Funky Gibbon not West End girls was first British hit with a rap!?

For general discussion of Pet Shop Boys topics.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Sandy Shaw
Posts: 4978
Joined: Thu 29 Nov 2007, 8:36 am
Been thanked: 1 time

Funky Gibbon not West End girls was first British hit with a rap!?

#1 Post by Sandy Shaw »

Arguably!

RIP Bill Oddie. I was lucky enough to meet the Goodies when they appeared at HMV to sign their DVD box set years after the shows first ernt out.
I'm your puppet

Vintage Youth
Posts: 587
Joined: Sat 20 Apr 2024, 9:56 pm
Contact:

Re: Funky Gibbon not West End girls was first British hit with a rap!?

#2 Post by Vintage Youth »

In keeping with a tenuous link to PSB via Chris Lowe, 'Saturday Night Grease' is a perfect episode of television.

User avatar
DopeFiend
Posts: 710
Joined: Sat 27 Mar 2021, 10:28 pm
Contact:

Re: Funky Gibbon not West End girls was first British hit with a rap!?

#3 Post by DopeFiend »

Aw man, I didn't know Bill Oddie passed away. That's sad.

Anyway, listening to the song it's not really a rap as far as I'm concerned.
Rap music is sort of laying it out, rolling out verse after verse in spoken rhyme.
Funky Gibbon almost gets into that rhythm. Can't really be taken seriously though, it's obviously a deliberate comedy act.
I love that cheesy early rap though, Rapture by Blondie. Rapper's Delight by Sugarhill Gang.
Soft Cell have that type of spoken word flow in their recent song Danceteria.
Remember watching the PSB documentary Then And Now, the moment where they preview New London Boy.
Chris' delight "there's a rap!". That was such a special moment for me.


User avatar
Old Soak
Posts: 1250
Joined: Tue 03 Apr 2012, 11:06 pm
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 1 time
Contact:

Re: Funky Gibbon not West End girls was first British hit with a rap!?

#5 Post by Old Soak »

richwill wrote: Tue 28 Jul 2026, 8:46 pmWham!
The Evasions - Wikka Rap, 1981 hit that just scraped the Top 20 beats Wham Rap by a year.
And at the end/ Your funny Uncle staring / At all your friends / With military bearing

User avatar
y3potential
Posts: 1714
Joined: Wed 20 Jul 2011, 8:21 pm
Been thanked: 3 times
Contact:

Re: Funky Gibbon not West End girls was first British hit with a rap!?

#6 Post by y3potential »

I've always considered the verses in Give Peace A Chance to be very rap-like in their delivery...
There is beauty in ugliness and ugliness in beauty.

User avatar
Sandy Shaw
Posts: 4978
Joined: Thu 29 Nov 2007, 8:36 am
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: Funky Gibbon not West End girls was first British hit with a rap!?

#7 Post by Sandy Shaw »

y3potential wrote: Wed 29 Jul 2026, 12:51 am I've always considered the verses in Give Peace A Chance to be very rap-like in their delivery...
Yes, good point and thanks for all contributions to the thread.
There was a strong movement for spoken word poetry in the 60s into the 70s which may have prompted some musicians to go that way.
I'm your puppet

Trevor Tremor
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon 22 Dec 2025, 12:54 pm
Contact:

Re: Funky Gibbon not West End girls was first British hit with a rap!?

#8 Post by Trevor Tremor »

Old Soak wrote: Tue 28 Jul 2026, 8:54 pm
richwill wrote: Tue 28 Jul 2026, 8:46 pmWham!
The Evasions - Wikka Rap, 1981 hit that just scraped the Top 20 beats Wham Rap by a year.
Rapture was 1980.

Ant Rap was 1981.

Post Reply