Eighties twee: please recommend me some foppish, too-clever-for-its-own-good, lifeless, poncy pop sung by a prancing gaylord with a butterfly net

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OK, what is the twee-est song ever to be released in that golden decade of twee, the eighties?

― Jermyn "Oscar" Wilde, Monday, 14 November 2005 15:25 (twenty years ago)

Oh Momus, you card.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 14 November 2005 15:27 (twenty years ago)

"Girl With Guitar" by the Three O'Clock

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 14 November 2005 15:33 (twenty years ago)

Oh yeah, oh yeah.

― Lady Totteringby-Gently (kate), Monday, 14 November 2005 15:34 (twenty years ago)

Rah Band 'Clouds Across The Moon'?

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Monday, 14 November 2005 15:34 (twenty years ago)

actually to call that lifeless may well be harsh.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Monday, 14 November 2005 15:35 (twenty years ago)

First Picture Of You by the Lotus Eaters: none more twee

― jz, Monday, 14 November 2005 15:45 (twenty years ago)

"Warhead" by Venom. With its melodic tune such as a girlchild might whistle and its pathetic discernable lyrics.

― Cunt Grishnakh (noodle vague), Monday, 14 November 2005 15:48 (twenty years ago)

xpost: "See the flowers scream their joy" wins it.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 14 November 2005 15:49 (twenty years ago)

can't lose this mood gentle
with summer at our ears
flood the world deep in sunlight
break into the peaceful wild
the first picture of you
the first picture of summer
seeing the flowers scream their joy
the first picture of you
the first picture of summer
seeing the flowers scream their joy

― jz, Monday, 14 November 2005 15:52 (twenty years ago)

it's warm in and out
the pulse of flowing love
spread the calm to meet the others
pleasure fills with love 'til dawn
it's warm in and out
the call for sacred hours
the soft chant of new-born singing
the magic force of your feelings
the first picture of you
the first picture of summer
seeing the flowers scream their joy
can't lose this mood gentle
with summer at our ears
flood the world deep in sunlight
break into the peaceful wild
the first picture of you
the first picture of summer
seeing the flowers scream their joy
the first picture of you
the first picture of summer
seeing the flowers scream their joy

― jz, Monday, 14 November 2005 15:54 (twenty years ago)

Woops

― jz, Monday, 14 November 2005 15:55 (twenty years ago)

Aztec Camera's "Walk Out To Winter" all over this thread!

― JohnFoxxsJuno, Monday, 14 November 2005 15:59 (twenty years ago)

The tracklist of the Lotus Eaters album is twee beyond the point of parody:

1. First Picture Of You
2. German Girl
3. Alone Of All Her Sex
4. When You Look At Boys
5. Out On Our Own
6. Love Still Flows
7. You Fill Me With Need
2. German Girl
3. Alone Of All Her Sex
4. When You Look At Boys
5. Out On Our Own
6. Love Still Flows
7. You Fill Me With Need
8. Stranger So Far
9. Two Virgins Tender
10. Put Your Touch On Love
11. Can You Keep A Secret
12. Start Of The Search
13. Signature Tune

― jz, Monday, 14 November 2005 16:04 (twenty years ago)

Haircut 100 - "Love Plus One"
Blow Monkeys - "Digging Your Scene"
Spandau Ballet - "True"
ABC - "The Look of Love"

Foppish and poncy, yes, lifeless I guess is in the ear of the beholder. I'm certain all of these groups had cardigans dashingly knotted about their necks at one point or another...

― Edward III (edward iii), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:05 (twenty years ago)

Aztec Camera's "Walk Out To Winter" all over this thread!

Dude, "Girl With Guitar" by the Three O'Clock makes Aztec Camera sound like Manowar.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:06 (twenty years ago)

I shall investigate!

― JohnFoxxsJuno, Monday, 14 November 2005 16:07 (twenty years ago)

I was thinking of the Lotus Eaters before I even opened this thread. That was a great single that was. Where did it end up getting to in the charts?

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:08 (twenty years ago)

Fra Lippo Lippi ought to be mentioned here, I think.

― Le Marquis de Salade (noodle vague), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:08 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, "Girl With Guitar" is pretty fey.

How could I forget English Beat's "I Confess"?

