Did David Bowie coin the horrible phrase "Wham Bam, Thank You Ma'am?"

"Ram, bam,
Thank you, ma'm."

Dude.

That would've sounded SO much cooler.

sad cafe's 'FANX TA-RA' album cover picture to thread !!

"ROCKET REDUCER NO.62 (RAMA LAMA FA FA FA)"
Words & music by MC5 [1969]

After some good tokes and a six pack
We can sock 'em out for you
Till you're flat on your back
You know i got to keep it up
Cause i'm a natural man
I'm a born hell raiser
And i don't give a damn
I'm the man for you baby
I'm the man for you baby
I'm the man for you baby
I'm the man for you baby
I'm the man for you

Workin' here before your momma
soakin wet
You think you're satisfied
You ain't seen nothing yet
I said WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA'AM

I'm a born ass pincher
And i don't give a damn
(chorus)
lead…
Rama lama fa fa fa…

You can lay it down on me, momma
Any old time
We can shimmy so good
We'll both be stoned O-Mind
I'm irresistably bad
The cooles' what am
Robin Tyner's the name
And i kick out the jams

(chorus)

(hey man) my schooldays insane
(hey man) my work’s down the drain
(hey man) well she’s a total blam-blam
She said she had to squeeze it but she..and then she..

Oh don’t lean on me man, cause you can’t afford the ticket
I’m back from suffragette city
Oh don’t lean on me man
Cause you ain’t got time to check it
You know my suffragette city
Is outta sight...she’s all right

(hey man) ah henry, don’t be unkind, go away
(hey man) I can’t take you this time, no way
(hey man) droogie don’t crash here
There’s only room for one and here she comes, here she comes

Oh don’t lean on me man, cause you can’t afford the ticket
I’m back on suffragette city
Oh don’t lean on me man
Cause you ain’t got time to check it
You know my suffragette city
Is outta sight...she’s all right

Oh hit me!

Oh don’t lean on me man, cause you can’t afford the ticket
I’m back from suffragette city
Oh don’t lean on me man
Cause you ain’t got time to check it
You know my suffragette city
Don’t lean on me man, cause you can’t afford the ticket
I’m back from suffragette city
Oh don’t lean on me man
Cause you ain’t got time to check it
You know my suffragette city
Is outta sight...she’s all right

A suffragette city, a suffragette city
I’m back on suffragette city, I’m back on suffragette city
Ooo, sufraggete city, ooo, suffragette city
Oooh-how, sufragette city, oooh-how, sufragette,

Ohhh, wham bam thank you ma’am!
A suffragette city, a suffragette city
Quite all right
A suffragette city
Too fine
A suffragette city, ooh, a sufragette city
Oh, my sufragette city, oh my suffragette city
Oh, suffragette
Suffragette!

More specifically, I think Dave's making a stab at satire: the guys are obviously pseudo-bohemian types - MC5/Mingus/Small Faces referencing, calling each other 'droogie' and 'man'. But equally, these apparent bohemians will appropriate feminism and feminist terminology in order to a) get laid and b) explain to their best friend quite how good it was. Homoerotic and politically charged - emphasised by the backing chorus repeating and repeating, as if to shove it down your throat (natch), 'hey man' (man, yes, man, that was man). And all the time he's pointing out how seductive that kinda attitude is, as the song rocks along like the aforementioned MC5, Small Faces or Mingus at their best.

Yes?

Not 'the smell of fat chick' as I once thought then.

You're not the only one Enrique.

Guess that was wrong tho.

And I think the 'don't lean on me MAN' is more addressed to Henry than the 'suffragette'. But it does emphasise the fact that we're talking about gender and, moreover, as it's done kinda 'out of the song' rather than directly sung, it emphasises the idea that somehow the music and the rock star himself is complicit in the dodgy state of affairs.

As for the groupie shagging thing, I'm sure it could be, or at least a particularly Ziggy version ie look my bisexual partner (Henry), leave now cos I've hooked up with a woman.

Or could it be Henry Edwards, the guy who wrote 'Stardust: The David Bowie Story', who was/is an American journalist who met Bowie in the early 70's. However, he seems to have written another book with May Pang who (I think) posts here. So he could post here as well.

So I'll shut it.