Thomas August Darnell Browder (aka August Darnell, aka Kid Creole) was born in Montreal, Canada, on 12 August 1950, the son of a French Canadian mother and a father from the Caribbean island of Dominica, but was raised in the New York City borough of the Bronx.
Darnell began his career in a band named The In-Laws with his half-brother in 1965, which disbanded so August could pursue a career as an English teacher. He obtained a masters degree, but in 1974 again formed a band with his half-brother under the name Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band. They played to some initial success, reaching a gold and Top 40-charting album with their debut release, but could not match this on subsequent releases.
Darnell began producing for other artists before adopting the name Kid Creole (from the Elvis Presley film King Creole) in 1980, and forming The Coconuts, a trio of female backing vocalist/dancers, including his wife Adriana Kaegi, and a band including vibraphone player Andy Hernandez aka Coati Mundi. Cheryl Poirier joined that year as lead vocalist of the Coconuts, followed by Taryn Hagey as "Coconut #3" on background vocals in 1981. This line-up remained in place throughout the band's heyday. Hagey left the group in 1985 and was replaced by Janique Svedberg.
Their debut album was the heavily disco-influenced Off the Coast of Me, which was critically well-received but not successful commercially. The sophomore release Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places was a concept album matched with a New York Public Theatre stage production; it received rave reviews, and Darnell was recognized as a clever lyricist and astute composer, arranger and producer. The album charted briefly, and subsequently Coati Mundi's "Me No Pop I", though not originally on the album, became a Top 40 UK hit single. Their breakthrough came with 1982's Tropical Gangsters, which hit #3 in the UK and spun off three Top 10 hits with "Stool Pigeon", "Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy" and "I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby". "Dear Addy" also made the Top 40. In the US the album was retitled Wise Guy and reached #145, and "I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby" flirted with the R&B charts. 1983's Doppelganger was a relative commercial disappointment, despite the single "There's Something Wrong in Paradise" reaching the Top 40.
Kid Creole and the Coconuts were a spectacular live act, complete with lavish set designs with a tropical motif, wild costumes and intricate choreography by the Coconuts (provided by Kaegi). On stage they infused an energy, rhythm and playfulness in their music that drove audiences wild. Though Kid Creole never achieved mainstream success in the US, the band was hugely popular in major cities (especially its hometown NYC) and hit pop superstar status in England and Europe, where its eclecticism and sophistication were much more appreciated.
Darnell and Kaegi divorced in 1985, though she remained with the band. She and Cheryl Poirier also formed their own group, Boomerang, with Perri Lister, which released an album on the Atlantic label in 1986. Darnell continued Kid Creole and the Coconuts and in the mid to late 1980s contributed to various film soundtracks and other such projects. He appeared at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1986 and in this period released the albums In Praise of Older Women and Other Crimes and I, Too, Have Seen the Woods, neither of which charted despite the hit "Endicott". 1990's Private Waters in the Great Divide had a hit with single "The Sex of It", a song written by Prince and recorded at Paisley Park Studios with Sheila E. It reached Top 40 in the US and UK and is to date one of his most well-known songs.
Darnell now lives in London (and occasionally Sweden and Denmark), and still tours with the Coconuts occasionally. He is currently collaborating with writer/producer Peter Schott on a Contemporary Opera, to be produced by Son Of Kong Productions.The project features vocals/guitar by former Creole band member and rising star Mark Anthony Jones.
Through 1997 to 2008 Kid Creole toured the UK whilst starring in the stage show Oh! What a Night, a disco musical produced by Random Concerts.
The Kid is currently working with Younger and Lord highOwl, from audio-visual electronica project 'Picture Book' (www.myspace.com/picturebookaregreat), on new material, due in the new year.
Stool Pigeon
Kid Creole & The Coconuts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turning the joint upside down
Stool Pigeon - ha-cha-cha-cha
He's an old ex-con that's been away
Now he's back, no one's safe
Stool Pigeon - ha-cha-cha-cha
If you wanna squeal, said the FBI
So he told it all and in return
He got a credit card and a Thunderbird
And the maximum security
Even after plastic surgery
So go on and squeal, said the FBI
We can make a deal, make it worth your while
There's a gentleman that's going round
Turning the joint upside down
Stool Pigeon - ha-cha-cha-cha
He's an old ex-con that's been away
Now he's back, no one's safe
Stool Pigeon - ha-cha-cha-cha
After all the talk then they wired him
And he took a walk with his crooked friends
And they joked about the good old days
And he recorded it on a reel of tape
He caught the mug who did in the forgery
And the babe in charge of larceny
So the FBI they rewarded him
Because they like a guy who will stab a friend
There's a gentleman that's going round
Turning the joint upside down
Stool Pigeon - ha-cha-cha-cha
He's an old ex-con that's been away
Now he's back, no one's safe
Stool Pigeon - ha-cha-cha-cha
There's a gentleman that's going round ....
