Category: Music

It's rather gaudy but it's also rather grand
And while the waiter pads your check he'll kiss your hand
The clever gigolos romance the wealthy matrons at La Cage Aux Folles.
It's slightly 40s and a little bit New Wave
You might be dancing with a girl who needs a shave
Where both the riff-raff and the royalty are the patrons at La Cage Aux Folles.

Cage Aux Folles
A Saint-Tropez tradition
Cage Aux Folles
You'll lose each inhibition
All week long we're wondering who
Left the green Givenchy gown in the loo.

Here at La Cage we live life…how shall I put it?
On an angle.
Take a deep breath, a sip of champagne
And open your eyes
What do you see?

You'll be dazzled by the ambiance you're in
You'll never notice that there's water in the gin
Come for a drink and you may want want to spend the winter at La Cage Aux Folles.

It's bad and beautiful, bawdy and bizarre
I know a duchess who got pregnant at the bar
Just who is who and what is what is quite a question at La Cage Aux Folles

Cage Aux Folles
The maitre d' is smashing
Cage Aux Folles
The Hat Check girl is flashing
We import the drinkts that you buy
So your Perrier is really Canada Dry.

You go alone you'll have the evening of your life
You'll meet your mistress and your boyfriend and your wife
It's a bonanza, it's a mad extravaganza
At La Cage Aux Folles.

Cage Aux Folles
A Saint-Tropez tradition
Cage Aux Folles
You'll lose each inhibition…

Down in the street they're all singing and shouting
Staying alive though the city is dead
Hiding their shame behind hollow laughter
While you are crying alone on your bed
Pity, Cassandra that no one believed you
But then again you were lost from the start
Now we must suffer and sell our secrets
Bargain, playing smart, aching in our hearts
Sorry Cassandra I misunderstood
Now the last day is dawning
Some of us wanted but none of us would
Listen to words of warning
But on the darkest of nights
Nobody knew how to fight
And we were caught in our sleep
Sorry Cassandra I didn't believe you really had the power
I only saw it as dreams you would weave
Until the final hour
So in the morning your ship will be sailing
Now that your father and sister are gone
There is no reason for you linger
You're grieving deeply but still moving on
You know the future is casting a shadow
No one else sees it, but you know your fate
Packing your bags, being slow and thorough
Knowing though you're late that ship is sure to wait
Sorry Cassandra I misunderstood
Now the last day is dawning
Some of us wanted but none of us would
Listen to words of warning
But on the darkest of nights
Nobody knew how to fight
And we were caught in out sleep
Sorry Cassandra I didn't believe you really had the power
I only saw it as dreams you would weave
Until the final hour
I watched her ship leaving harbor at sunrise
Sails almost slack in the cool morning rain
She stood on deck, just a tiny figure
Rigid and restrained, blue eyes filled with pain
Sorry Cassandra I misunderstood
Now the last day is dawning
Some of us wanted but none of us would
Listen to words of warning
But on the darkest of nights
Nobody knew how to fight
And we were caught in out sleep
Sorry Cassandra I didn't believe you really had the power
I only saw it as dreams you would weave
Until the final hour
(I'm sorry Cassandra)

IMHO, one of the best songs of the 80s.

According to a documentary about the group, the sax player recounted them playing a club and being told that Clive Davis (Arista Records) was coming to see them and talk about a record deal. The moment Debora came out on stage, Clive and the rest of his group got up and left. The sax player said he'd never forget the look on Debora's face. Clive and the others like him are the reason we now have an industry filled with "faces" who can't actually sing.

Remember how Christopher Cross's popularity plummeted once the public saw the face behind the music? Same thing…

A fantastic remix of the original classic.

THP Orchestra's third LP, aptly titled THP 3 is one of my all time favorite dance records. The summer of 1979 was awesome in terms of the music coming out. And then "disco" died, but after a brief hiatus, reincarnated as "dance music." (I remember how my DJ friend Steve used to roll his eyes at the term.)

When I first heard Patrick Cowley's Megatron Man in 1981, I knew the genre—whatever you wanted to call it—was back, stronger and better than ever.

Heh. We used to sing, "Be with you, in sin forever." Good times.

I couldn't find the original 7:22 12" mix, so you'll have to make due with this…

Dolly's one and only disco hit, but it was huge and never failed to fill the dance floor. Can't help but think she knew who her fans were even then. And on pink vinyl, no less. Well played, Dolly. Well played.

Continuing on the Rinder & Lewis groove of the past few days…

Back in the day, a DJ acquaintence of mine from the Gay Students Organization at the University of Arizona used to mix this with some audio tracks he lifted off a gay S&M porn video.

Let's just say it worked.

I often wonder whatever happened to the guy. At this point I don't even remember his name, but I was wicked jealous of his gear. (No, not that gear, you dirty birds—although I know we hooked up at least once—even if I have no direct memory of the encounter beyond going to dinner and ending up back in his bedroom.) I mean his stereo gear.

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Ah, ah, ay, ay…ooh ooh…ooh ooh…