Peaches (song)
Encyclopedia
"Peaches" is a song and single by The Stranglers
. It was one of the big summer hits of 1977 in the UK, a close rival to The Sex Pistols' "God Save The Queen" in terms of notoriety.
is so unrelenting as to spill into macho
parody
or even censor
bating[sic] territory."
The lyrics of the song include a word that sounds somewhat like clitoris
(albeit pronounced with a different vowel: klɪˈtɑrɨs ). There is some debate over whether the word is really "clitoris" or whether it is in fact , a French
bathing costume, which more closely fits the context of the lyric - "Is she trying to get out of that clitares?". It is likely, however, that the line is actually a double entendre
encompassing both meanings. The song is driven by a particularly forthright bass line.
The single was a double A-side with pub rock song "Go Buddy Go" which was played on UK radio at the time and also on the band's BBC
TV Top of the Pops
appearance, because of the sexual nature of the lyrics of "Peaches" which caused the BBC to ban it. It reached #8 in the UK singles chart
and the radio cut had to be rerecorded with less explicit lyrics. "Clitares" was replaced with "bikini
", "oh shit" with "oh no" and "what a bummer" with "what a summer". The catalogue number of the radio version was FREE 4.
Floyd on... television shows. It also featured in the opening sequence of 2000 British film Sexy Beast
and during a party scene in the 1997 film Metroland
. The song is also on the sound track of the game Driver: Parallel Lines
. In the Netherlands it was used by Adidas in advertising in 2002. It featured on the opening sequence of an episode of soap opera
Hollyoaks
in early October, 2006.
The song is used in episode 16, of the BBC series "Being Human", when the hungry "teenage" vampire Adam stalks three teenage girls into a game arcade.
Alternative Dub/ Hip Hop band Dub Pistols
covered the song on their 2007 album "Speakers and Tweeters". The song featured Rodney P
on guest MC vocals and Terry Hall
of The Specials
singing the chorus.
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
. It was one of the big summer hits of 1977 in the UK, a close rival to The Sex Pistols' "God Save The Queen" in terms of notoriety.
Song Information
While "God Save the Queen" was notorious for its political sentiment, "Peaches" was controversial because of its sexual content: the song's narrator is girl-watching on a crowded beach one hot summer day. It is never made clear if his lascivious thoughts (such as "there goes a girl and a half") are an interior monologue, comments to his mates, or come-on lines to the attractive women in question. Critic Tom Maginnis writes that Cornwell sings with "a lecherous sneer, the sexual tensionSexual tension
Sexual tension is a social phenomenon that occurs when two people interact and one or both feel sexual desire, but the consummation is postponed or never happens....
is so unrelenting as to spill into macho
Machismo
Machismo, or machoism, is a word of Spanish and Portuguese origin that describes prominently exhibited or excessive masculinity. As an attitude, machismo ranges from a personal sense of virility to a more extreme male chauvinism...
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...
or even censor
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
bating[sic] territory."
The lyrics of the song include a word that sounds somewhat like clitoris
Clitoris
The clitoris is a sexual organ that is present only in female mammals. In humans, the visible button-like portion is located near the anterior junction of the labia minora, above the opening of the urethra and vagina. Unlike the penis, which is homologous to the clitoris, the clitoris does not...
(albeit pronounced with a different vowel: klɪˈtɑrɨs ). There is some debate over whether the word is really "clitoris" or whether it is in fact , a French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
bathing costume, which more closely fits the context of the lyric - "Is she trying to get out of that clitares?". It is likely, however, that the line is actually a double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
encompassing both meanings. The song is driven by a particularly forthright bass line.
The single was a double A-side with pub rock song "Go Buddy Go" which was played on UK radio at the time and also on the band's BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
appearance, because of the sexual nature of the lyrics of "Peaches" which caused the BBC to ban it. It reached #8 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 ...
and the radio cut had to be rerecorded with less explicit lyrics. "Clitares" was replaced with "bikini
Bikini
The bikini is typically a women's two-piece swimsuit. One part of the attire covers the breasts and the other part covers the crotch and part of or the entire buttocks, leaving an uncovered area between the two. Merriam–Webster describes the bikini as "a woman's scanty two-piece bathing suit" or "a...
", "oh shit" with "oh no" and "what a bummer" with "what a summer". The catalogue number of the radio version was FREE 4.
Legacy
An edited version of "Peaches", minus the lyrics was used as the closing theme tune to many of TV Chef Keith Floyd'sKeith Floyd
Keith Floyd was a British celebrity chef, television personality and restaurateur, who hosted cooking shows for the BBC and published many books combining cookery and travel...
Floyd on... television shows. It also featured in the opening sequence of 2000 British film Sexy Beast
Sexy Beast
Sexy Beast is a 2000 British-Spanish crime drama film directed by Jonathan Glazer and starring Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, and Ian McShane. Produced by Jeremy Thomas, it was Glazer's debut feature film, who had previously been a music video director for videos such as Rabbit in Your Headlights for...
and during a party scene in the 1997 film Metroland
Metroland (1997 film)
Metroland is a 1997 British film starring Christian Bale and Emily Watson. It was directed by Philip Saville and written by Adrian Hodges, based on the 1980 novel by Julian Barnes...
. The song is also on the sound track of the game Driver: Parallel Lines
Driver: Parallel Lines
Driver: Parallel Lines is the fourth video game in the Driver series. The game was released on March 2006 on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox by Atari, Wii and Microsoft Windows on June 2007 by Ubisoft.-Overview:...
. In the Netherlands it was used by Adidas in advertising in 2002. It featured on the opening sequence of an episode of soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
in early October, 2006.
The song is used in episode 16, of the BBC series "Being Human", when the hungry "teenage" vampire Adam stalks three teenage girls into a game arcade.
Alternative Dub/ Hip Hop band Dub Pistols
Dub Pistols
Dub Pistols are a London based dub music and big beat band, founded by ex-club promoter, Barry Ashworth, in 1996. The other members of the band were record producer and bassist Jason O'Bryan, Brooklyn producer and lyricist, T. K. Lawrence on vocals, Jap Slut guitarist John King, and turntablist DJ...
covered the song on their 2007 album "Speakers and Tweeters". The song featured Rodney P
Rodney P
Rodney P is an English MC who entered the UK hip hop scene in the 1980s. He started out as a member of the London Posse, one of the UK's first home grown hip hop acts who were highly influential in the development of the genre. Rodney P has had one of the longest and most respected careers in UK...
on guest MC vocals and Terry Hall
Terry Hall
Terry Hall may refer to:*Terry Hall , English singer with The Specials, Fun Boy Three, The Colourfield*Terry Hall , English ventriloquist who worked with his puppet, Lenny the Lion...
of The Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
singing the chorus.