Clout were originally a five-piece, South African all-girl group formed in … Read Full Bio ↴Clout were originally a five-piece, South African all-girl group formed in 1977, best known for their song "Substitute", which sold millions of copies.

"Substitute" was a cover version of an obscure Righteous Brothers song, composed by Willie Wilson. Clout's version reached number two in the UK singles chart for three weeks in June 1978, and number one in New Zealand, Australia, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and South Africa. It only reached number sixty-seven in the U.S. for one week in September 1978, but stayed in the Billboard chart for ten weeks altogether. "Substitute" was then recorded by Gloria Gaynor for single release in the U.S., but radio and club DJs preferred the B-side which became the worldwide hit: "I Will Survive".

Members:
* Glenda Hyam: vocals, keyboards (1977)
* Lee Tomlinson: bass, vocals (1977–1978)
* Ingrid "Ingi" Herbst: drums, vocals (1977–1981)
* Cindy Alter: lead vocals, guitar (1977–1981)
* Jenni Garson: guitar, vocals (1977–1981)
* Ron "Bones" Brettell: keyboards (1978–1981)
* Sandy Robbie: guitar (1978–1981)
* Gary van Zyl: bass (1980–1981)

Discography

Albums

* 1978: Substitute (aka Clout)
* 1979: Six of the Best
* 1980: A Threat and a Promise
* 1981: 1977 to 1981
* 1992: Substitute (Dutch compilation)
* 1992: 20 Greatest Hits

Singles

* 1977
o "Substitute"
* 1978
o "You've Got All of Me"
* 1979
o "Save Me"
o "Ms America"
o "Under Fire"
* 1980
o "Oowatanite"
o "Portable Radio"
* 1981
o "Wish I Were Loving You"

Links:
http://www.rock.co.za/files/clout_index.html

Thanks to http://wikipedia.org/

Oowatanite
Clout Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Baby let's move 'cause you know that the light here
really hurts my eyes
I come from a world where the light is dim
And the people no so jive
So fine, I know it's gonna be
So come on, come on, come on, come on baby
Come on if you want it to be

Oowatanite, everything will be all right
Come on, come on, love me tonight
and I'll be yours till the sun comes up

Ooh baby, you know the time is right
We're just the light two foreign ships, passing in the night
So fine, you know it's gonna be
So come on, come on, come on, come on baby
Come on if you want it to be

Oowatanite, everything will be all right
Come on, come on, love me tonight
And I'll be yours till the sun comes up, again

So come, come on, come on, come on baby Come on if you want it to be

Oowatanite, everything will be all right
Come on, come on, love me tonight
And I'll be yours till the sun comes up

Ooh baby, don't hang me on the line
Life don't wait if you hesitate, come on and waste the time
I know, you wonder if it's right
I just need a straight-shootin' man to get me through the night
So come on, come on, come on, come on baby
Come on if you want it to be

Oowatanite, everything will be all right

Come on, come on, love me tonight
And I'll be yours till the sun comes up, again

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Clout's song "Oowatanite" are about a person who wants to escape their old world and embrace a new one. The first verse describes how the person wants to move because the light is too bright for them, indicating that they come from a world where the environment is dim, and the people are not "jive." The person is eager to start fresh and is inviting their partner to join them in this new world.

The chorus repeats "Oowatanite" twice, a word that does not have a clear meaning, but it seems like it is used to describe a state of being where everything is okay. The person is reassuring their partner that everything will be alright and is inviting them to love them tonight. The last line of the chorus suggests that the person is willing to be with their partner until the sun comes up, indicating a willingness to commit to the relationship.

In the second verse, the person continues to describe their desire for a new life, comparing themselves and their partner to foreign ships passing in the night. The person acknowledges that they wonder if this change is right, but they need a "straight-shootin' man" to help them through the night. Overall, the song is about taking a chance on love and escaping one's old life to create a new one with a partner.

Line by Line Meaning

Baby let's move 'cause you know that the light here really hurts my eyes
Let's leave this brightly lit place because I come from a dim world and this light is painful for me

I come from a world where the light is dim And the people no so jive
In my world, the light is not so bright and the people are not so lively

So fine, I know it's gonna be So come on, come on, come on, come on baby Come on if you want it to be
I'm confident that we will have a good time, so I'm inviting you to come along if you want to

Oowatanite, everything will be all right Come on, come on, love me tonight and I'll be yours till the sun comes up
If you agree to love me tonight, everything will be fine and I promise to remain yours until daybreak

Ooh baby, you know the time is right We're just the light two foreign ships, passing in the night
You know that now is the perfect time, we are like two unfamiliar ships that only cross paths briefly

Ooh baby, don't hang me on the line Life don't wait if you hesitate, come on and waste the time
Don't keep me waiting, life is too short to waste time hesitating

I just need a straight-shootin' man to get me through the night So come on, come on, come on, come on baby Come on if you want it to be
I need an honest and reliable man to be with me tonight, so if that's you, come along

Contributed by Makayla A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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