In this song, which I now realize is completely uncategorizable, Ms. Cherry is hardened and disillusioned and wry and vulnerable, all at the same time. I have to channel her whiskey, sandpaper-stroked alto, in which her accent ranges from American urban to London fly.
I start off by imitating Ms. Cherry's in-your-face, aggressive, challenging and bravado-fueled opening rap delivery: "Who's that gigolo on the street, with his hands in his pockets and the crocodile feet/Hanging off the curb, looking all disturbed?"
It goes from there and unwinds as an intricately produced and completely unpredictable number.
Perhaps the best and, from a living room karaoke perspective, challenging moment is when Neneh starts freestyle talking. "What's he loike [English accent]. What's he loike, anyway?" She answers her own question, with pure Long Island irony and a hard-won pragmatism "What do you expect, man? The guy's a gigolo. . ."
I hear heartbreak beneath her street smarts. Neneh Cherry is taking a tough buffalo stance. It's not just for herself but for all of her sisters among womankind. Listen to me now and you won't have to walk a painful path, learning the tough way how many men will use you.
*And yes, for those of you who are wondering, singer/songwriter Eagle-Eye Cherry, of "Save Tonight" fame, is Neneh Cherry's brother. Good looks and talent run in the family.
—Sarah Torribio
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