― Edward III (edward iii), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:09 (twenty years ago)

There's a short clip of 'First Picture of You' right here BTW:
http://www.vinyljapan.demon.co.uk/askcd77.htm

In hindsight, they were sort of like a jangly Kitchens of Distinction.

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:27 (twenty years ago)

The Kitchens had kind've a muscular sound (relativelyl speaking), though. I'd never really call them twee.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:30 (twenty years ago)

The Chills are good at this.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:32 (twenty years ago)

No, you're right, KOD weren't twee at all. Was just struck between the textural similarity of that Lotus Eaters song with something like 'Prize', you know that whole swooshy sheen. (x-post t' Alex)

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:35 (twenty years ago)

Care - Flaming Sword

― Jez (Jez), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:35 (twenty years ago)

I don't believe I've ever heard the Lotus Eaters. Must check that out. Was listening to KoD on my walk to work this morning, actually. "Smiling" is so goddamn gorgeous I can barely stand it.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:36 (twenty years ago)

How the fuck did this thread get this far without mentioning Talulah Gosh or the Pastels???

I'm quite sure there is nothing mentioned so far that is twee-er than "Beatnik Boy" or "Something Going On".

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:39 (twenty years ago)

I don't believe I've ever heard the Lotus Eaters. Must check that out.

I only know that one song though, the rest might not be all that good.

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:42 (twenty years ago)

The Monochrome Set surely have a few...

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 14 November 2005 16:50 (twenty years ago)

Col. Poo beat me to it, but...

How can a thread about the twee-est pop of the 80's jave gotten this many responses without anyone mentioning any of the following:

The Smiths
Orange Juice
Television Personalities
The Vaselines
The Orchids
Marine Girls
Aztec Camera
The Flatmates
The Pooh Sticks
Talulah Gosh

― Wub-Fur Internet Radio (wubfur), Monday, 14 November 2005 17:00 (twenty years ago)

Anything by the Would-Be-Goods.

― James Ward (jamesmichaelward), Monday, 14 November 2005 17:08 (twenty years ago)

"Pure" by The Lightning Seeds, obv.

Anything by the Would-Be-Goods.
Jessica doesn't really fit the "gaylord" criterion, though. And The Monochrome Set were a bit too knowing/droll to be truly twee.

― The Vintner's Lipogram (OleM), Monday, 14 November 2005 17:10 (twenty years ago)

Cleaners from Venus
Paul Roland

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 14 November 2005 17:14 (twenty years ago)

Not sure why Spandau Ballet are not immediately + unanimously elected grand kings of the gaylord provinces.

And if you're going to drag poor Talulah Gosh into this, ya might as well throw in a vote for Altered Images.

― Edward III (edward iii), Monday, 14 November 2005 17:20 (twenty years ago)

Jessica doesn't really fit the "gaylord" criterion, though.

Sexist.

― James Ward (jamesmichaelward), Monday, 14 November 2005 17:25 (twenty years ago)

"First picture of you" got to number fifteen, fact fans.

What's a fact fan? Where do they go? Fact concerts? Do they cheer when someone gets onstage to say "Lemmy from Motorhead used to be in Hawkwind and sang their hit single "Silver Machine"?"

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 14 November 2005 17:30 (twenty years ago)

Um, Field Mice own this thread. How can nobody have mentioned them yet?

― owen moorhead (i heart daniel miller), Monday, 14 November 2005 17:31 (twenty years ago)

I'm In Love With A Girl Who Doesn't Know I Exist by Another Sunny Day mines the outer limits of tweedom.

Also search for "Blue Bus" by Choo Choo Train.

― everything, Monday, 14 November 2005 17:35 (twenty years ago)

everything OTM re Another Sunny Day. Does Harvey ever read ILX?

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Monday, 14 November 2005 17:37 (twenty years ago)

A House "Call Me Blue"... maybe a bit loud, but poncey? too-clever-for-its-own-good? foppish? Oh yeah.

Also, The Connells? The Jack Rubies?

― (plurplurplur) ^_- DJ 'O' Nut -_^ (rulprulprulp) (donut), Monday, 14 November 2005 17:38 (twenty years ago)

see also The Field Mice "The Last Letter", ie, get 1x sarah sampler.

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Monday, 14 November 2005 17:38 (twenty years ago)

fuckin ell the Jack Rubies were twee? i saw them supporting Stump once. yes i was an indie.

