Morris Minor and the Majors
Encyclopedia
Morris Minor and the Majors was a band
led by the comedian
and writer
Tony Hawks
. They were made vaguely famous by their 1988 song
, "Stutter Rap (No Sleep 'Til Bedtime)
". The song aimed to parody
the then popular Beastie Boys
. The other two members were Rusty Wing and Phil Errup (real names Paul Boross and Phil Judge).
It reached No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart
, No. 14 in Canada
and was a No. 2 hit
in Australia
. It sold over 220,000 copies, but earned them the title one-hit wonders
.
The Stutter Rap single had a joke B-side
titled "Another Boring B-side", the lyrics of which parody the B-side itself of being typically devoid of inspiration.
In Australia, they had a second charting
single
with "This Is the Chorus" (No. 22), which parodied Stock/Aitken/Waterman; although it did not chart
in the UK
.
A TV series
followed from this, Morris Minor's Marvellous Motors, written by and starring Hawks. In it the fictional bandleader
attempted to maintain his pop
career while running a garage. It ran for one series in 1989.
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
led by the comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
Tony Hawks
Tony Hawks
Antony Gordon Hawksworth, better known as Tony Hawks, is a British comedian and author.-Early life:Born in Brighton in 1960, Hawks was educated at Brighton Hove and Sussex Grammar School and Brighton College...
. They were made vaguely famous by their 1988 song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, "Stutter Rap (No Sleep 'Til Bedtime)
Stutter Rap (No Sleep 'Til Bedtime)
Stutter Rap is a song by Morris Minor and the Majors, led by Tony Hawks. The song is a style parody of the Beastie Boys and the subtitle plays on their 1980s single No Sleep Till Brooklyn and sold 220,000 copies....
". The song aimed to parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
the then popular Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
. The other two members were Rusty Wing and Phil Errup (real names Paul Boross and Phil Judge).
It reached No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, No. 14 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and was a No. 2 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It sold over 220,000 copies, but earned them the title one-hit wonders
One-hit wonders in the UK
This is a list of artists who have achieved one #1 hit on the UK Singles Chart and no other entry whatsoever on the chart. The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles uses this definition of "one-hit wonder", which is a controversial term with various other proposed definitions.-Methodology:A hit is...
.
The Stutter Rap single had a joke B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
titled "Another Boring B-side", the lyrics of which parody the B-side itself of being typically devoid of inspiration.
In Australia, they had a second charting
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
with "This Is the Chorus" (No. 22), which parodied Stock/Aitken/Waterman; although it did not chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
A TV series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
followed from this, Morris Minor's Marvellous Motors, written by and starring Hawks. In it the fictional bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
attempted to maintain his pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
career while running a garage. It ran for one series in 1989.