After being a member of the amateur group Dramatis Personae while still at school, Jona started in the music business as a session pianist, before joining the cult pub rock band, Brett Marvin & the Thunderbolts, in the late 1960s. The group was a popular live act for several years, but their only mainstream hit single was "Seaside Shuffle" in 1972, released under the one-off nom de disque Terry Dactyl & The Dinosaurs. Borrowing heavily from Mungo Jerry's 1970 chart-topper "In The Summertime," "Seaside Shuffle" was an unashamedly commercial disc quite at odds with the Thunderbolts' usual style, but reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart.
However, Lewie looked likely to remain a one-hit wonder until he was signed up by Stiff Records in 1977. Following appearances on the Stiff package tours, he finally scored a solo hit in 1980 with the humorous synthpop number, "You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties,"which made the British Top 20. Although his next single "Big Shot - Momentarily" failed to make any impact, by the end of the year he was back in the charts with what became his biggest (and, to date, last) UK hit, "Stop The Cavalry." He was, however, to reach No. 2 on the Australian charts in 1981 with "Louise (We Get It Right)"
Although now one of Britain's (and, incidentally, Germany's) most familiar Christmas singles, "Stop The Cavalry" was not originally intended as a Christmas song – it was released in late November after the record company spotted the line referring to the festival: "I wish I was at home, for Christmas," Not only this, but the specific style of the brass instruments and bells in the chorus are very noticeable as a Christmas style theme.
Lewie has since been able to live comfortably on the continuing proceeds which Christmas airplay of "Stop The Cavalry" has annually brought him, as well as the proceeds from some wise property investments.
The tune and style of "Stop The Cavalry" was later parodied for a series of catchy and humorous TV adverts for John Smith's beer.
In December 2005, Jona was recruited by Channel 4 to record a new Christmas record with other old stars who had Christmas hits, on Bring Back The Christmas Number One.
You’ll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties
Jona Lewie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Enough to drive a man to drink, I don't do no washing up
I always leave the stuff piled up
Piled up in the sink
Me and my girlfriend we argued and she ran away from home
She must have found somebody new and now I'm all alone
Living on my own
What am I supposed to do?
She was into French cuisine but I ain't no Cordon Bleu
This was at some do in Palmer's Green
I had no luck with her
At last I met a pretty girl, she laughed and talked with me
We both walked out of the kitchen and danced in a new way
And now I've done my time in the kitchen at parties
I've done my time in the kitchen at parties
Jona Lewie's song "You'll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties" depicts a man who is not always at ease in social situations. He is not skilled at flirting and often faces rejection. The frustration caused by his failures leads him to drink, and he neglects household chores like washing up. In addition, he has recently split up with his girlfriend, which leaves him feeling alone and confused.
Despite this, the man still makes an effort to attend parties. At one such gathering, he meets a woman who is into French cuisine, a topic that doesn't interest him. Despite this, the man tries to connect with her, but it's clear that they don't have much chemistry. However, later at the same party, he meets another woman who is more compatible with him. They talk and laugh together and then dance, finally allowing the man to step out of the kitchen and enjoy himself.
In essence, the song is about the awkwardness of social interactions and the difficulties of finding a connection with other people. It emphasizes the importance of persistence in social situations and illustrates that even when everything else seems hopeless, there is always the possibility of meeting someone new.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm no good at chatting up and I always get rebuffed
I'm not good at picking up girls and I usually get rejected
Enough to drive a man to drink, I don't do no washing up
Rejection is stressful, I'd rather drink than do dishes
I always leave the stuff piled up
I don't clean up after myself, leaving a mess behind
Piled up in the sink
Dirty dishes are stacked high in the sink
Me and my girlfriend we argued and she ran away from home
My girlfriend and I had a fight and she left me
She must have found somebody new and now I'm all alone
She probably found a new boyfriend and now I'm lonely
Living on my own
I'm living by myself now
What am I supposed to do?
I don't know how to deal with being alone
Then I met this debutante, I said that I like New Wave rock
Then I met a young woman from a wealthy family, and we talked about our music taste
She was into French cuisine but I ain't no Cordon Bleu
She liked fancy food, but I don't know how to cook like that
This was at some do in Palmer's Green
This happened at a party in a neighborhood called Palmer's Green
I had no luck with her
She wasn't interested in me
At last I met a pretty girl, she laughed and talked with me
Finally, I met a beautiful girl who enjoyed talking to me
We both walked out of the kitchen and danced in a new way
We left the kitchen and danced together in a unique way
And now I've done my time in the kitchen at parties
I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen at parties
I've done my time in the kitchen at parties
I've had my fair share of being stuck in the kitchen at parties
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Jona Lewie, Keith Trussell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nickball2010
One thing springs to mind, they don't make records like this anymore, great to see Kirsty.
@MegaLotusEater
To be fair, these days you similarly get lots of artists who cant sing.
@sallyjoan
and you can? i bet you can't sing for toffee, don't be jealous of people who have talent, unlike you.@@MegaLotusEater
@colincampbell7928
@@MegaLotusEaterand he can? He sounds like Phil Daniels from Quadrophenia. 😢 awesome though.
@MegaLotusEater
@@colincampbell7928 I don't understand what you just said.
@colincampbell7928
@@MegaLotusEater https://youtu.be/Ecvzj2m5nww?si=QZLH4PNp0MrZZMQ0
@daconor91
I'm glad he was able to finally muster up the courage to make his way out of the kitchen at that party. What an emotional rollercoaster.
@AnneBoleynRome
daconor91 Lol 🥂👍👍
@elvis69rules
He's on diet these days
@elleeme9451
Ha!