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Monday, 14 November 2005 17:39 (twenty years ago)

Most English twee wasn't particuarly foppish, lifeless, or poncy, really.

― owen moorhead (i heart daniel miller), Monday, 14 November 2005 17:44 (twenty years ago)

Jack Rubies weren't twee.

Rig Veda and the Twins were however. Also Bag-o-Shells? St Christopher and anything on the Bus Stop label. And the holy grail is the BMX Bandits earliest stuff - E102, Wonderful World, Rosemary Ledingham. Ugh.

― everything, Monday, 14 November 2005 17:44 (twenty years ago)

Is "twee" necessarily a bad thing? Were Kajagoogoo twee? I loathed every second of Spandau Ballet but thought "Too Shy" was just grebt. (Never much of an Anglophile, I'm not sure about the general consensus regarding these folks - if there even is one.)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 14 November 2005 18:11 (twenty years ago)

I wouldn't consider Kajagoogoo contenders. Not enough swoon. Solo Limahl, perhaps.

― Edward III (edward iii), Monday, 14 November 2005 21:12 (twenty years ago)

Most English twee wasn't particuarly foppish, lifeless, or poncy, really.
-- owen moorhead (owen_...), November 14th, 2005.

Yeah, I'm focusing on the "foppish, poncy" aspect of the thread title, not the twee. So ignore all of my posts please (cue sarcastic response).

― Edward III (edward iii), Monday, 14 November 2005 21:22 (twenty years ago)

Haircut 100 is pretty damn hard to beat.

― Acid house girls and flowers (fandango), Monday, 14 November 2005 21:28 (twenty years ago)

ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE. ERASURE.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 14 November 2005 21:48 (twenty years ago)

I take it back.

― Acid house girls and flowers (fandango), Monday, 14 November 2005 21:49 (twenty years ago)

Who did a song called 'Let Loose of My Knee'? Was that the Connells? Now that was twee. It was on a flexi which fell out of a fanzine I once bought and instantly regretted buying.

― snotty moore, Tuesday, 15 November 2005 00:16 (twenty years ago)

hmm, i never really thought of the lotus eaters as twee, more like effette... there were a couple of such bands, though only the wild swans come to mind... and there isn't really a genre description - twee doesnt work because of the lack of infantilism.

anyway, the best suggestion for something to match the description is 'big mans shoes' by the relations

― sandy blair, Tuesday, 15 November 2005 08:31 (twenty years ago)

it's a shame the divine comedy weren't around in the 80s.

stevem, a pox on you for invoking the RAH band! one of my favourite songs, and not twee at all!

erasure own this, i'd imagine, although i hesitate to call them twee either. "lifeless", though - that's the tricky bit.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 09:22 (twenty years ago)

i heart the lotus eaters, care, and the three o'clock. and just about anything by any of them will suffice yer jones for 80s twee.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 09:53 (twenty years ago)

the blow monkeys also deserve a shout-out (shit, just their NAME sounds gay!)

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 09:54 (twenty years ago)

felt "spanish house"

― back 2 skool, Tuesday, 15 November 2005 09:54 (twenty years ago)

Who did a song called 'Let Loose of My Knee'? Was that the Connells?

i think this was the Nivens. can't remember when my sisters birthday is but i can remember this? i hate my brain.

― zappi (joni), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 09:56 (twenty years ago)

jermaine stewart (he of "we don't have to take out clothes off" fame) rules this thread. i mean what kind of a REAL man would NOT want some hot babe to rip all of his clothes off, eh?!?

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 09:57 (twenty years ago)

then there's the 800-lb. mancunian gorilla of 80s fey, gladiola-loving ponciness that has YET to be mentioned ...

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 10:00 (twenty years ago)

Most of the first Tracy Thorn album and, come to think of it, the first Ben Watt ep. Which along with the Marine Girls (featuring Tracy Thorn?) made up a veritable triumvirate of tweeness. And pretty lifeless in places. I don't think all the terms are mutually exclusive (if that's what I mean). In other words Aztec Camera/Smiths/etc. could be twee but they were rarely lifeless. Certainly too-clever-for-it's-own-good applies to Morrissey much as I love him like a brother, and I suppose somewhat foppish (can you be somewhat foppish though?).

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 10:29 (twenty years ago)

the blow monkeys also deserve a shout-out

Yeah, that's a good one. I quite liked some of the first album ('Limping For A Generation') which was was a mix between summery strum pop and Lou Reed sleazoid pouting.

