I May Be Bad But I’m Perfectly Good At It
I mentioned her yesterday, and realized that today I needed to write about her absolute masterpiece. Marianne Elliot-Said was the prototypical British punk rocker at the very beginning of punk music. Only one year after the Sex Pistols formed in 1975, after watching a show with some other young punks, Marianne renamed herself Poly Styrene and founded the band X-Ray Spex at 19 years old.
Among punk rockers, X-Ray Spex is a true legend, but outside of the scene, very few people have even heard of them. The Sex Pistols and their big personalities dominated British punk, while the Ramones and New York Dolls got all the attention in the U.S.
I’ve long been a fan of punk music and I still love going to punk shows. I’m so incredibly grateful that 924 Gilman is still open and still rocking. But me? I love eclectic and eccentric fashion, bright colors, clashing patterns, high heels. I don’t wear the “uniform,” ever. But, you know what? Being unabashedly yourself is the true essence of punk, regardless of what you look like. Spikes and boots just aren’t my thing, and I haven’t had enough hair to grow a mohawk since I was 19.
Poly Styrene lived this to her very essence. She was 100% true to herself and a true original. She had chunky braces on her teeth, refused to be a sex symbol (despite being quite beautiful), and in many ways was the ultimate punk rocker.
X-Ray Spex’s debut album, Germfree Adolescents, was released in 1978, and it’s an excellent listen. Fun, dancey, intense, with lots of saxophone, experimental rhythms, and mixed sounds. But this post isn’t about Germfree Adolescents.
X-Ray Spex’s debut single, “Oh Bondage! Up Yours!” is two minutes and fifty-one seconds of sheer sonic perfection. And, of course, there are many versions of this song, but I’m actually quite partial to the original studio recording. Somewhat bizarrely, it is not available to stream anywhere except YouTube, so that’s what I’m going to link to. There is a live version recorded at the Roxy Club in London on April 2, 1977, as well, that I will also link; I think it’s fascinating to hear the two versions side-by-side. I’m adding a third version, recorded live in London in 2008, as well, during a reunion tour.
“Oh Bondage! Up Yours!” charted at number 30 in the UK and nowhere else. That’s pretty good for a single in a genre almost no one had heard of and that was still in its infancy. From the cheeky intro, where she says: “Some people think that little girls should be seen and not heard / But I think / Oh bondage, up yours! / One, two, three, four.” By the time she yelps the number four, you know you’re in for a ride. On the surface, the song is about BDSM, but by the second verse, it becomes clear that it is an allegory for capitalism and consumerism. That we’re all beholden to the corporations and need to free ourselves. Nearly 50 years later, the message is still just as fresh.
The song also features some pretty awesome saxophone solos by Lora Logic, which was a hallmark of X-Ray Spex’s sound. But it’s Poly Styrene’s vocals that really carry this song. The way she does that heart-rending scream at the end of some of her phrasing, like “Come on!” or “No more!” is simply one of the most impressive things I’ve ever heard in recorded music. You almost need the lengthy, jumpy saxophone parts to reset your heartbeat.
Poly Styrene died in 2011 at age 53 from breast cancer. She continued releasing music, although very infrequently, up to the year she died. But her influence is a serious one: one could argue all of riot grrl can be traced back to this one song. And 45s of “Oh Bondage! Up Yours!” routinely sell for $50 or more. They are quite rare, especially as you can’t find it on most streaming services. So enjoy it! P.S. - here are the lyrics.