EELS - "Spectacular Girl"

We've already had EELS on here but I love this song so much, I just had to spread the word. The critics are a bit mixed with the latest album 'Tomorrow Morning' but who cares what they think. This song "Spectacular Girl" is just brilliant. E's voice seems a bit croakier and it has a great rhythm section keeping it going.... Spectacular!!! I'll shut up now.

Lily Allen - "Not Fair"

"Not Fair" is from Lily Allen's second album 'It's Not Me, It's You' which was produced by Greg Kurstin from The Bird and the Bee (our previous blog) and although he produced a few songs on her debut album, he really took her to another level with this album. I wasn't a big fan of her debut album.... too much of a reggae/calypso lite sound for my taste. However, what did come through was her wit and this time around Greg Kurstin has upped the ante on the beats but still allowing her wit to shine though in her lyrics. "Not Fair" is a great example of her growth as a songwriter in the right hands of a great producer. It is a country/dance number about the sexual inadequacies of her so-called perfect guy. The video is as clever as the song itself.... with her appearing on the Porter Wagoner show, after being introduced by him (dubbed) and with a country and western band that are a little bit bemused by what is going on.

The Bird and The Bee - "Again & Again"

The Bird and the Bee are an LA duo consisting of Inara George (the daughter of Little Feet's Lowell George, for those who can remember them) and Greg Kurstin. This song "Again & Again" was from their self titled debut album released in 2007 on Bluenote. They remind me of Kiwi band 'The Brunettes' in a lot of ways..... they have the same retro style and sound that could be described as twee, although very sophisticated.... or even space age bachelor. I hope you are following where I'm going with this? Anyway, whether it makes sense or not, the music itself makes a lot of sense. They do seem to have the ex factor as a duo and we are going to see and hear a lot more from them in the future, either together or in other projects. In fact, Inara George has recently released some solo material and Greg Kurstin produced and co-wrote Lily Allen's "It's Not Me, It's You' album and has worked with so many artists, the list is endless. So look out for them over the next few years.... again and again and again and again.

The Cure - "Lullaby"

The Cure were hot and cold during their long existence which started in the late 70's. They progressed from a post-punk new wave band to a goth/alternative rock band that had a few pop moments thrown in. "Lullaby" was from what is probably my favourite Cure album 'Disintegration'. The album came out in 1989 and it was quite often suggested by critics as being the third in a trilogy of gothic albums, after 'Faith and 'Pornography' from 81 and 82 respectively. They had gone back to the sound and atmosphere of those two earlier albums, but with more melody and pop sensibilities. "Lullaby" is such a well crafted song with whispering vocals and the most amazing strings in a pop song ever! Well, the best strings from keyboards/synthesizers, I should say. Oh, and I can't forget the video.... which is their gothic masterpiece.

Sandy Edmonds - "Daylight Saving Time"

We've just started daylight saving time so there is only one song to celebrate that with. "Daylight Saving Time" by Sandy Edmonds has been played since Bitter FM started, but otherwise, it seems to have become a lost Kiwi classic. She was as much a cover star as a pop star in the 60's and then she vanished from the limelight altogether. But thankfully, not before this great single from her second and final album. Haute couture combined with perfect 60's pop from New Zealand? you bet!

Massive Attack -" Karmacoma"

Bristol band Massive Attack started as an experimental dance band and inadvertently started a musical genre 'Trip Hop', and other Bristol bands, particularly 'Portishead' built on what Massive Attack had started and really put Bristol on the map. They were so influential and launched and relaunched many careers for their collaborators... they just seemed to have a knack for choosing the perfect guest singers for some of their material. "Karmacoma" was from their second album 'Protection' and featured one of their regular guests 'Tricky,' around the time he was launching his successful solo career. They were well known for their well chosen samples and 'Karmacoma' is a good example of that. Karmacoma, Jamaica and Roma.

