Saturday, February 24, 2007

1. She is So Funqular

In 1980 or thereabouts a song that played on the radio a lot caught my attention. I may or may not have known the musician - Peter Gabriel - at the time, but the song was catchy and I'd sing along with the chorus:
She is So Funqular
She is So Funqular
She is So Funqular
My boyfriend said funqular was a French word, but didn't know what it meant. I imagined it meant sexy in a cool way or something. We were happy in our ignorance, and sang along with the lyrics - none of which made any sense, but that was fine with us.

At some point we purchased the album and realized we were wrong about the lyrics in the chorus, but it took me a while to realize exactly what the song was about. I'd even been to a Jeux San Frontiers heat on one of my visits to England in the 1970's and had a bright yellow "It's a Knockout" poster among my souvenirs of that trip.

I must have carefully read the lyrics, or perhaps took the poster out of storage, or maybe just saw the video, but it finally occurred to me what the song was about. I remember putting the poster up in the basement and smiling every time I saw it or heard the song played on the radio or on our stereo. It wasn't until later that I learned that it was Kate Bush singing the chorus.

To this day, when I hear that song, I smile, and sing along with the chorus:
She is So Funqular
She is So Funqular
She is So Funqular
View and hear a more recent version of Games without Frontiers on YouTube.

7 comments:

Indigo Bunting said...

Cedar: Most excellent storytelling, as usual. I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am that vous jouerez avec nous! (Yes, it's likely I got that attempt all wrong.)

Otter said...

And I thought he was singing "She's so forgiving" in a thick English accent. A reference I thought to Mother Nature regarding war. Like make nice and MN will forgive humans for being at war.

Welcome. I'm excited you are joining us.

Otter said...

P.S. Cedar,
There are no rules to this blog. Post one a day or five (see Phonological Loops) or one a week, no worries. Have a word count or not. Whatever feels good for you is good for us. Right Indigo?

Indigo Bunting said...

Right, Otter!

Cedar Waxwing said...

Yeah, Otter, I knew that. But I wanted to keep up the pretense of not following the rules of a game without rules...

Glad to be jeu du jeu avec vous.

(I don't speak French)

Sabine said...

Ha! And I thought the lyrics were "She's so POPular"

Bienvenue, Cedar.

Indigo Bunting said...

mm: I thought that too, back when it first came out...