Peaches

[stewblack]

Just watching the Stranglers live in Battersea Park (gosh JJB was a great bassist wasn't he?) and it got mw wondering what the hell they meant by the line in Peaches, which seemed to be describing an anatomical impossibility.

So I looked it up. Well blow me down. I have been living in ignorance ever since 1977. It turns out that the word is actually clitares. Which I now learn is a French bathing suit.

edit: Allegedly

Edited June 3, 2020 by stewblack

[Bassassin]

There was a radio version with different lyrics - interestingly changed to 'bikini'. I'm absolutely sure they weren't trying to be ambiguous or provocative at all with the original, though! 😄

[stewblack]

10 minutes ago, Bassassin said:

I'm absolutely sure they weren't trying to be ambiguous or provocative

Heaven forbid!

[Frank Blank]

18 minutes ago, stewblack said:

Heaven forbid!

Love that song, it still sounds utterly shocking to me now.

[taunton-hobbit]

I was programming juke boxes for a major leisure chain when that came out -

most of our boxes were in lounge bars, so that was one record less that week..........

😎

[Lozz196]

Totally awesome track, bringing the bass to the forefront rather than an in the background supporting role.

[Frank Blank]

Let's 'ave it...

 

[Skybone]

3 hours ago, stewblack said:

(gosh JJB was a great bassist wasn't he?)

He still is. Saw The Stranglers a few years ago, and he's still a darned fine player.

[stewblack]

1 hour ago, Skybone said:

He still is. Saw The Stranglers a few years ago, and he's still a darned fine player.

Oh God yes, I wrote that like he had passed away or something 🤦🏼‍♂️

[jacko]

I was hoping to see them later this year. Not sure that'll happen now

[Lozz196]

Given the sad passing of Dave Greenfield, as well as the current situation with C19 and venue issues I’d think it unlikely.

[NikNik]

16 hours ago, stewblack said:

Just watching the Stranglers live in Battersea Park (gosh JJB was a great bassist wasn't he?) and it got mw wondering what the hell they meant by the line in Peaches, which seemed to be describing an anatomical impossibility.

So I looked it up. Well blow me down. I have been living in ignorance ever since 1977. It turns out that the word is actually clitares. Which I now learn is a French bathing suit.

edit: Allegedly

Seriously?? Is that what word was??

Man alive, I can die happy now!

[chris7273]

French is my mother language and I have never heard the word Clitares. I have checked and It's not in the dictionnary. 

 

 

[ubit]

I thought he was saying clitoris and Im sticking with that. Let's face it Relax was banned when it came out.

[Doctor J]

From genius...

Practically every reference to this lyrical line elsewhere states that the word present is

“clitares” which is supposed to be a French word for a bathing costume. However, there don’t appear to be any French dictionaries that actually feature such a word. Furthermore, every discussion of the word itself seems to be in reference to it as part of this song. Finally, even with the incorrect accent point, it still sounds a great deal more like the specific point of a woman’s anatomy than anything else. This would leave the sentence incomprehensible, but it would certainly fit the tenor of the song in its entirety.

[Happy Jack]

You shouldn't take these things clitorally ...

 

[Frank Blank]

Just now, Happy Jack said:

You shouldn't take these things clitorally ...

Give that man a friggin' medal.

[Steve Browning]

33 minutes ago, Frank Blank said:

Give that man a friggin' medal.

Oh, come now.

[Stub Mandrel]

On 03/06/2020 at 14:50, taunton-hobbit said:

I was programming juke boxes for a major leisure chain when that came out -

most of our boxes were in lounge bars, so that was one record less that week..........

😎

You could have substituted Bring on the Numbiles (Cocktail version).

The story about Peaches is just mischief making by JJ or an urban myth, the story was around in the 1980s and was debunked then.

[Happy Jack]

Could someone please point me at the app which allows you to put silly drawn-on glasses on your photograph.

I want to avoid it. 

[Frank Blank]

1 minute ago, Happy Jack said:

Could someone please point me at the app which allows you to put silly drawn-on glasses on your photograph.

I want to avoid it. 

Take back that mans medal.

[Ricky 4000]

It is one of the world's great mysteries...

[jacko]

3 hours ago, Frank Blank said:

Give that man a friggin' medal.

you can get a medal for THAT?????

[stewblack]

1 hour ago, jacko said:

you can get a medal for THAT?????

I should have the Jules Rimet trophy.

[paulbuzz]

Pretty sure the 'bathing suit' story is nonsense; as others have pointed out, there seem to be no references to this supposed French word on the web, except in the context of this tale.

Also, I recall long ago reading an interview with Hugh Cornwell where he was making his excuses for the weird pronunciation of the word in the song by saying that he just didn't know the correct pronunciation at the time.

[ Edit: found it: it's in his book "The Stranglers Song By Song". ]

Perhaps the line in the song was originally written as 'bikini', as in the radio-play version, which obviously makes much more sense, and the change to 'clitoris' was just typically Stranglers-style provocation?

Fantastic song though, questionable sexual politics notwithstanding. Pretty much responsible for me playing bass.

Edited June 4, 2020 by paulbuzz