Dead Famous People - "Barlow's House"

Flying Nun band 'Dead Famous People' released this song in the late 80's and it was always one of my favourite Flying Nun releases.... and there were plenty to pick from. They were another all female band on the label, along with 'Look Blue Go Purple' to name one other. This song "Barlow's House" was also on the Flying Nun 25 years box set. It is catchy, while typical of the so-called Dunedin sound of the time. It paints a picture for me of some young people returning to an old student flat they once occupied and being disappointed that it wasn't the same anymore.... because it was now clean and tidy. I'm sure, most of us have the fondest memories of the worst flat from our flatting days.

Wall Of Voodoo - "Mexican Radio"

Wall of Voodoo were a band from Los Angeles and this song "Mexican Radio" was their big hit. It came out in 1983 and is a good example of their New Wave/ Morricone Spaghetti Western hybrid sound. The singer Stan Ridgeway went on to have a reasonably successful solo career after the band broke up. "Mexican Radio" had the highest chart placing here in New Zealand and most of us probably didn't even know what it was about.... I only found out years later. It is obviously about listening to Mexican radio... but I wasn't aware of the unregulated high wattage AM radio stations in Mexico. The Mexican stations (known as border busters) near the border operated on such high power that many American stations were over powered by the Mexican ones... and this was over large areas of USA. This went on until about 1972, which was when there was an agreement between the two governments about broadcasting modulation of the FM band. I have heard they still have some Border Buster stations on the AM band but no longer cause problems because of the dominance of the FM band in the US. Wolfman Jack is the most famous of the Border Buster station DJ's, although he was an American DJ and was hired by one of the Mexican stations after he had already established a career in the US, however, under his real name. Ironically, he became a bigger star because he was now broadcasting to most of America from his Mexican station. He stated that you could drive from New York to LA and listen to the station without changing the dial. This may be boring you, but it is fascinating to me now that I run a Low Power station.... I can't believe the power they were operating on. Some of the stations were operating on 250000 watts and when I started Bitter FM our limit was half a watt... yes that is right, HALF of 1 watt. Now it is 1 watt...and I thought that was exciting when they brought that change in. So hopefully you can understand why I love this song even more now. I have heard that the American radio operators may have hated the Mexican X stations (all starting with an X) but a lot of young Americans remember them fondly, because of the diverse range of music some of them played. In fact, Wolfman Jack may have actually been the American John Peel.

Billie Holiday - "Strange Fruit"

Billie Holiday first recorded this song in 1939 and it became a regular song in her live performances ever since. It is said that she broke down as she sang it on many occasions because it reminded her of her father. There is no greater racial protest song than this... as it deals with the lynching of the African Americans during the slavery days. It was originally a poem by Abel Meeropol but Billie Holiday gives it so much emotion that Abel would have to be proud of it's new art form giving out the message he wrote about in the first place..... and the wider audience associated with Billie Holiday. For those out there unaware of the legacy of Billie Holiday, start here and when you finally get past the importance of this song, then you can enjoy the rest of her musical output. This is the musical equivalent of Nelson Mandela's sacrifice to humanity and racial equality.



Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.

Aimee Mann - "One is the loneliest number"

Aimee Mann first came on the scene with her 80's band 'Til Tuesday' who were very successful with their debut album 'Voices carry'. However, it was her solo career that won me over. Her first three albums were all great... actually, I think she improved on each of the albums to a career high with the release of 'Bachelor No.2'. She also contributed to the 'Magnolia' soundtrack, with about eight songs... some of which were also on 'Bachelor No.2'. One song that was on the soundtrack only was "One" which is Nilsson cover and she practically makes it her own. It is hauntingly beautiful and certainly added something to the movie. The video featured below is an amateur video made for the song (it is Aimee Mann's version, but not her in the video) which is based on Roman Polanski's movie Repulsion.... and being the Francophile I am, I have seen and enjoyed that movie as well. The ultimate combo... yeah sure, upsize that!

Big Mama Thornton - "Hound Dog"

Big Mama Thornton was the first to record "Hound Dog", although it seems, a lot of people think this is a cover and that Elvis was the original singer. Big Mama Thornton recorded this Leiber and Stoller written song in 1952 and Elvis released his version in 1956. She sold about 2 million copies, which was quite impressive. Her booming voice is the attraction here and her blues style is my preferred interpretation of this song.

