Musical Monday (#8)

This song in many ways sums up punk. It might not be "Anarchy in the UK" or "God Save the Queen", or even a random discordant offering by some obscure and largely talentless band that Lester Bangs used to love, but just the same it feels like music wouldn't be the same without it.

As it stands, the song itself appears merely to be about unrequited teenage love -- a common enough theme for punk -- but apparently the lyrics were changed. The Undertones changed the originals words to "I wanna hold her tight -- get teenage kicks right through the night", just one word makes all the difference.

The song was about masturbating. It had originally gone "I wanna hold it tight" -- and if you listen to the rest of the song, it makes sense, the "teenage love, so hard to beat". It's not about tender, warm, romantic feelings but instead conducting one's self in a solo symphony. It is in good company, though, along with the Vapors' "Turning Japanese" and the Buzzcocks' slightly less subtly titled "Orgasm Addict".

Just the same, this song embodies so much -- it is frustrated and sad and filled with longing. Punk wasn't just about being pissed off about the state of the country, it was a musical rebellion against the over-elaborate prog rock -- by making stripped down, simple songs about masturbating.

The song is more than that, though -- Ferghal Sharkey has a unique and disarming voice, the music might be simple but it's not deliberately obnoxious and discordant. He does the political as well as he does the heartfelt, but it's this song that can't be rivalled.

You can, however, come close. I don't include today the Undertones original -- I doubt anyone here has never heard it -- I include instead the cover by Nouvelle Vague. I'm rarely a huge fan of cover versions, and Nouvelle Vague can seem the wrong side of novelty sometimes (remember Mike Flowers Pops?) -- but they take this song and make it their own. The longing increases, even if the original song is hard to beat.
No pun intended.