Happy Mondays – Kinky Afro (1990)

On the 8th of October 1990, Happy Mondays released Kinky Afro, the second single taken from their third album Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches, which they shared on the 5th of November 1990. The lead single being Step On came out in March 1990.  They released a further two singles from the album in 1991, as a promo disc but only in America, Loose Fit and Bob’s Yer Uncle.

The Happy Mondays were part of the Madchester Baggy scene (UK). At the time their lineup was Shaun Ryder on vocals, brother Paul Ryder on the bass guitar, Mark Day on the guitar, Paul Davis on keyboards, Gary Whelan on the drums, and the wonderful Bez on dancing!!

Kinky Afro was released as a 7″ single (two tracks), 12″ single (two tracks both extended versions) and as a three track CD single. It peaked on the UK charts at number 3, it was the band’s biggest hit in the United States, reaching number one on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Keith Jobling of the Bailey Brothers produced and directed this music video. The song was originally going to be called Groovy Afro, but was changed to Kinky Afro after Liverpool band The Farm released a similarly named song titled Groovy Train earlier in 1990.

Lyrics:

Son, I’m 30
I only went with your mother ’cause she’s dirty
And I don’t have a decent bone in me
What you get is just what you see, yeah
I see it so, I take it greedy
And all the bad piss ugly things I feed me
I never help or give to the needy
Come on and see me
Yippee-ippee-ay-ay-ay-yey-yey

I had to crucify some brother today
And I don’t dig what you gotta say
So come on and say it
Come on and tell me twice
I said, “Dad, you’re a shabby

You run around and groove like a baggy
You’re only here just out of habit
Oh, it’s mine, you might as well have it
You take ten feet back and then stab it
Spray it on and tag it”
So sack on me
I can’t stand the needy

Get around here when you’re put off your feeding
Yippee-ippee-ay-ay-ay-yey-yey
I had to crucify somebody today
And I don’t dig what you gotta say
So come on and say it
Come on and tell me twice
So sack all the needy
I can’t stand to leave it

You come around here, and you puff up your feeding
Yippee-ippee-ay-ay-ay-yey-yey
I had to crucify somebody today
And I don’t dig what you gotta say
So go on and say it
Yippee-ippee-ay-ay-ay-yey-yey
I had to crucify some brother today
And I don’t hear what you gotta say
So come on and say it
And come on and tell me twice