Can Man was written shortly after 'late-night shopping' on Thursdays came in. It was a whole new consumer experience and big supermarkets finally hit our shores in the early 80's as well.
It was like a resurgence of the 50's with rows and rows of canned food, dodging trolleys and avoiding isles with screaming babies.
The forest of shelves drew upon all our primeval instincts for hunting and gathering. New technology meant there were more colours and flavours. Tang was developed by NASA for space travel! More and more the food stopped resembling - food.
lyrics
Can Man
Yes folks it's Thursday night shopping again,
The night we all go hunting for food at the supermarket.
Whizzing down the isle ways with our trolleys, running over babies,
Ever watchful for those elusive Specials on the top shelf!
I went to the market to get my tea
Trying to find a meal for a hungry man.
All I saw staring back at me
Were photos of food on the front of a can.
Tasty, easy, quick to prepare
There's nothing you chew you can exclude.
Entrees, main course, more if you dare
All coloured and flavours til it looks like food!
Man one day will find a way
To open tins with his fingernail
Silver hands to grip the cans
Of processed food that won't go stale...
That's because it's full of goodness
Like stabilisers, monosodium glutamate,
starch, emulsifiers, anti-oxidant, beef extract,
gluten, preservative, colouring?
Towering shelves of carrots and beans,
The sweet and sour sauce and of course the Spam.
I can't read labels to see what that means
But it must be OK if it comes from a can (it comes from a can!!!)
Decision, decision what will I eat
Something in here must suit my mood.
The quality now is hard to beat
Providing that you weren't expecting food!!!!
Man one day will find a way
To open tins with his fingernail
Silver hands to grip the cans
Of processed food that won't go stale...
It won't go... stale
It won't go... stale
It won't go... stale
It won't go...
It won't go...
It won't go...
Staaaale!
from Real World,
released April 1, 1982
Credits:
- Jay Moxham... Nylon acoustic guitar, Lead Vocal, Backing Vocals, real Maxwin drum kit, Casio MT-30 keyboard.
- Ken Handley... yet another brilliant Bass line on his Blonde Fender Fretless Bass guitar.
Notes:
- Real drums again. So satisfying to remember I actually play drums even if I haven't played any since 1985!
- Ken's Bass line is truly wonderful and really adds a dynamic counterpoint, colour and melody to the whole song structure.. if only I could find him these days!
Crazy, young and frustrated with the ways of the world, The Crazoids was a futuristic, early-80's Pop music project that
reflected upon the quirky sides of humanity as it approached the challenges of the 21st century. 'Released' here under the album title of Real World they are presented here purely in an historical context for posterity's sake. Created by Jay Moxham for the Japetus Project....more
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