Kid Creole & the Coconuts
Kid Creole is the stage name of August Darnell. The Coconuts, according to Wikipedia, are “a glamorous trio of female backing vocalists whose lineup has changed throughout the years.” That’s a classy name you came up with for them, Darnell.
I have a love/hate relationship with Kid Creole and the Coconuts. Their music is so damn catchy, but Kid Creole likes himself. A whole lot. Which isn’t a problem in of itself, but a lot of his songs are tainted with a brand of misogynistic braggadocio that really irks me. Why do you need to put down women to make yourself look good, Kid Creole?
Sometimes it’s in the usual ways (check out this remix of the cheerful, “I’m A Wonderful Thing, Baby,” to feel like you’re in 1992 Miami Beach, living it up). And sometimes, he just gets kind of fucking strange.
The best example of this I can find for you is their song, “Annie, I’m Not Your Daddy.” Actual lyric: “See if I was in your blood / Then you wouldn’t be so ugly.”
Thanks, Kid Creole. Thanks a lot. It’s about telling a girl that her mom slept around and you’re not her dad. Also, there’s a weird bridge, where for no real reason, the Coconuts seem to be chanting, “ona, ona, onamonapia.” What the hell is that about? Nothing in this song even comes close to being onamonapia.
Take a listen for yourself, and see what you think. It will be stuck in your head for days. Days during which you will be wondering, “Why the fuck did Kid Creole put these words to this music?”
