A classic, and the first video I remember seeing on MTV, and one of my favorites.
Great song. Great video.
As a special bonus, I found the lyrics.
All of them.
And yes, the Red Pen of Doom couldn’t resist taking a shot at interpreting each line.
Boy!
(My friend, who doesn’t need to be named, and is a male, though possibly not a man, and definitely not a boyfriend, but a buddy.)
Boy!
(I say this twice to reinforce my greeting and to use it as a shout, sort of a combination of “Hey!” and “Man!” and “Can you believe this nonsense?”)
Down in the street there is violence
(There are sometimes assaults and murders that I did not commit, or authorize, and this worries me.)
And a lots of work to be done
(I have things to do, people. I don’t always hang out in my living room singing at the TV or ride my motorcycle around empty streets.)
No place to hang out our washing
(The economy is so bad, and living quarters so cramped, not only do I fail to own a washer and dryer, I don’t even have enough space to hang my clothes out to dry.)
And I can’t blame all on the sun, oh no
(The fact that the weather here is glorious doesn’t cause anyone to be unsuccessful. There are other reasons.)
CHORUS:
We gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
(We’re going to ride fast on our motorcycles on a street where hot women are sometimes spotted, to impress them. If no beautiful women are around, we might just ride really fast and try to look cool.)
And then we’ll take it higher
(After riding around for a bit, we’ll smoke some weed.)
Oh we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
(More riding.)
And then we’ll take it higher
(Yes, this is a reference to marijuana, which at the time of this song was illegal just about everywhere on the planet.)
Workin’ so hard like a soldier
(My job is kind of like being a Green Beret, except for the stuff about jumping out of helicopters and getting shot at by other soldiers.)
Can’t afford a thing on TV
(My television keeps on showing me advertisements for items that I could never purchase.)
Deep in my heart I’m a warrior
(I fantasize about being a fighter, or a soldier, but it hasn’t happened yet.)
Can’t get food for them kid, good God
(Despite my strength and Rambo dreams, I still can earn enough to feed my kids.)
CHORUS
Oh no…
(I know bad things are happening and am powerless to stop them.)
Oh no…
(For example, no gas in my motorcycle.)
Oh no…
(Also, a severe shortage of cash.)
Oh no…
(Finally, existential dread.)
CHORUS
Who is to blame in one country
(Nixon. That man was behind everything.)
Never can get to the one
(But you can’t get close. NIXON KNOWS KUNG FU.)
Dealin’ in multiplication
(If you cut your product, you can sell more, and make more money. At least that’s what I hear.)
And they still can’t feed everyone, oh no
(Even cutting like a mad man, a local dealer can’t feed his kids. That’s how bad the economy is.)
CHORUS
Out in the street…
(No supermodels.)
Out in the street…
(No girls at all. This really sucks.)
Out in the playground…
(Are the playgrounds safe for our pookies? This is a worry of mine. That, or I’m listing all the place I hang out, despite my lack of offspring.)
In the dark side of town…
(I travel in dangerous circles on my motorcycle, but I wear my helmet to protect my skull and my identity.)
CHORUS
Rock it in the daytime
(My sleep patterns are random. I might be awake when the sun it out.)
Rock it in the night …
(I may stay awake all night, like a vampire, but not a sparkly one.)
The Red Pen of Doom 
hahaha – this is brilliant…what about Sigue Sigue Sputnik’s Shoot It Up?
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Boy! You got a line wrong…
“Deep in my heart I’m a warrior” is actually “Deep in my heart I abhor ya.”
In order to pay restitution for this egregious error, Eddie Grant requests that you:
1] Correct the lyric shown in this post.
2] Let Mr. Grant flood your living room with water and splash aroud in it, while a 10-inch black and white TV plays in the background.
3] Listen to Mr. Grant’s “Romancing the Stone” (theme song from the hit movie) on an endless loop for 24 hours.
Workin’ so hard like a soldier,
D.B, Eddie Grant’s lawyer & motorcycle mechanic
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Rugged brilliance.
My fave, perhaps:
“The economy is so bad, and living quarters so cramped, not only do I fail to own a washer and drier, I don’t even have enough space to hang my clothes out to dry.”
Excuse me, but I have my own Electric Avenue to rock down to.
(Meaning I have to get back to work.)
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I may quote you on the “rugged brilliance.” Too funny.
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Ha ha ha! Brilliant! You’ve zinged up my Thursday morning with this already!
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I nominate “Ice Ice Baby.”
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You got it. Let’s find the lyrics and a YouTube video.
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Props.
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I splorted coffee. Out my nose. Ow. Still, this was so bloody brilliant I don’t mind the sting or having to clean up my keyboard.
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Glad you liked it. I’ll do more music videos. Ask your peoples and nominate a worthy vid.
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Brilliant. I’ll never listen to that song the same way again.
I will also have it rattling around in my head all day. Damn you for planting the ear worm.
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Larry of the Palouse,
What should we interpret next?
I lean toward ICE, ICE BABY or maybe BABY GOT BACK.
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