The band started when frontman Dury (born in Upminster, Essex, United Kingdom on 12 May 1942 and died 27 March 2000), had a chance encounter in a musical instrument hire shop with guitarist Chaz Jankel. Jankel took Dury's lyrics, fashioned a number of songs, and they began recording with drummer Charley Charles, bassist Norman Watt-Roy and the former Kilburns saxophonist Davey Payne. An album was completed, but major record labels passed on the band. However, next door to Dury's manager's office was the newly formed Stiff Records, a perfect home for Dury's maverick style. The classic single "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll", marked Dury's Stiff debut and this was swiftly followed by an album. titled 'New Boots and Panties', which was to eventually achieve platinum status.
It wasn't until October 1977 that Dury and his band started to go out as Ian Dury and the Blockheads, when the band signed up for the Stiff "Live Stiffs Tour" alongside Elvis Costello And The Attractions, Nick Lowe, Wreckless Eric and Larry Wallis. The tour was a success and Stiff launched a concerted Ian Dury marketing campaign, resulting in the Top Ten hit What a Waste and the classic UK number one Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick. The band toured to great acclaim throughout Europe.
The band's second album Do It Yourself was released in June 1979 in a Barney Bubbles-designed sleeve of which there were over a dozen variations, all based on samples from the Crown wallpaper catalogue. Another top ten single, Reasons to be Cheerful, kept Dury in the public eye.
In 1980 Jankel left The Blockheads to concentrate on a solo career and was replaced by former Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson, who also contributed to the next album Laughter and its two minor hit singles.
Ian Dury And The Blockheads disbanded in 1981 after Dury secured a new recording deal with Polydor Records through A&R man Frank Neilson, choosing to work with a group of young musicians which he named The Music Students and recorded the album Four Thousand Weeks' Holiday. This album marked a departure from his usual style and was not as well received by fans for its American jazz influence.
The Blockheads reformed several times before Ian Dury's death, most notably to play a series of benefit concerts for Charley Charles.
Billericay Dickie
Ian Dury and the Blockheads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In case you couldn't tell
My given name is Dickie, I come from Billericay
And I'm doing very well
Had a love affair with Nina
In the back of my Cortina
A seasoned up hyena could not have been more obscener
And other misdemeanours
But I got right up between her
Rum and her Ribena
Well, you ask Joyce and Vicki
If candy-floss is sticky
I'm not a blinking thicky
I'm Billericay Dickie
And I'm doing very well
I bought a lot of brandy
When I was courting Sandy
Took eight to make her randy
And all I had was shandy
Another thing with Sandy
What often came in handy
Was passing her a 'Mandy'
She didn't half go bandy
So you ask Joyce and Vicki
If I ever took the mickey
I'm not a flipping thicky
I'm billeicay dickie
And I'm doing very well
I'd rondez-vouez with Janet
Quite near the Isle of Thanet
She looked more like a gannet
She wasn't half a prannet
Her mother tried to ban it
Her father helped me plan it
And when I captured Janet she bruised her pomegranet
So you ask Joyce and Vicki
If I ever shaped up tricky
I'm not a blooming thicky
I'm Billericay Dickie
And I'm doing very well
You should never hold a candle if you don't know where it's been
The jackpot is in the handle on a normal fruit machine
So you ask Joyce and Vicki
Who's their brickie
I'm not a common thicky
I'm Billericay Dickie
And I'm doing very well
I know a lovely old toe-rag obliging and noblesse
Kindly, charming shag from Shoeburyness
Ian Dury's song "Billericay Dickie" is a character study of the titular character, who is portrayed as a brash and boastful young man from Essex who is unapologetically proud of his sexually promiscuous lifestyle. The song is a playful and lighthearted homage to Dickie and his exploits, with Dury using humor and wit to celebrate his larger-than-life personality.