The Knobz - Culture

Thanks Adam for suggesting this song as a follow up to the Blam Blam Blam song "There Is No Depression In New Zealand" from a few days ago. A fantastic choice because this song has a great story behind it. It was 1980 and there was a growing discontent with the 40% sales tax that the government had placed on pop music. The situation hit a plateau, as I vaguely remember it, when the Prime Minister Rob Muldoon was questioned about sales tax not being on magazines and classical music but on popular music, which was part of our culture. The reply was something like "that's not culture, Kiri Te Kanawa is culture" or it could've actually been "Don't give me culture"... anyway, whatever was said, it pissed off the young record buying public including myself. So it wasn't a surprise at all that part of the backlash was a political pop song that had more than a few swipes at Muldoon. It is now a part of our musical culture in New Zealand.

Gulf - "American Boy"

I downloaded a compilation album 'Electracoustic' a while back and it wasn't long before I realised that one song stood out from all the others... and that was "American Boy" from a band called 'Gulf'. I didn't know anything about them then and I still don't. They are completely anonymous, which I thought was no longer possible in this information technology world we live in. "American Boy" is a perfect downbeat acoustic song with beautiful vocals. If anyone knows anything about them, please leave a comment... I've had a taste and I want some more.

Family Band- "Fantasy"

Family Band self released their debut album 'Miller Path' this year and I was really taken with it. They play folk-country with a darker soundscape that is more New York, where they are from, than Nashville. "Fantasy" is a sparse country ballad with some lap steel guitar that creates more atmosphere.... but it is the vocals of Kim Krans that steals the show.

Blam Blam Blam - "There is No Depression In New Zealand"

Blam Blam Blam were an Auckland band that had a huge impact on the NZ music scene and it's hard to believe they were only together for a few years in the early 80's.... although, they did have a couple of reunion tours in later years. The 1981 single "There is No Depression in New Zealand" ended up being the unofficial theme for the protest movement against the Springbok tour of the same year. It was a political and social statement about the unrest in NZ with high unemployment and even a wage/price freeze. It was a telling reminder that things weren't so rosy in our quarter acre paradise.

Bike - "Save my Life"

Bike was the post-Straightjacket Fits project for Andrew Brough after he had left the band in 1992. He wrote some strong melodic material for Straightjacket Fits and this song "Save My Life" is of the same high standard. "Save My Life" is a great slice of 60's style guitar pop with that typical Dunedin (Flying Nun) sound still shining through..... A Straitjacket Fits reunion with Shayne Carter sounds like it wont happen, so at the very least, another release from Bike is something I'm hanging out for. Where is the key to the bike shed, Andrew?

The Cult - "Edie (Ciao Baby)"

The Cult released this tribute to Edie Sedgwick in 1989 on their 4th album "Sonic Temple". Edie Sedgwick was a regular at Andy Warhol's Factory in New York during the 60's. She was an actress in some of Warhol's films and was an "It Girl" and famous socialite of the time. I hadn't actually heard of her until this song came out and it was this song that encouraged me to look her up. I was quite fascinated with her life story and in particular the Bob Dylan connection.... Bob Dylan was taken with her after she had left the Factory and she was in what she thought was a deep relationship until she found out that Dylan had secretly married Sara Lownds... which consequently ended their relationship. Her most famous movie is 'Ciao! Manhattan' which this song takes part of its title from and I've never managed to track down a copy of it. She died at only 28 in 1971 after a probable overdose of barbiturates and heavy alcohol use. Her life story did make the big screen in 2006 with the film 'Factory Girl' starring Sienna Miller as Edie. Back to the song "Edie (Ciao Baby)', The Cult have written a great song about a star of the 60's that is as respectful to her memory as a eulogy at a funeral would be. Ciao Edie.

DJ Vadim - "Your Revolution (feat. Sarah Jones)"

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.- Part 2.
Sarah Jones is a poet, an award winning playwright and an actress... and I think you could add comedian to her CV because her spoken word poetry is delivered in such a humorous way. The song "Your Revolution" is a hilarious take on the classic Gil Scott Heron song "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" but this time the message is against the sexual exploitation of women in Rap music. It has some very funny moments.... but at the same time, there is a very serious side to her as she hits back at the misogyny within the mainstream Hip-Hop culture. DJ Vadim has added the beats and suddenly we have a classic song from the 70's given a new lease of life and a new message.... ironically, to the same people who were influenced by the Gil Scott Heron original.
Check out her fantastic live spoken word version as well - below the DJ Vadim mix.

