Their name comes from a term that refers to Indian immigrants that move to England, in that they often own street corner stores. Their music is a fusion of Indian music, British indie rock, and electronic dance.
In 1997, Cornershop shot into the UK charts with the song 'Brimful of Asha' reaching number 60! Things changed when DJ Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) remixed the track for re-release in 1998. The remix topped the chart, selling over 200,000 copies in 7 days! The track featured lyrics about Bollywood playback singer, Asha Bhosle.
Brimful of Asha
Cornershop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nu din raat nu aoondian hain, kimarh karke
There's dancing
Behind movie scenes, behind the movie scenes
Sadi Rani
She's the one that keeps the dream alive
From the morning, past the evening
Brimful of asha on the 45
Well, it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Brimful of asha on the 45
Well, it's a brimful of asha on the 45
And dancing
Behind movie scenes, behind those movie screens
Asha Bhosle
She's the one that keeps the dream alive
From the morning, past the evening
To the end of the light
Brimful of asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Brimful of asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
And singing
Illuminate the main streets
And the cinema aisles
We don't care bout no government warning
About their promotion of the simple life
And the dams they're building
Brimful of asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Brimful of asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom, mine's on the 45
Mohamed Rufhi 45
Lata Mangeshkar 45
Solid state radio 45
Ferguson mono 45
Bon public 45
Jacques Dutronc and the Bolan Boogies
The Heavy Hitters and the chi chi music
All India radio 45
Two in ones 45
Argo records 45
Trojan records 45
Brimful of asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Brimful of asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom, mine's on the 45
Seventy-seven thousand piece orchestra set
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Mine's on the RPM
Brimful of asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Brimful of asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom, mine's on the 45
The lyrics of Cornershop's Brimful of Asha are a tribute to the Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle, who is famous for her contributions to Bollywood films. The opening lines of the song are in Punjabi, and they roughly translate to "I said our hope, whose happiness is for everyone, comes and goes day and night." This is followed by a chorus that repeats the phrase "brimful of asha on the 45" several times.
The song talks about the prevalence of Asha's music, not just in India but all over the world. The lyrics mention different types of music and various artists who have released songs on 45rpm vinyl, including Mohamed Rufhi, Lata Mangeshkar, and the Heavy Hitters. The song also discusses the power of music to unite people across borders and cultures, as well as its ability to transcend government censorship.
The lyrics of the song are filled with cultural references, making it a celebration of Indian music and musicians. The refrain "brimful of asha" literally means "full of hope/optimism," which is a fitting tribute to Asha Bhosle - who has been performing for more than six decades despite the many changes to the Indian film industry.
Line by Line Meaning
There's dancing
There is dancing happening
Behind movie scenes, behind the movie scenes
The dancing is going on behind the scenes in movies
Sadi Rani
Sadi Rani is involved somehow in the dancing and is important to it
She's the one that keeps the dream alive
Sadi Rani is the one that is keeping the dream of the dancing alive
From the morning, past the evening
Sadi Rani keeps the dream alive all day long, from morning to night
To the end of the light
Sadi Rani keeps the dream alive until the very end
Brimful of asha on the 45
There is a lot of hope and enthusiasm (asha) in a 45 record
Well, it's a brimful of asha on the 45
This is repeated to emphasize the importance of the previous line
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is mentioned as being important to the dancing and keeping the dream alive
And singing
In addition to the dancing, there is singing happening
Illuminate the main streets
The singing is brightening up the main streets
And the cinema aisles
The singing is also affecting the cinema aisles
We don't care bout no government warning
They don't care about government warnings to promote a simpler life
About their promotion of the simple life
The government is promoting a simple life but they don't care
And the dams they're building
They also don't care about the government building dams
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everyone needs someone to lean on, as if using a bosom as a pillow
Mine's on the 45
Their support comes from the 45 record
Mohamed Rufhi 45
There is another 45 record by Mohamed Rufhi
Lata Mangeshkar 45
There is another 45 record by Lata Mangeshkar
Solid state radio 45
There is a 45 record playing on solid state radio
Ferguson mono 45
There is also a 45 record in Ferguson mono
Bon public 45
There is yet another 45 record from Bon public
Jacques Dutronc and the Bolan Boogies
These are artists mentioned along with their music
The Heavy Hitters and the chi chi music
These are more artists mentioned along with their music
All India radio 45
All India radio is playing a 45 record
Two in ones 45
Another 45 record by Two in ones
Argo records 45
Another 45 record by Argo records
Trojan records 45
Another 45 record by Trojan records
Seventy-seven thousand piece orchestra set
This is a reference to another record that has a large orchestra
Mine's on the RPM
Their support comes from the RPM of the record
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Tjinder Singh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheSapientBean
This song, just makes me happy and it's bloody groovy
@ronbo11
Reminds me of my older sisters here in the US. One loved David Cassidy and a few years later the other loved Shaun Cassidy. They both had a bunch of 45s and would dance carefree in front of the stereo console in the living room. They would load it with 5-10 singles in row. Those days are long gone and my oldest sister is no longer here. I'll never forget those days and this video is so adorable and fun it brings a smile and tears to my face on this shut-in Sunday 2020-04-05.
@robgibbs216
What a beautiful and special memory. I know you cherish it. Those were such good and better times.
We were fortunate to be alive before all of this technology and social media.
@dimethylhexane
i love the implication that this girl is so excited to listen to like, fifty different copies of the one song. i mean it's Brimful of Asha so I understand completely
@LovedbyGod73
Definitely a cult classic of the 90s! And a cool video, too :-)
@tacotuesday7650
As a collector of records this video is like emotional torture
@danjones4257
Lovely up-beat innocence
@michaelclentworth1283
I agree with everybody who says that the remix fits the video better than the original version.
@pk7422
God i miss the 90's
@Mindundi_Cabreao
¡Mejor que la original!