The band was founded in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire in 1979 as a four piece avant-garde instrumental group called Art Nouveau, with Nick Beggs on bass guitar, Steve Askew on lead guitar, Stuart Neale on keyboards and Jez Strode on drums. Art Nouveau released a track called "The Fear Machine". The single sold a few hundred copies, and was played on the John Peel show, but the band could not get a record deal.
In 1981, they advertised for and auditioned lead singers, and finally chose Christopher Hamill. He made his profile, and therefore that of the band, catchier by using an anagram of his surname for his stage name, becoming Limahl. The name of the band was then changed to Kajagoogoo. Writing out the phonetics of a baby's first sounds gave them "GagaGooGoo". With a little bit of "casual" alteration it became Kajagoogoo.
The band attracted the interest of three record labels (and Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes) while performing at the Embassy Club in London. The band was signed to EMI in July of 1982, and Rhodes was signed to produce their first album, White Feathers. The debut single "Too Shy" was released in January of 1983 and went to the top of the charts (before any of Duran Duran's singles had done so, Rhodes noted ruefully). Follow-up releases "Ooh to Be Ah" and "Hang on Now" both reached the UK top twenty as well.
The band fired Limahl in 1983 after a huge disagreement, with Beggs taking over as singer, but the hits dried up completely. They tried a relaunch as Kaja in 1985 which failed, and they broke up for good in 1986.
Limahl enjoyed a briefly successful solo career, scoring a hit with the movie theme song "Neverending Story" in 1984.
The band briefly joined forces again on VH1's Bands Reunited (26 January 2004, Season 1, Episode 6) and performed at the Scala club in London, England for the show.
In 2007, Nick Beggs, Steve Askew and Stuart Neale continued to play together as Kajagoogoo.
June 24th, 2007 saw the release of "Rocket Boy" the first Kajagoogoo single in 22 years. The single received airplay on Steve Wright's Radio 2 show in the UK.
In September 2007 Kajagoogoo performed the opening set with other 1980s acts at Retrofest at Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Kajagoogoo is back!
They have since formally reunited. In February 2008, Kajagoogoo, under new manager Bradley Snelling, announced their reunion. on April 7, 2008 a new contract was signed with all of the original band members, Nick Beggs on bass guitar, Steve Askew on lead guitar, Stuart Neale on keyboards, Jez Strode on drums and Limahl on vocals bringing the band back together officially for the first time in 25 years.
Kajagoogoo are back! and a new website Kajagoogoo has been launched! An entire Free Album "Gone to the Moon" and tracks can be downloaded at their offical website, www.kajagoogoo.com
The website was created to mark the reformation of all original 5 band members, Nick, Limahl, Jez, Steve and Stuart.
Here you will find all the latest information on the band, live dates, band member info as well as some official Kajagoogoo goodies, mp3's, photos, downloads and more!
Big Apple
Kajagoogoo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walking in jungle
Cruising down boulevard part of the race
Taking a tumble
Loving a stranger
Is fearing from danger
Is crying in some avenue
Assassin with gun is taking his aim
To target his rival
And tossing the street is a dangerous game
The stakes are survival
Love in that stranger
Still fearing that danger
Still crying in some avenue
And soon the hate will be there too
Life in the Big Apple moves very fast
And so must you
Do like the others do
And don't you drag your heels
Life in the Big Apple moves very fast
Cops on route are hot in pursuit
As windows are shattered
Caf and arcade are teeming with loot
The sidewalks are scattered
Walking down highways
Just seeing things my way
While dealer man enjoys his wealth
You spare the rope, he'll hang himself
Life in the Big Apple moves very fast
And so must you
Do like the others do
And don't you drag your heels
Life in the Big Apple moves very fast
And so must you
Do like the others do
And don't you drag your
Drag your
Life in the Big Apple moves very fast
And so must you
Do like the others do
And don't you drag your heels
Life in the Big Apple moves very fast
And so must you
Do like the others do
And don't you drag your heels
The song "Big Apple" by Kajagoogoo explores the fast-paced and dangerous nature of life in New York City. The lyrics describe walking through the "jungle" and cruising down boulevards, taking tumbles along the way. The singer speaks of loving a stranger and the fear that comes with that, as danger and hate seem to loom around every corner. The mention of an assassin taking aim at a rival and the idea of a dangerous game being played on the streets reinforces the idea that life in the "Big Apple" can be violent and unpredictable.
Despite the danger, the song suggests that one must keep up with the pace of the city and not "drag their heels." The chorus repeats the phrase "Life in the Big Apple moves very fast, and so must you," urging the listener to do as others do and not fall behind. The repeated line "do like the others do" almost seems to suggest that conformity is necessary to survive in this environment.