Def Poetry - Sarah Jones Live Spoken Word Version.

Gil Scott Heron - "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"

Gil Scott Heron could be described as a pioneer of the hip-hop culture with his spoken word, jazz funk poetry or proto-rap songs from the early seventies and through to the eighties. He released a come back album this year 'I'm New Here', which is definitely a return to form. The song that he will always be remembered for is "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and incredibly it was originally a B-side to his first single "Home is Where the Hatred is", which is another of his songs played on Bitter. The song (Poem) "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" was a political song with a very strong message about the struggle for racial equality. The lyrics are very topical of the day and some are now outdated somewhat..... but the message is still as strong as ever.




The revolution will no be televised
You will not be able to stay home, brother.
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out.
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip,
Skip out for beer during commercials,
Because the revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox
In 4 parts without commercial interruptions.
The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon
blowing a bugle and leading a charge by John
Mitchell, General Abrams and Spiro Agnew to eat
hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary.

The revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be brought to you by the
Schaefer Award Theatre and will not star Natalie
Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia.
The revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal.
The revolution will not get rid of the nubs.
The revolution will not make you look five pounds
thinner, because the revolution will not be televised, Brother.

There will be no pictures of you and Willie May
pushing that shopping cart down the block on the dead run,
or trying to slide that color television into a stolen ambulance.
NBC will not be able predict the winner at 8:32
or report from 29 districts.
The revolution will not be televised.

There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of Whitney Young being
run out of Harlem on a rail with a brand new process.
There will be no slow motion or still life of Roy
Wilkens strolling through Watts in a Red, Black and
Green liberation jumpsuit that he had been saving
For just the proper occasion.

Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville
Junction will no longer be so damned relevant, and
women will not care if Dick finally gets down with
Jane on Search for Tomorrow because Black people
will be in the street looking for a brighter day.
The revolution will not be televised.

There will be no highlights on the eleven o'clock
news and no pictures of hairy armed women
liberationists and Jackie Onassis blowing her nose.
The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb,
Francis Scott Key, nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom
Jones, Johnny Cash, Englebert Humperdink, or the Rare Earth.
The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be right back
after a message about a white tornado, white lightning, or white people.
You will not have to worry about a dove in your
bedroom, a tiger in your tank, or the giant in your toilet bowl.
The revolution will not go better with Coke.
The revolution will not fight the germs that may cause bad breath.
The revolution will put you in the driver's seat.

The revolution will not be televised, will not be televised,
will not be televised, will not be televised.
The revolution will be no re-run brothers;
The revolution will be live.

Maria Taylor - "Time Lapse LIfeline"

Yesterday we had a Bright Eyes song and there is a slight connection from them to this artist.... Maria Taylor has been one of the many guests on some Bright Eyes material and was also a former girlfriend of Conor Oberst. Maria Taylor was one half of 'Azure Ray' with Orenda Fink as the other member. They were also on Saddle Creek Records, so that is another connection with Bright Eyes. Azure Ray are another much played band here on Bitter FM. When they disbanded in 2004, they both went their own ways and collaborated with other artists etc. and started solo careers. "Time Lapse Lifetime" is from Maria Taylor's third solo album 'LadyLuck' released in 2009. It could possibly be her break-up album (from Conor Oberst) and this song has many lines that could be from the heart.... like "it was just like that, and just like that it's gone". This song has everything an almost perfect song requires.... beautiful heartfelt vocals, great percussion and excellent string arrangements that are subtle but manage to add so much to the song. Did I say it was an almost perfect song? Bollocks to that... it is perfect!

