Buffalo Stance – Remember that track? - 2011
I was spring cleaning and I had the radio on. It always helps me to get the work done a little faster I feel.
Anyway, as I was cleaning out the oven I heard this track. Immediately I just ran quickly to the radio which was about 10 yards away from me and turned this up. I wanted to make sure that I heard the rest of the song properly.
Wow, it still sounds good after all these years I thought. It does poppy, but it sounds good
The track that I am going on is called “Buffalo Stance” by Neneh Cherry, 1988.
When it was released it caused a stir. A really, big stir to be honest.
It was to become one of the biggest records of 1988.
It reached number 3 on the USA Billboard 100 chart, number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, and Number 1 on the USA Dance charts.
After doing some research on the song I have found out that the song was originally released in 1986.
The original song was produced by Jamie Morgan and Cameron McVey under a different title that was called “Looking Good Diving” and on the B side of the same single another version of the same song was created and produced by Stock, Aiken, and Waterman called “Looking good diving with the Wild Bunch” which featured Neneh Cherry then.
Two years later Neneh then re-recorded the song with the help of Tim Simenon (from Bomb The Bass) and Mark Saunders.
This was to be called “Buffalo Stance”.
Over the years I have always wanted to find out what was meant by the title of the song. Well, I went ahead and did some more research about this and found this out.
The term refers to a group of WEST LONDON,(England) photographers, models, musicians, hair and makeup artists, etc which was gathered by the former fashion stylist Ray Petri, of whom Cherry, Morgan, and McVey were all members.
Thus the meaning is to stand like you are posing for a photo shoot in a London fashion magazine in the 1980s.
Does it make sense now?
Remember the fashion statement coming out of London at the time (Late 1980s) - the no-nonsense Nylon MA1 army surplus flight jacket, lined in bright orange, teamed with up with Levi's 501s JEAN CRAZE that took hold of England: the look that evolved into the predominant urban male uniform of the 80s.
Yes, that’s Petri...
Anyway, let’s get back to the song that is “Buffalo Stance”.
The song also features a sample within its makeup that is called “Buffalo gals” by Malcolm McLaren & the World's Famous Supreme Team as a single in 1982.
When Neneh eventually appeared on TOP OF THE POPS (English Pop Chart music program) in 1988, she was 7 months pregnant with her first child.
Probably, the most famous words within the song are these.
“What’s he like? What's he like anyway?”,
“Yo, man what do you expect the guy’s a gigolo”,
“You know what I mean?”
The switching of accents from a broad East London accent to a Native New Yorker accent just makes everyone smile.
What a catchy, solo record release by Neneh at that time. It’s still single that everyone knows her by whoever hears it. It still makes everyone smile.
A few people that I have mentioned the song to state that they feel that Rihanna’s Rude Boy video was influenced by this song/video. Hmmmm….
Please click on the YOUTUBE VIDEO below which caused me to write this in the first place
(*Just to warn you there is a short advert before the song!).
Just to hear it one my time yourself.
How old were you when you first heard this song?
Please click on this story in regards to:
Neneh Cherry and the Masters at Work
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