Overall, the lyrics of "Big Apple" paint a picture of a chaotic, sometimes frightening city where survival is key. The fast pace and danger of city life are juxtaposed with the idea that one must keep up and not fall behind. The song is a commentary on the challenges of navigating the urban landscape.
Line by Line Meaning
See my face you know where I've been
My experiences are visible in my appearance
Walking in jungle
Navigating a chaotic and dangerous environment
Cruising down boulevard part of the race
Traveling quickly down a busy street, competing with others
Taking a tumble
Suffering a physical or metaphorical fall
Loving a stranger
Forming an emotional attachment to an unfamiliar person
Is fearing from danger
Experiencing fear in response to a perceived threat
Is crying in some avenue
Expressing emotional distress in a public space
And soon the hate will be there
Negative emotions such as hatred may arise from an initially positive experience
Assassin with gun is taking his aim
A person with violent intentions is targeting someone else
To target his rival
The target of the violent intentions is an adversary
And tossing the street is a dangerous game
Throwing objects into the street carries risks for oneself and others
The stakes are survival
The potential consequences of actions are life or death
Life in the Big Apple moves very fast
Living in New York City is a fast-paced, high-energy experience
And so must you
In order to thrive, one must be able to keep up with the pace of the city
Do like the others do
Conforming to the behavior and expectations of one's surroundings may be necessary
And don't you drag your heels
One must not be slow or hesitant in their actions
Cops on route are hot in pursuit
Law enforcement officials are actively chasing after someone
As windows are shattered
Property damage is occurring in the process of a crime
Caf and arcade are teeming with loot
Places of business have been raided for goods
The sidewalks are scattered
Debris or objects are strewn about the paved walkways
Walking down highways
Traversing major thoroughfares
Just seeing things my way
Perceiving and interpreting the world in a unique manner
While dealer man enjoys his wealth
A person who profits from illegal or illicit trade is living lavishly
You spare the rope, he'll hang himself
By allowing a person to continue engaging in harmful behaviors, the ultimate consequences will be to their detriment
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRISTOPHER HAMILL, JEREMY STRODE, NICK BEGGS, STEPHEN ASKEW, STEVEN ASKEW, STUART CROXFORD NEALE, STUART JOHN NEALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@benkenobi118
See my face
You know where I've been
Walking in jungle
Cruising down boulevard
Part of the race
Taking a tumble
Loving that stranger
Is fearing from danger
Is crying in some avenue
And soon the hate will be there too
Life in the big apple moves very fast and so must you
Do like the others do and don't you drag your heels
Life in the big apple moves very fast
Cops on route
Are hot in pursuit
As windows are shattered
Café and arcade are teeming with loot
The sidewalks are scattered
Walking down highways
Just seeing things my way
While dealer man enjoys his wealth
You spare the rope he'll hang himself
Life in the big apple moves very fast and so must you
Do like the others do and don't you drag your heels
Life in the big apple moves very fast and so must you
Do like the others do and don't you drag your...
Life in the big apple moves very fast and so must you
Do like the others do and don't you drag your heels
Life in the big apple moves very fast and so must you
Do like the others do and don't you drag your heels
@charlesbritzman501
Heaven help me, I’m 70 and I just “discovered” Kaja Goo Goo , and I really like them ! I could put them on my stereo right next to Wang Chung and listen to SMART dance music all day.
@BeCze73
Sluchalam Kajagoogoo w latach 80..Slucham do dzis jako 50ciolatka ❤😂
2024
@anndebondt2393
80's music is still the best!!
@silke9479
The best era, will never come again!
The next generations were contaminated by drugs and everything was destroyed: charisma, beauty, uniqueness, elegance, voices etc.!
@skyhawk747
One of my childhood faves. Nick Beggs kicks serious ass! You gotta love those 80's mullets.
@LarryFleetwood8675
For sure, plus he always reminded me of Adrian Edmondson...
@williamcadle3288
"Islands" is still one of my favorite albums of all time. Absolutely awesome.
@tracylane8098
54 and still have the white feathers album on vinyl, saved all my pocket money till i had enough n my mam bought it home for me
@helenhasdell1530
Islands is absolutely amazing and melodic album, every single tune is legendary, it's 2020 and it's still in my headphones🥰 I totally think Kajagoogoo post Limahl was underestimated and Nick Beggs is real cool😎
@ajs41
2 years before this Nick was working as a bin man in Leighton Buzzard. What an amazing ascent he had.