Bright Eyes - "Waste Of Paint"

'Bright Eyes' is a band from Omaha, Nebraska and is led by Conor Oberst, who is the writer, singer and guitarist. Although they are a band, with other regular members Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott and many more who have come and gone, Bright Eyes is still commonly thought of as a solo project of Conor's. He started his musical career at a very young age and even co-founded their label 'Saddle Creek Records'. Bright Eyes started after his previous band 'Commander Venus' broke up about 1997. I caught on in 2000 with the album 'Fevers and Mirrors" and I've loved everything released from then on. "Waste of Paint" is from the next album 'Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground' from 2002. Bright Eyes are a lyrics band and their albums are best consumed whole and with every word absorbed. This song is a classic example of Conor Oberst's outstanding talent as a lyricist and emotional delivery. He has a fragile and sometimes quivering voice, which is a characteristic that grows on the listener. In the same way that we love Dylan. A brilliant talent.

Twinkle - "Terry"

Twinkle was a pop star from England in the 60's, but obviously not huge. She is sometimes put into the 'One-hit wonder' category, but technically she did have two hits. I hadn't heard of her at all until 'The Smiths' released a song of hers "Golden Lights" as a b-side and on their compilation album 'Louder Than Bombs'. She released this single "Terry" in 1964 and it was a top 10 hit in the UK. "Terry" is very much in the 60's girl-group style of the Shangri-Las.... and it's not just the sound that is similar, but the subject matter as well. The Terry in the song is a boyfriend that has died in a motorbike accident.... as did the "Leader of the Pack" in the Shangri-Las song. Twinkle wasn't very prolific at all and disappeared after a few singles. Let's hope she is rediscovered again and again by generation Y and generation Free. Tell your kids.... although, she is no Lady Gaga, so they probably wont get it.



Her other hit "Golden Lights"



The Smiths version of "Golden Lights"

A Christchurch Trilogy

Part 1 (RED)
It has been a tough week for Christchurch after the big earthquake on saturday night and all the aftershocks still occurring now. So today's blog can be a bit of a tribute to a beautiful city. I have always loved the gothic buildings down there and I hope most of them can be saved. The city of Christchurch has also given us many great musical artists... it is a melting pot of creativity and one such artist is 'Scribe' and being the parochial Canterburian (Cantabrian) he is, he named his debut album 'The Crusader' with possibly more than one meaning, but we all know it was also named after the Crusaders rugby team from down there. The track "Theme from the Crusader" is all about his hometown and, of course, the team.

Part 2 (BLACK) The Earthquake (Magnitude 7.1) 4.36am Saturday 4th September 2010. Part 3 (RED and BLACK) The Dance Exponents had a great single from their second album 'Expectations' called "Christchurch (In Cashel st, I Wait)" and that would've been the perfect song to finish this blog with. But, I couldn't locate the song on the net to share with you.... and I like to, at the very least, allow you to link to a song I blog about. So this blog has taken an unexpected turn, but one that seems appropriate, I guess. "Join Together" is a terrible song that was the theme song for the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch. However, it seems appropriate for the present (post-earthquake) Christchurch because the people down there are joining together and helping one another. Now, if you decide to release a song as a fundraiser to help restore your beautiful city, then I'm behind you all the way.... but just don't make it this song. Give Jordan Luck a call instead. All the best in your hood, Canterbury.

Samuel F. Scott & BOP - "All My Dreams"

Samual F. Scott is a member of The Phoenix Foundation and released his second solo album 'Straight Answer Machine' in 2008. "All My Dreams", a single from that album has now become more known as the Hyundai car advert song.... but that shouldn't take anything away from the beauty of the song itself. While it may have been a hard decision for him to sell the song to the advertisers, it is hopefully giving him (and possibly The Phoenix Foundation) some exposure in his own country. Bitter FM listeners would probably have already heard this song before the ad was shown, along with a couple of other tracks "Black Mark" and "Llewellyn" from this great album. For such a prolific artist, he is consistently good.