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 10:58 (twenty years ago)

Also, the Beat Happening deserve a mention here.

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 11:01 (twenty years ago)

>>Does Harvey ever read ILX?

I do. IILWAGWDKIE is a pretty twee record (it's supposed to be!!), but the votes for "First Picture Of You" are correct. Maybe "Thinking Of You" by The Colourfield is in here too; I always lump those two together. Although the way terry hall sings the word "bus" (as in "we could take a bus", twee-est lyric ever?) is fairly...ah..."earthy".

― harvey.w (harvey.w), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 11:13 (twenty years ago)

Eighties twee: please recommend me some foppish, too-clever-for-its-own-good, lifeless, poncy pop sung by a prancing gaylord with a butterfly net

you get my vote right now for 2005 BEST THREAD TITLE EVAH!!!

― nancyboy (nancyboy), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 11:13 (twenty years ago)

And BTW, the answer is Cyndi Lauper - "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough".

― nancyboy (nancyboy), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 11:14 (twenty years ago)

Either that or Juice Newton - "Queen Of Hearts".

― nancyboy (nancyboy), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 11:16 (twenty years ago)

the thread title immediately made me think of the sweetest ache - but one single is too slow to be 'prancing' and the other too atmospheric to be 'lifeless'.. perhaps the third qualifies?

― john p. irrelevant (electricsound), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 11:19 (twenty years ago)

Eighties twee: please recommend me some foppish, too-clever-for-its-own-good, lifeless, poncy pop sung by a prancing gaylord with a butterfly net
you get my vote right now for 2005 BEST THREAD TITLE EVAH!!!

-- nancyboy (40milliondagger...) (webmail), Today 11:13 AM. (nancyboy) (later) (link)

damn right! the "prancing gaylord" bit especially. i can't help imagining a young Monty Burns swaying in the park with a parasol...

http://members.tripod.com/~aajjaa/pictures/character23.jpg

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 11:26 (twenty years ago)

The conflation of "twee" and "foppish, too-clever-for-its-own-good, lifeless, poncy pop sung by a prancing gaylord with a butterfly net" is something of a category error, isn't it? "Twee" is stuff like "First Picture Of You", whereas "foppish, too-clever-for-its-own-good, lifeless, poncy pop" is more like "The Politics of Dancing" by Re-flex, or "Dancehall Days" by Wang-Chung.

― jz, Tuesday, 15 November 2005 12:05 (twenty years ago)

Chut UP, smartypants!

― nancyboy (nancyboy), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 12:23 (twenty years ago)

Another sunny day twee-ist moment surely must be that shit flexi disc 'Anorak City'. The fact it's twee isn't the problem, it was just a shit song. But then everything else he did was just as bad. He even managed to make the Field Mice become boring which was a shame.

― bob121, Tuesday, 15 November 2005 18:47 (twenty years ago)

http://www.discodue.com/catalog/images/0020017%20jermaine%20stewart%20-%20the%20word%20is%20out.jpg

http://www.gocontinental.com/photos2/stewart_j2a.jpg

http://image.com.com/mp3/images/artist/pic200/drp000/p086/p08619f19f2.jpg

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 19:26 (twenty years ago)

I can't remember who actually lives in Anorak City. Was it "girls, so young and so pretty"?

― everything, Tuesday, 15 November 2005 19:34 (twenty years ago)

Definitely the Television Personalities. That one about a girl called Emily. Or the one about poetry. But I think they were 70s.

― Affectian (Affectian), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 20:30 (twenty years ago)

All you need is Dolly Mixture.

Mp3s here: http://www.overtheweather.com/dollymixture

Trust me, I'm probably the biggest twee dweeb on ILM.

― andy dale (andy dale), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 00:20 (twenty years ago)

i believe that solo Limahl was a very correct answer here. esp. teh neverending story.

alternately - Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy - kiss me

― Kim (Kim), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 00:43 (twenty years ago)

I'm glad there's only been one mention of the Vaselines. I've always resented them being classified as twee -- they sound disconcerting and sometimes vicious to me, not cutesy or gaylordy or whatever.

As far as actual twee goes, I'd say "Beatnik Boy" is the nadir of the genre, almost enough to make a fella make an exception to the "don't hit girls" rule.

