THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

540-Tom Tom Club-Wordy Rappinghood.

1981-Number 7 single.

Best Bit-At 2.23. Where would we be without words?Every song would be an instrumental.

Tom Tom Club were formed in 1981 by the the husband and wife duo of Tina Weymouth, and Chris Frantz. Both were members of the critically acclaimed band Talking Heads who were on hiatus at the time, so Tom Tom Club was considered a side project. They took the bands name from a dancehall in the Bahamas, where the pair had rehearsed in 1980. Weymouth and Franz continued working with both bands until 1991, when Talking Heads were disbanded, although there was a reunion in 2002, while Tom Tom Club remain active. Both bands have seen members come and go, with some playing in both. The Tom Tom Club have released six studio Albums between 1981-2012, along with two live Albums, and 13 singles, with ‘Genius of Love'(Billboard Number 31) being their most successful in America, and this song their biggest hit in the UK.

‘Wordy Rappinghood’ was the debut single by the Tom Tom Club, taken from their self titled debut Album, which also included ‘Genius of Love,’ and a cover of The Drifters ‘Under the Boardwalk,’ which would give then their only other UK hit single, when reaching Number 22, in 1982. ‘Wordy Rappinghood’ was co-written by Weymouth and Frantz, along with Weymouth’s sisters, Lani, and Laura, who also both sang backing vocals, and also the songs producer Steven Stanley.The lyrics question the true meaning of words, and how they can be manipulated for ones own benefit. Some of the lyrics are spoken in French, and part of the song uses the traditional Moroccan children’s song ‘A Ram Sam Sam,’ Other artists who have recorded ‘A Ram Sam Sam,’ include the British Folk group ‘The Spinners’ in 1964, and Rolf Harris in 1971, but the best known use of the tune, but with different lyrics, was made in 2003 by the ‘Fast Food Rockers,’ who took the ‘Fast Food Song’ to Number 2 in the UK.

‘Wordy Rappinghood’ was released only a few months after Debbie Harry and Blondie had taken ‘Rapture’ to Number 1 on Billboard, which like ‘Wordy Rappinghood’ was rapped by a white female vocalist, and although it had little in common with the new genre of ‘Rap Music’ that was emerging, it went a long way to bringing ‘Rap’ to the wider public.

‘Rushed words, sensible words, words that tell the truth. Cursed words, lying words, words missing the fruit of spirit.’