(no subject)
Is it possible to interpret Apeman Hop, a catchy tune by the Ramones, as anything other than appallingly racist?
The band has always struck me as very left-leaning, at the very least liberal left, but this...
He's go so many problems
You can count them one by one
He's a filthy, stupid apeman
He never has any fun
He lives in the jungle in a cave by a hill
Plays an old loud drum
He's primitive, barely human
Apeman hop, apeman hop
Paint the face of a demon, glowing by the fire light
Hoppin' like an elephant
Thunderin' like me tonight
He's the world's worst recycler
The iceman comes a lot
He's the devil's apprentice
He's a prehistoric man
Apeman hop, apeman hop
At night he's gonna sacrifice his beloved apeman girl
Tie her to the alter, pull out her heart and eat her flesh
Apeman hop, apeman hop, apeman hop, apeman hop
Apeman
Is this just a song about ancient stone-age archetypes which precede the variation in skin colour, facial structure and cultural practices we see in Homo sapiens today? The opening skit, a conversation between two men with distinct African accents, makes this a difficult argument to make:
ook ook ook
ooga booga
matsuwana
zumbunga
bwana bwana
botswana
mbada
komjuju
komana
kalabanga
mgowa
(spelled phonetically, as I have no familiarity with indigenous African languages and the voices are obscured in places by the hooting of apes.)
The band has always struck me as very left-leaning, at the very least liberal left, but this...
He's go so many problems
You can count them one by one
He's a filthy, stupid apeman
He never has any fun
He lives in the jungle in a cave by a hill
Plays an old loud drum
He's primitive, barely human
Apeman hop, apeman hop
Paint the face of a demon, glowing by the fire light
Hoppin' like an elephant
Thunderin' like me tonight
He's the world's worst recycler
The iceman comes a lot
He's the devil's apprentice
He's a prehistoric man
Apeman hop, apeman hop
At night he's gonna sacrifice his beloved apeman girl
Tie her to the alter, pull out her heart and eat her flesh
Apeman hop, apeman hop, apeman hop, apeman hop
Apeman
Is this just a song about ancient stone-age archetypes which precede the variation in skin colour, facial structure and cultural practices we see in Homo sapiens today? The opening skit, a conversation between two men with distinct African accents, makes this a difficult argument to make:
ook ook ook
ooga booga
matsuwana
zumbunga
bwana bwana
botswana
mbada
komjuju
komana
kalabanga
mgowa
(spelled phonetically, as I have no familiarity with indigenous African languages and the voices are obscured in places by the hooting of apes.)