― Roe Joe, Wednesday, 16 November 2005 01:37 (twenty years ago)

stephen tin tin duffy - kiss me.
did he record with duran duran or leave before the first album .
are there are duran duran with tintin unrealeased demos ?

― retroboy, Wednesday, 16 November 2005 02:00 (twenty years ago)

stephen tin tin duffy - kiss me.
did he record with duran duran or leave before the first album .
are there are duran duran with tintin unrealeased demos ?
i believe that solo Limahl was a very correct answer here. esp. teh neverending story.
alternately - Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy - kiss me

-- Kim (grimstitc...), November 16th, 2005.
i didn't see yourpost.

― retroboy, Wednesday, 16 November 2005 02:01 (twenty years ago)

nick heyward " i love you avenue"

― retroboy, Wednesday, 16 November 2005 02:03 (twenty years ago)

i was hoping for stephen fry ( abc ) to go solo.if he did i missed it.
and that jellybean single with richard darbyshire "living in a box"

― retroboy, Wednesday, 16 November 2005 02:04 (twenty years ago)

"I'm glad there's only been one mention of the Vaselines. I've always resented them being classified as twee -- they sound disconcerting and sometimes vicious to me, not cutesy or gaylordy or whatever. "

J'agree, but although they were not twee, they were OF twee, since they were essentially a reaction against the twee climate of the time. Like the Teenage Fanclub, they were previously in uber-twee bands with various BMX Bandits and Pastels. There was a time when members of all the twee-est bands in Glasgow were discussing vibrators in fanzine interviews, writing songs about shagging groupies etc. Eugene was, in part, roped into bands like the BMX Bandits and the Pastels to un-twee them. The song he wrote about wanking which appeared on the Bandits album "Star Wars" is a typical offering of the time. See also the Boy Hairdressers single "Golden Shower".

― everything, Wednesday, 16 November 2005 02:18 (twenty years ago)

ABC's "Poison Arrow" pretty much has it covered for me.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 05:59 (twenty years ago)

Twee? I must protest, "Poison Arrow" is all about emotionally fraught collapse set against melodramatic arrangements.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 06:01 (twenty years ago)

= Too clever for its own good.

[runs away]

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 06:08 (twenty years ago)

Fat Tulips

― Jacobs (LolVStein), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 10:40 (twenty years ago)

XTC: Grass
Madness: Driving In My Car

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 12:58 (twenty years ago)

No mention yet of Dream Academy's 'Life in a Northern Town' (Yeuch!). IIRC they also did a repulsively fey version of the Smiths' 'Please Please Let Me Get What I Want'.

― avery keen-gardner (avery keen-gardner), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 13:08 (twenty years ago)

No mention yet of Dream Academy's 'Life in a Northern Town' (Yeuch!). IIRC they also did a repulsively fey version of the Smiths' 'Please Please Let Me Get What I Want'.

And said cover was prominent in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".

― Edward Bax (EdBax), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 18:56 (twenty years ago)

XTC: Grass

What? This is about getting horny and quite possibly very high.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 19:00 (twenty years ago)

I always thought that was the Smiths' original -- but haven't seen the movie in a long, long time.

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 19:01 (twenty years ago)

four years pass...

Can't find a better thread to revive for The Jack Rubies but a strange word association / auditory inspired tumble down memory lane unearthed The Book of Love by The Jack Rubies. I had only ever heard the version rerecorded for the 1990 LP 'See the Money In My Smile' but could only find the 86 version from their debut EP. It isn't quite as good as the 90 recording (just bought the cd for 2 bucks on Amazon) but it's fine to tide me over. Were they popular at all in the UK? I remember playing this on college radio quite a bit Summer 90 and into the Fall of 91. Don't think i've heard it since then, but I still love this jangle/dance type track. Who else loves this song?

http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/--2142998

― brotherlovesdub, Monday, 3 May 2010 23:14 (fifteen years ago)

"I wore my fringe like Roger McGuinn/ I was hoping to impress/ So frightfully camp, it made you laugh/ Tomorrow I'll buy myself a dress"

― Dr X O'Skeleton, Tuesday, 4 May 2010 10:35 (fifteen years ago)

Its all about Pooh Sticks for me. There must surely be some Game Theory that might fit in here too.

― ImprovSpirit, Tuesday, 4 May 2010 17:33 (fifteen years ago)

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