The Go-Betweens - "Streets of your Town"

Aussie band The Go-Betweens had been making a name for themselves in the UK after shifting there from Brisbane at the end of the 70's, and they grew in popularity with the Indie crowd for many years into the 80's. Ironically, their biggest international success came after they had returned back to Australia and released '16 Lovers Lane' in 1988. The core members of Grant McLennan and Robert Forster along with John Willsteed and Lindy Morrison as the rhythm section, had earlier recruited violin player/backing vocalist Amanda Brown and the dividends were starting to come their way. '16 Lovers Lane' was The Go-Betweens masterpiece and "Streets of your Town" was a big part of that. The expanded 2 disc re-issue of this album is now on the top of my want list. This song takes me back to my Ponsonby flatting days. We probably drank a lot of rheinecks on the veranda listening to this.... those were the days. The music was good and the beer was not.

Prissa - "Lógica"

Prissa are a young duo from Chile and I don't know a lot about them.... except that I couldn't get enough of this song of theirs "Logica" from the first time I heard it on their myspace page a few years ago. It has been played on Bitter FM regularly ever since.
It is a nice piece of electro pop with a hypnotic beat and sweeping synths..... Maybe it's just me, but I find this so uplifting every time I hear it. Fantastico!

FAT FREDDYS DROP - "BOONDIGGA"

Wellington band 'Fat Freddy's Drop' have become a bit of a Kiwi institution since they released their debut album 'Based on a True Story' and sold truckloads of that album, which stayed in the NZ charts for more than two years after it was released in 2005. Their long awaited second album 'Dr Boondigga and the Big BW' finally surfaced in 2009 and that is where this song "Boondigga" obviously comes from. Fat Freddy's sound is a hybrid of dub/reggae/soul and jazz, with songs that usually build slowly and develop into long cruisy jams that they have perfected with years of touring. "Boondigga" is no exception to that rule at all and is one of my favourites. Any song that name checks 'Willie Apiata' in the lyrics deserves further inspection. Groovy!


Well, The more I try to change
Well, the more I feel the same
Each day like the one before
Til I don't wanna try no more

When working, tired and your feet are hurtin'
From runnin' all the time, yes, trippin out of your mind
Too many times to notice, how the lonely soul is
Love is all alive, it's waiting to arrive...

Tried everything, then tried it again
Been watching the flame burn to the end
Been wasting my bones, been takin my time
A bird from the ashes, burning to fly
Home from the sea, a theif in the night
Like Mr. Apiata, just doing what's right
My brothers and me, my sisters and I
We're waiting to arrive...

When working, tired and your feet are hurtin'
From runnin' all the time, yes, trippin out of your mind
Too many times to notice, how the lonely soul is
Love is all alive, it's waiting to arrive

Obadiah Parker - "Hey Ya"

Obadiah Parker are a three piece band from Arizona with Mat Weddle as the lead vocalist and guitarist. Now, let's face it, there have been so many artists that have covered this song "Hey Ya" which, of course, was a hit from Outkast's 2003 double album 'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below' and not all of them are memorable. Coincidently, the band on the previous blog 'Cocoon' were one of the artists that have covered it, quite successfully. But Obadiah Parker really nailed it.... their folk acoustic version is second to none. Even Andre 3000 from Outkast made positive comments about it. A great example of taking a song to a totally different place, while still giving it the credit it deserves.

COCOON - "On My Way"

Cocoon are a French pop folk band or duo consisting of Mark Daumail and Morgane Imbeaud. "On My Way" was a single from their debut album 'My Friends All Died in a Plane Crash' released in 2007. It is an uplifting and catchy acoustic folk song with some nice vocal harmonies. It is surprising that it wasn't a hit outside of France, shit, they sing in English after all..... but then again, it's not all about hits, but just as much about myths on this blog.

Jemina Pearl (ft Iggy Pop) - "I Hate People"

Jemina Pearl is known to Bitter FM as the singer in the band 'Be Your Own Pet' from a song "Becky" that gets some airplay. She went solo after the band broke-up in 2008 and released her debut album 'Break It Up' in 2009. She still has the attitude she had with 'Be Your Own Pet', however, the snarl could be disguising a smile, with this song "I Hate People". It has a 50's - 60's girl group sound combined with the punk attitude of Blondie. It is not to be taken seriously and is a lot of fun if you can see the funny side of it. Probably a love-it or hate-it type of song.... we are definitely in the love-it camp.