She's So Modern
Encyclopedia
"She's So Modern" is a single by The Boomtown Rats
. It was the first song taken from the band's second album A Tonic for the Troops
whose title comes from a line in this song: Charlie ain't no nazi, she just likes to wear her leather boots, 'cos it's exciting for the veterans and it's a tonic for the troops. While described as harmlessly smirking bubblegum a la the Knack, the single continued the Rats' high energy post-punk/new wave sound that had typified earlier releases but would later be eclipsed by the fame of the band's more balad-like global hit I Don't Like Mondays. She's So Modern was commercially successful, the third of the band's singles to reach the UK top 20 and the second to reach the Irish top 10. Indeed, according to reviewer Brian Bock the song was written explicitly (and successfully) to be a hit. It spent eleven weeks on the UK charts.
, the band started a comic-effect tradition of making no genuine attempt to mime effectively on camera, a trait especially exaggerated on Simon Crowe's 'missed' drumming.
, heroes of the semi-comic Punk Pathetique
genre have recorded a hard-edged version of the song.
The Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats were an Irish punk rock band that had a series of Irish and UK hits between 1977 and 1985. They were led by vocalist Bob Geldof.-Biography:All six members were originally from Dún Laoghaire, Ireland...
. It was the first song taken from the band's second album A Tonic for the Troops
A Tonic for the Troops
A Tonic for the Troops was The Boomtown Rats' second album and included the hit singles "She's So Modern", "Like Clockwork" and "Rat Trap".The album featured dark themes in an often upbeat, pop-punk style...
whose title comes from a line in this song: Charlie ain't no nazi, she just likes to wear her leather boots, 'cos it's exciting for the veterans and it's a tonic for the troops. While described as harmlessly smirking bubblegum a la the Knack, the single continued the Rats' high energy post-punk/new wave sound that had typified earlier releases but would later be eclipsed by the fame of the band's more balad-like global hit I Don't Like Mondays. She's So Modern was commercially successful, the third of the band's singles to reach the UK top 20 and the second to reach the Irish top 10. Indeed, according to reviewer Brian Bock the song was written explicitly (and successfully) to be a hit. It spent eleven weeks on the UK charts.
Video Performances
On both the promotional video and on performances on Top of the PopsTop 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...
, the band started a comic-effect tradition of making no genuine attempt to mime effectively on camera, a trait especially exaggerated on Simon Crowe's 'missed' drumming.
Cover Versions
The Toy DollsToy Dolls
The Toy Dolls are an English punk rock band formed in 1979. Departing from the angry lyrics and music often associated with punk rock, The Toy Dolls worked within the aesthetics of punk to express a sense of fun, with songs such as "Yul Brynner Was a Skinhead", "My Girlfriend's Dad's a Vicar" and...
, heroes of the semi-comic Punk Pathetique
Punk Pathetique
Punk pathetique is a subgenre of British punk rock that involved humour and working class cultural themes....
genre have recorded a hard-edged version of the song.
Personnel
- Bob GeldofBob GeldofRobert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
– vocals. - Pete BriquettePete BriquettePete Briquette is the stage name of Patrick Cusack . His pseudonym refers to the fact that he hails from the Irish countryside; peat briquettes are a type of refined turf burned in fires instead of coal.-Boomtown Rats:He was the bass guitarist, backing vocalist, occasional songwriter, and sometime...
– bass, vocals - Gerry CottGerry CottGerry Cott was a guitarist and songwriter with the Irish new wave band, The Boomtown Rats.He started playing flamenco guitar when he was 11 years old....
– guitar - Johnnie Fingers – keyboards, vocals
- Simon CroweSimon CroweSimon Crowe was the drummer for the Irish new wave bandThe Boomtown Rats.The original name of the Boomtown Rats was the "Nightlife Thugs". The name Boomtown Rats was taken from a novel entitled Bound for Glory by Woody Guthrie.The Boomtown Rats had eighteen hit singles in the UK, including "Rat...
– drums, vocals - Garry RobertsGarry RobertsGarry Roberts is the former lead guitarist with the Irish band, The Boomtown Rats, which came into being in 1976...
– guitar, vocals