If you wanna squeal, said the FBI
We can make a deal, make it worth your while
So he told it all and in return
He got a credit card and a Thunderbird
He got a spanking new identity
And a condo down in Miami
He bought a plane, a boat and jewelry
But he couldn't buy any company
There's a gentleman that's going round ....
There's a gentleman that's going round ....
The lyrics to Kid Creole & The Coconuts' "Stool Pigeon" describe the story of an "old ex-con" who returns to his former criminal world as a "stool pigeon" for the FBI, offering information about his former associates in exchange for rewards. The first verse describes the stool pigeon's arrival and influence in his former criminal environment. The second verse describes the process of him becoming a stool pigeon and how he trades his testimony for a comfortable new life. The final verse describes the rewards he received for his testimony and how he became wealthy, but still couldn't buy any genuine relationships or loyalty.
"Stool Pigeon" is a nostalgic song that reflects the criminal underworld of the 1950s and 1960s, combined with a playful upbeat sound. The lyrics take a satirical look at the stool pigeon's life and his dealings with the FBI. The phrase "stool pigeon" refers to a person who informs on others to the police or authorities in order to gain rewards.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a gentleman that's going round
An unidentified man is wandering around
Turning the joint upside down
Causing chaos and disarray wherever he goes
Stool Pigeon - ha-cha-cha-cha
Referring to the man as a stool pigeon, or informant
He's an old ex-con that's been away
He is a former prisoner who had been incarcerated for some time
Now he's back, no one's safe
With his return, everyone is in danger
If you wanna squeal, said the FBI
If you want to become an informant, the FBI has a proposition for you
We can make a deal, make it worth your while
The FBI can give you compensation for your cooperation
So he told it all and in return
He gave up all the information he had and, in exchange
He got a credit card and a Thunderbird
He received a credit card and a Thunderbird car
And the maximum security
He received the highest level of security
Even after plastic surgery
The security included a new appearance through plastic surgery
He caught the mug who did in the forgery
He reported the person responsible for forging something illegal
And the babe in charge of larceny
He reported the woman in charge of theft
So the FBI they rewarded him
The FBI gave him a reward for his efforts
Because they like a guy who will stab a friend
The FBI respects someone who will turn on their one-time friends
After all the talk then they wired him
After all the discussion, they wired him meaning they recorded his conversations
And he took a walk with his crooked friends
He spent time with his associates who were involved in criminal activity
And they joked about the good old days
They reminisced the old days when they committed crimes together and joked about them
And he recorded it on a reel of tape
Unknown to his buddies, he recorded their conversations which was taped
He got a spanking new identity
He got a completely new identity
And a condo down in Miami
He purchased a luxurious apartment in Miami
He bought a plane, a boat and jewelry
He bought an airplane, a boat, and expensive jewelry
But he couldn't buy any company
However, he couldn't buy true companionship or loyalty
There's a gentleman that's going round ....
Repeating the first stanza about the wandering, shady man
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: AUGUST DARNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tomburroughes9834
I miss the 80s, and suspect I am not the only one.
@johnportwood5711
I miss the 60's!
@georgebamforth7372
@John Portwood And the 70's!
@peterzichau6994
I miss everything but these stupid times we're in now.
@homoerectussemenallyretent8889
Just found out I couldn't remember the lyrics.
@donaldvandansik5888
If missing is your thing. IMHO.it CONCERNS John Peel on Big London 266 continued on RADIO 648. After BBC WORLD SERVICE Scooped up the real Pirate talent
@stuartvorster4911
Real Music. When you wrote your own. When you knew you were different. When you didn't have to conform to statistics & marketing BS.
Thank the gods for music prior to the year 2000.....!
@gunterschulz9724
War 1982 dabei in Essen beim Rockpalast, funktastisch und nach all den Jahren immer noch nicht angestaubt. Toller 😀
@angiedefreitas5060
They never got the fame they truly deserved.
@angiedefreitas5060
@Java Monsoon I was the only one in my circle of friends/acquaintances that new about them. This was Toronto mid to late 80's.