THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

540-Tom Tom Club-Wordy Rappinghood.

1981-Number 7 single.

Best Bit-At 2.24. Where would we be without words? Every song would be an instrumental.

Tom Tom Club were formed in the United States in 1981, initially as a side project, by the husband and wife duo of Chris Frantz, and Tina Weymouth. Both were founding members of the critically acclaimed American ‘New Wave’ group ‘Talking Heads,’ who were on hiatus at the time. They took the name ‘Tom Tom Club’ from a dance-hall in the Bahamas, where the pair had spent time rehearsing in 1980. Chris Franz and Tina Weymouth continued working with ‘Talking Heads,’ and ‘Tom Tom Club’ until 1991, when ‘Talking Heads’ were disbanded, although there was a re-union in 2002, and at the time of writing ‘Tom Tom Club’ remain active. Although ‘Talking Heads’ only ever had four members, the other two being David Byrne, and Jerry Harrison, ‘Tom Tom Club’ have had 18 different members come and go, with Byrne and Harrison, although never official members, having contributed, either in the studio, or playing live at some point with the ‘Tom Tom Club.’

The discography of the Tom Tom Club includes six studio Albums released between 1981-2012, and 13 singles released between 1981-2007, there are also two official live Albums available. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, their only top 40 charting single is ‘Genius of Love,’ which reached Number 31 in 1981, while in the UK, they have had two top 40 hits, with ‘Wordy Rappinghood’ (1981) making Number 7, and ‘Under the Boardwalk’ (1982) reaching Number 22. ‘Wordy Rappinhood’ achieved it’s greatest success in Belgium where it made Number 1.

Tina Weymouth was born Martina Michèle Weymouth, on November 22nd, 1950, in Coronado, California, United States, in 2002 she was inducted into the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,’ as a member of Talking Heads. It was as a student at the ‘Rhode Island School of Design,’ in 1973, where she first met Chris Frantz, and David Byrne, who were then both members of a band called ‘Artistics.’ She began dating Chris Frantz, whom she would marry in 1977. Following graduation, the three of them moved to New York City, where after being unable to find a suitable bass player for their new band, Tina taught herself the instrument, by listening to Suzi Quatro Albums (see also best songs 686.) In 2020 the American monthly magazine ‘Rolling Stone’ ranked her as the 29th greatest bass player of all time. The three of them formed ‘Talking Heads’ in 1975, and the quartet was completed when Jerry Harrison joined in March 1977.

‘Wordy Rappinghood’ was the debut single release from the Tom Tom Club,’ and was the first of four singles released from their debut studio Album called ‘Tom Tom Club,’ from October 1981. The song was co-written by Tina Weymouth, Lani Weymouth, Laura Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Steven Stanley, with the production credited to Steven Stanley, Tina Weymouth, and Chris Frantz. Lani, and Laura, are both sisters of Tina Weymouth, and along with Stanley, also provided backing vocals on the track. All three are also past official members of the ‘Tom Tom Club.’

The lyrics to ‘Wordy Rappinghood’ 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 the Australian entertainer Rolf Harris (1930-2023) in 1971, but the best known use of the tune in ‘Pop’ music, but with different lyrics, was by the British Pop group the ‘Fast Food Rockers,’ who took the ‘Fast Food Song’ to Number 2 in the UK in 2003.

‘Wordy Rappinghood’ was released only a few months after Debbie Harry and Blondie (see also best songs 402) had taken ‘Rapture’ to Number 1 on Billboard & Number 5 in the UK, 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. Coincidentally neither ‘Blondie’ or the ‘Tom Tom Club’ knew that the other were working on a ‘Rap’ song at the same time. Blondie were recording theirs in New York, while Tom Tom Club were busy in the Bahamas.

‘Words in papers, words in books, words on TV, words for crooks. Words of comfort, words of peace, words to make the fighting cease. Words to tell you what to do, words are working hard for you. Eat your words but don’t go hungry, words have always nearly hung me.’