The first verse introduces Dickie and sets the stage for the song's playful tone. Dury's use of the phrase "seasoned up hyena" to describe Nina, his love interest, is a cheeky nod to Dickie's own animalistic tendencies. The line "she took me to the cleaners" suggests that Nina may have taken advantage of Dickie financially, while the playful references to rum and Ribena suggest that their relationship was fueled by both alcohol and youth.
The second verse continues with Dickie's braggadocio, as he boasts about his sexual exploits with Sandy and Janet. The phrase "passing her a Mandy" is a reference to the drug MDMA, which was popular in the UK club scene in the 1980s. The final line of this verse, "she bruised her pomegranate," is a playful way of saying that Janet was so excited by their encounter that she sustained an injury.
The chorus, which repeats after each verse, emphasizes Dickie's pride in his Essex roots and his refusal to be seen as a "blinking thicky." The final verse is a playful nod to the working-class culture of Essex, with its references to "brickies" and "toe-rags." Overall, "Billericay Dickie" celebrates the vibrancy and vitality of Essex youth culture in the 1980s, using humor and wit to poke fun at its excesses.
Line by Line Meaning
Good evening I'm from essex
Hello, I am from Essex.
In case you couldn't tell
Just in case it was not clear where I am from.
My given name is Dickie, I come from Billericay
My name is Dickie and I am from Billericay.
And I'm doing very well
I am doing quite well for myself.
Had a love affair with Nina
I was in a romantic relationship with a woman named Nina.
In the back of my Cortina
It often happened in the back seat of my Ford Cortina.
A seasoned up hyena could not have been more obscener
It was quite scandalous and shocking.
She took me to the cleaners
I was taken advantage of financially.
And other misdemeanours
There were other misbehaviors.
But I got right up between her
But I still managed to get intimate with her.
Rum and her Ribena
We enjoyed rum and Ribena (a British non-alcoholic fruit drink) together.
Well, you ask Joyce and Vicki
If you don't believe me, ask Joyce and Vicki.
If candy-floss is sticky
You can ask them anything, even about candy floss.
I'm not a blinking thicky
I may not be the smartest person, but I am not completely foolish.
I'm Billericay Dickie
My name is Billericay Dickie.
And I'm doing very well
I am still doing quite well for myself.
I bought a lot of brandy
I purchased a lot of brandy.
When I was courting Sandy
When I was trying to romance a woman named Sandy.
Took eight to make her randy
It took eight drinks for her to be interested in me.
And all I had was shandy
However, all I actually had was shandy (a British drink typically made from lager and lemonade).
Another thing with Sandy
Another important thing to note about Sandy is that...
What often came in handy
What was commonly useful for me with Sandy...
Was passing her a 'Mandy'
...was giving her MDMA (a drug commonly known as ecstasy).
She didn't half go bandy
She became quite wild and crazy.
I'd rondez-vouez with Janet
I used to meet with a woman named Janet.
Quite near the Isle of Thanet
We met near the Isle of Thanet, which is in Kent (a county in southeast England).
She looked more like a gannet
To be honest, she resembled more of a bird called a gannet (which is a type of sea bird).
She wasn't half a prannet
She was rather foolish.
Her mother tried to ban it
Her mother did not approve of us meeting.
Her father helped me plan it
However, her father did help me make it happen.
And when I captured Janet she bruised her pomegranet
When we finally did get together, she injured her breast.
You should never hold a candle if you don't know where it's been
You should not trust something or someone if you don't know their story or background.
The jackpot is in the handle on a normal fruit machine
The best way to win on a typical slot machine is to pull the lever that is used to start it.
Who's their brickie
If you are curious about who built something for them, ask Joyce and Vicki.
I'm not a common thicky
I am not an ordinary fool.
I know a lovely old toe-rag obliging and noblesse
I am acquainted with an older person who is kind and charming.
Kindly, charming shag from Shoeburyness
...who is from Shoeburyness (a town in southeast England, on the Thames Estuary) and has a very healthy sex drive.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHAZ JANKEL, IAN ROBINS DURY, STEPHEN LEWIS NUGENT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind