There's a famous scene in Wayne's World where Wayne and Garth poke fun at the way people sometimes mishear song lyrics, in particular how "There's a bad moon on the rise" registers as "There's a bathroom on the right" in the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic "Bad Moon Rising."
Those not listening closely to the chorus of "Tall Girlz" by Shanghai Party Boss may fall prey to a similar mind trick. For a few seconds it sounds like the band is singing about some kind of stoner-hippie lunch -- "tacos along with Zen-ade," or something to that effect -- especially the third time around.
Of course, anyone with a rudimentary understanding of context clues -- the song is called "Tall Girlz," after all -- will figure out that the song is about chicks, more or less, not Mexican food.
But hey, if it's Mexican food you're into, that's quite alright. In fact, turn the song into a musical version of Mad Libs if you'd like. You've got the blessing of the band members. It's the first song they ever recorded, and they're pleased as punch that you're listening.
The track was laid down in the living room of Little Rusty Shorts (a.k.a. Darwin Ward), a friend of the band and the drummer for The Lollards, not long after SPB keyboard player Educational Davis (Nick Murphy) and bassist/vocalist Danny Vacation (Travis Braun) formed their nü-New Wave band.
"It was decided that I would back up Danny's vocals with a raven-type squawk," says Davis. "Did you know that ravens sound even worse than crows? They sound even more like they're getting stabbed in the nether-feathers with a pen. I love that."
After listening to Blondie's "Hanging on the Telephone" on repeat, perhaps, the band decided to sex up the recording '80s-style during the mixing process by making it sound like a bitchy answering machine message.
"We decided that it would be fitting for Danny's vocals to sound like a really pissed-off telephone call," Davis says. "That decision might not have made sense. But I like the result. I think those birds would approve. Birds like phones, right?"
An MP3 of "Tall Girlz" available in the related downloads at right. More songs by the group can by listened to on its MySpace page. As a prelude to releasing a new album this winter, Shanghai Party Boss plays a show with Meteorade at Mickey's Tavern this Saturday, November 8 at 10 p.m.
MadTracks highlights and provides MP3s of songs performed by local musicians. All tracks here are provided with permission of the artist. If you are a musician based in the Madison metro area and are interested in sharing your work as a MadTrack, please send a message.