, but I love the sound and the song is catchy as all get out.
Katie Kissoon was singing background vocals when I saw the Rolling Stones, and I was probably the only person in the stadium wishing they'd drop a Stones song from the set and do "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" instead!
Hey, Swede. Just as nobody over here knew Middle of the Road, I imagine. The Kissoons' version only made it to No. 41 in your neck of the woods.
Great story, Bret Alan! Katie has certainly kept busy through the years, backing the likes of Van Morrison, Pet Shop Boys and many others. She probably deserves her own post. I think Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep is kind of a forgotten hit over here. Get this: I have the song on something called Hard To Find 45s On CD Volume 11: Sugar Pop Classics. That certainly makes it seem pretty obscure.
Erm.... I'm just very glad this wasn't the first thing I ever heard by Lush!
I only discovered the Mac & Katie version when writing about this song myself a while ago. I'm not quite old enough, but gentlemen of a certain age in the UK remember the Middle of the Road version vividly.
My little boy loves it too. Not for the same reason. It's just a great pop song. Embrace the cheese!
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