Susan Whitby was 15 years old and had been playing saxophone for a little m… Read Full Bio ↴Susan Whitby was 15 years old and had been playing saxophone for a little more than six months when she joined her friend Marion Elliot (aka Poly Styrene) and formed the great English punk band X-Ray Spex in 1976. At this juncture, Whitby renamed herself Lora Logic and brought her honking and squawking to X-Ray Spex's guitar-propelled punk rock, staying in the band long enough to record the seminal feminist-punk single "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" Prior to the recording of their debut album, Logic abruptly left the band to follow her own quirky songwriting muse and formed the wonderfully named Essential Logic. Eschewing fast and loud guitars for off-kilter rhythms, "bluesy" sax playing, and forays into dissonance and atonality, Essential Logic created some of the most liberating, exciting music of the early post-punk era. Along with her primitive, exhilarating sax playing, Logic displayed a wildly imaginative vocal style that conflated the subtle eroticism of Patti Smith with the epiglottal spasms of Yoko Ono. Singing, braying, and screeching her implicitly (at times explicitly) feminist lyrics while her backing band crashed and bashed in the background, this was almost a punk version of that most despised of genres, art rock. And while the subjects of most of her songs were serious (alienation, sexism, poverty, urban isolation), there was a bratty tongue-wagging raffishness to Logic (and band) that placed them a cut above the rest. After one album as Essential Logic, Lora Logic disbanded the group to go solo. After one great solo record, Logic left music to join a London-based Hare Krishna sect with old pal Poly Styrene. Recently, Styrene issued some music in England, and it was rumored that Logic played sax on the recording. But regardless of her current activities, Lora Logic's short recording career will always be marked by its intelligence, creativity, and fun.

Popcorn Boy
Essential Logic Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You don′t have to think about popcorn anymore
Popcorn has gone to New York
And he said we had to stop and get some popcorn
And he said that this was right
This could be bright in his hipknifing whirl
So he claimed, so he claimed
Sometimes we mistake you for iron
Iron raw and iron fast

Eyelined wallpaper, your pressurized frame
Your epileptone game of lights
Lights, sights and fads, lights, sights and fads
Pads of hypnotized lads
Gods of living
Giving you your worth, space and girth
Wow, you're such a lucky boy
Wow, you′re such a lucky boy
Could it be man?
Could it be man?
Could it be mine?
Will you ever hit the forest?
Can you never fight the fame?

Cherish your ways of excellence
Popcorn boy, popcorn boy
Ravish your days of excellence
Popcorn boy, popcorn boy
Your girlie
She wears her woolen tights on so you can play the flirt
She carries a woolen dress too so you can see right through
She suffers your pressure, your daring lack of dirt
She mutters her leisure which is your skin tight shirt

Love is lust is self is love is lust is self is love is lust is
Self is love is lust is self... Is love is love is love is love...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Popcorn Boy" by Essential Logic seem to be nonsensical and almost stream-of-consciousness in style. However, they reflect a larger theme of shifting identities and the confusion that comes with trying to figure out where one fits in. The song starts with the line "You don't have to think about popcorn anymore/ Popcorn has gone to New York," which sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The singer is saying that popcorn (perhaps a euphemism for something else) is no longer a concern, as it has moved on to the next big thing.

The rest of the lyrics seem to be a mishmash of ideas and images, but they all relate to the theme of identity. The singer seems to be poking fun at someone who is trying too hard to fit a certain image, whether it be "iron raw and iron fast" or "eyelined wallpaper, your pressurized frame". They also seem to be commenting on the idea of hype and how it can create an almost hypnotic effect on the masses, hence "Pads of hypnotized lads/ Gods of living/ Giving you your worth, space, and girth".

The chorus, which repeats the line "Wow, you're such a lucky boy/ Could it be man?/ Could it be mine?/ Will you ever hit the forest?/ Can you never fight the fame?", seems to be directed at the subject of the song, who is being praised for their successful image. However, the singer is also questioning whether this image is truly their own or if they are just lucky to have stumbled into it. The line "Will you ever hit the forest?" implies a search for something deeper and more authentic, while "Can you never fight the fame?" seems to be a warning that once someone is caught up in hype and image, it can be hard to break away.

Line by Line Meaning

You don't have to think about popcorn anymore
You don't need to worry about trivial things like popcorn anymore

Popcorn has gone to New York
Popcorn has disappeared, it is no longer important

And he said we had to stop and get some popcorn
Someone mentioned stopping to buy popcorn on a trip

And he said that this was right
The artist agreed with the decision to buy popcorn

This could be bright in his hipknifing whirl
The situation could be exciting and lively

So he claimed, so he claimed
The singer repeated what someone else had said

Sometimes we mistake you for iron
Occasionally you seem tough and unyielding

Iron raw and iron fast
You are as strong as iron

Eyelined wallpaper, your pressurized frame
You look put together and stylish

Your epileptone game of lights
Your flashy, seizure-inducing light show

Lights, sights and fads, lights, sights and fads
Trends and flashy things that catch the eye

Pads of hypnotized lads
Hordes of mesmerized young people

Gods of living
People who live life to the fullest

Giving you your worth, space and girth
Acknowledging your value and allowing you the room to grow and expand

Wow, you're such a lucky boy
You are fortunate to have many opportunities and experiences

Wow, you're such a lucky boy
Repeating the previous statement for emphasis

Could it be man?
Is this real or just a fantasy?

Could it be mine?
Could I truly have this?

Will you ever hit the forest?
Will you ever achieve greatness?

Can you never fight the fame?
Will you always be defined by your success?

Cherish your ways of excellence
Appreciate the things you do well

Popcorn boy, popcorn boy
Addressing the person who needs to appreciate their accomplishments

Ravish your days of excellence
Enjoy your best moments and make the most of them

Popcorn boy, popcorn boy
Addressing the person who needs to take advantage of their successes

Your girlie
Referring to a significant other

She wears her woolen tights on so you can play the flirt
She dresses up to help you attract attention

She carries a woolen dress too so you can see right through
She helps you look good by wearing revealing clothing

She suffers your pressure, your daring lack of dirt
She puts up with your expectations and recklessness

She mutters her leisure which is your skin tight shirt
She makes comments about her own leisure activities that happen to involve you

Love is lust is self is love is lust is self is love is lust is
Love and lust are intertwined with self-love

Self is love is lust is self... Is love is love is love is love...
Repeating and reinforcing the idea that self-love, love, and lust are interconnected

Writer(s): Susan Whitby

Contributed by Penelope F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

@seanohalpin

12y↑3

Michael if you're out there I want to thank you for introducing me to this wonderful music. Still one of my favourites 30 years later. Love is lust is love is lust ... :)