Panda Pops

Tuesday, December 09, 2003

Not Funky, and of questionable Doriness

I have to admit, I haven't always spoken fondly of Rachel Stevens. I don't doubt for a second that Sweet Dreams My LA Ex was one of the best pop songs of this year, but the other track on the CD, Little Secret, was a big disappointment. And lovely as Rachel is (when I went to see Top of the Pops being filmed a few years back, Rachel was the only S Clubber to look cheerful and actually acknowledge the audience), I wasn't convinced that she had sufficient charisma to carry a solo career.

But all this talk of her second single Funky Dory not even making the top twenty causes me great distress, because it's fucking ace. First of all, the line into the chorus goes "BAM! SLAM!" - which is something that doesn't happen nearly enough in modern music. Second of all, it contains one of the best long "woah-oah-oah-oah-oah-oah-oah-oah-oah-oah-oah-oah-oah" notes in history as Rachel works her way down several octaves.

It doesn't matter that Rachel probably doesn't even get the David Bowie references in this song. It doesn't matter that Rachel is a rubbish ad-libber. It doesn't matter that the lyrics to the chorus are a bit duff. This song is still fucking brilliant in my book, and it will be joining Overrated by Siobhan Donaghy on my list of genius songs that people just didn't appreciate when they had the chance. Bah.