Italian alterna-disco-pop group Bagarre are mainly known for their semi-hit "Lemonsweet", an upbeat ode to LSD. As much as I love "Lemonsweet", though, my love for the infectiously melodic "No Toys" surpasses it by an order of magnitude. "No Toys" reflects a creative, whimsical side of proto-Italo Disco, and lyrically it's dominated by a theme that crops up in many-an early/mid-'80s tune: imagining what glamour & sophistication must be associated with personal wealth that is just out of reach. The song has a brilliantly off-kilter chant for its chorus, and much like all the great Italo tunes, something's just not quite right about it; certain English words are occasionally mispronounced or incorrectly substituted by the non-native speakers, vocal delivery is heavily accented and in unnatural rhythms, and the arrangement is simultaneously happy-go-lucky yet slightly dreamy and moody.
- Bagarre - No Toys (@ MediaFire)
- Bagarre - Lemonsweet (@ YouTube)
- Bagarre - Lemonsweet (Disco Version) (@ YouTube)
Google turned up no lyrics, so here's my stab at them:
Ain't got no toys The things that do for girls and boys A Cadillac smiles That I can drive for miles and miles One, two, ain't got no toys The things that do for girls and boys Three, four, a Cadillac smiles That I can drive for miles and miles Bricks on bricks So I can make a house that slicks* Mmm, money So everybody will call me honey Five, six, bricks on bricks So I can make a house that sticks Seven, eight, money So everybody will call me honey Ain't got no toys An orange Porsche and pink Rolls Royce Flowers in spring Diamond bracelets and golden rings One, two, ain't got no toys An orange Porsche, pink Rolls Royce Three, four, flowers in spring Diamond bracelets, golden rings (repeat all of the above again) | Ain't got no toys An orange Porsche and pink Rolls Royce Flowers in spring Diamond bracelets and golden rings One, two, ain't got no toys An orange Porsche, pink Rolls Royce Three, four, flowers in spring Diamond bracelets, golden rings Dine at The Ritz Long fur coats and swocker on mitts** Ginny fizz And anything that will make me whiz Five, six, dine at the ritz Long fur coats and swocker on mitts** Seven, eight, ginny fizz And anything that will make me whiz Ain't got no toys The things that do for girls and boys A Cadillac smiles That I can drive for miles and miles One, two, ain't got no toys The things that do for girls and boys Three, four, a Cadillac smiles That I can drive for miles and miles Five, six, bricks on bricks So I can make a house that sticks Seven, eight, money So everybody will call me …honey |
*In the 2nd verse it's definitely not "house that sticks", but in the
chanted chorus, it definitely is. I'm pretty sure she's saying "slicks".
**In the last original verse, "swocker on" is my phonetic approximation of what they're
saying. It's definitely not "sparkling". Maybe some brand of designer gloves?
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2 comments:
Sterling job on the translation of Bagarre's 'No Toys' track and it pleases me to note I am not the only person who has wondered what 'swocker on mitts' are as well as the weird "slicks/sticks" change...I too thought the 'swocker on mitts' was some weird elitist euro-brand but the word change is beyond comprehension!
I was wondering if you have heard the 12 inch version of 'No Toys' as it seems to be about three plus minutes longer (clocking in at 9:10 according to the disc label) than the album version which I have at 5:48....
Also have you had any luck tracking down the identities of "Ann O' Rack" and "Jo Cleary" who are credited on the Circus album with vocal duties(and the former with a writing credit) but clearly they are pseudonyms and lead nowhere as far as I can tell...I have followed up all the other names on the credits as many have worked together on other projects (mostly non "Italo" which I think explains the weird quirky unique post-punk new wave flavour to Bagarre)but no female vocalists have emerged yet...
It is times like these that I really wish I could speak Italian!
With some fuzzy searching, I found that Vacheron is a luxury watch brand, and it the name of a guy who apparently invented the steering wheel. You would think this would mean there'd be something like Vacheron gloves, but Google turns up nothing except some gloves meant for handling the watches, not for fashion.
Around the time I made this post, I contacted one of the Bagarre members and he said he would pass my questions on to one of the ladies who sang and wrote the lyrics, but I never heard anything more, and I suspect he was just being polite. Given how "druggy" the music is, my guess is that it came from that mindset, and is thus meant to be semi-poetic and slightly confusing.
I've never heard the 12" version of "No Toys"...
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