MacColl began her career in the late 1970s UK punk rock scene, singing backing vocals for Drug Addix. Her UK hits included the 1981 single "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis", a cover of Billy Bragg's "A New England" in 1985, a duet with Shane MacGowan of The Pogues on "Fairytale of New York" in 1987, and a cover of The Kinks' song "Days" in 1989. She was probably most recognizable in the United States as the writer of "They Don't Know" a hit in 1979.
After a break from the music industry for much of the 1990s, several trips to Cuba and Brazil restored MacColl's creative muse, and the world music-inspired (particularly Cuban and other Latin American forms) Tropical Brainstorm, often described as her finest work, was released in 2000.
On 18 December 2000, while swimming in a restricted diving area with her family on a holiday in Cozumel, she was killed in a collision with a powerboat while managing to drag her son out of its path. The boat was owned by Mexican supermarket millionaire Guillermo González Nova (owner of Comercial Mexicana), who was on board with several members of his family. A boathand, José Cen Yam, claimed to have been driving the boat and was found guilty of culpable homicide and, under Mexican law, allowed to pay a fine of 1034 pesos (about USD 90) in lieu of a prison sentence of that many days. However, eyewitnesses contradict Cen Yam's claim to have been driving and also González Nova's claim that the boat was travelling at a speed of only one knot. MacColl's family are campaigning for a judicial review into the events surrounding her death, including an application to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The BBC has featured on several of its channels a documentary by Olivia Lichtenstein, entitled Who Killed Kirsty MacColl?
In 2001, a bench was placed by the southern entrance to London's Soho Square as a memorial to her, after a lyric from one of her most poignant songs: "One day I'll be waiting there/ No empty bench inSoho Square.
BAD
Kirsty MacColl Lyrics
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The token daughter and the token wife
Now I collected tokens one by one
'Til I've saved enough to buy a gun
Now you can't get even but you can get mad
And it's not funny no and it's not sad
It's just a feeling that I've always had
Oh Look out world I'm about to be bad
I want a brief encounter in a stolen car
A hand on my buttock in a Spanish bar
I want to meet the man who wants to go too far
For a token of my affection
I want to taste excitement
Smell the danger
Get swept off my feet by the perfect stranger
I want to try something that I've never had
Oh look out world I'm about to be bad
I've been an awful woman all my life
A dreadful daughter and a hopeless wife
And I've had my eye on that carving knife
Oh you've been lucky so far
I'm not crazy no I'm just mad
I don't want to be sorry
No I want to be glad
It's just a feeling inside that I have always had
So look out world I'm about to be bad
Kirsty MacColl's song "Bad" is a powerful and provocative song about a woman who has been constrained by societal expectations and gender roles her whole life. The song begins with MacColl lamenting her position "as the token woman all my life," being seen as nothing more than a daughter or a wife. She talks about "collecting tokens one by one," which could be interpreted as the small crumbs of recognition or validation that women are given in a patriarchal society. But now, she's saved up enough tokens, and she's ready to use them to break free from these confines.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "look out world I'm about to be bad," which is a declaration of empowerment and agency. MacColl wants to experience life on her own terms, to have a "brief encounter in a stolen car" or "meet the man who wants to go too far." She wants to taste excitement and danger, to be swept off her feet by a perfect stranger. These are all things that she's been taught a "good girl" doesn't do, that women should be passive and polite and obedient. But MacColl is tired of playing by those rules, and she's ready to break them.
The final verse of the song takes a more ominous tone. MacColl admits to being "an awful woman all my life," and she's been eyeing a "carving knife." This could be interpreted as a metaphorical desire to harm the men who have kept her down, or it could be a more literal threat of violence. MacColl insists that she's not crazy, just angry, and she doesn't want to be sorry anymore. This is a woman who has been pushed to the brink by a patriarchal society that has denied her agency, and she's ready to fight back.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been the token woman all my life
I have always been just a symbolic representation of my gender and never truly recognized for my own individuality.
The token daughter and the token wife
I have also been viewed as just a symbol within my family, never truly valued for my own qualities or contributions.
Now I collected tokens one by one
I have been accumulating experiences and tokens of societal expectations in order to fit in and be accepted.
'Til I've saved enough to buy a gun
I have finally reached my limit and have decided to take action against those who have oppressed me.
Now you can't get even but you can get mad
I may not be able to right all the wrongs against me, but I can definitely express my anger and indignation.
And it's not funny no and it's not sad
This is a serious issue that affects me and many other women, and should not be dismissed as humorous or pitiful.
It's just a feeling that I've always had
I have always harbored this rage and frustration towards my societal conditioning.
Oh Look out world I'm about to be bad
I am now prepared to rebel against my previous docile and obedient behavior, and engage in activities deemed 'bad' by society.
I want a brief encounter in a stolen car
I desire to experience a thrilling and exhilarating moment, and engage in activities deemed 'unethical' by society.
A hand on my buttock in a Spanish bar
I crave for sexual attention and affection, and desire to engage in such activities even in public places.
I want to meet the man who wants to go too far
I desire to find someone who is as adventurous and rebellious as I am, and engage in activities deemed 'taboo' by society.
For a token of my affection
I am willing to express my love and desire through unconventional and 'bad' means.
I want to taste excitement
I yearn to experience a sense of thrill and adventure in my life.
Smell the danger
I am willing to engage in activities that are deemed 'unsafe' or 'illegal' by society, just for the sake of experience and liberation.
Get swept off my feet by the perfect stranger
I am willing to engage in romantic or sexual endeavors without having any prior attachment, and explore my sexuality and desires freely.
I want to try something that I've never had
I am willing to take risks and try new things that I have never done before, just for the sake of experience and novelty.
Oh look out world I'm about to be bad
I have decided to embrace my rebellious and defiant nature, and engage in activities that have previously been deemed 'bad' by society.
I've been an awful woman all my life
I have been conditioned to view myself as an inferior and worthless individual, and have internalized these thoughts and beliefs.
A dreadful daughter and a hopeless wife
I have failed to live up to the societal expectations placed on me as a daughter and a wife, and have been branded as 'dreadful' and 'hopeless' in these roles.
And I've had my eye on that carving knife
I have contemplated self-harm or harm to others, as a result of my societal conditioning and oppression.
Oh you've been lucky so far
Society and those who have oppressed me have been fortunate enough to not have faced any retaliation or backlash from individuals like me.
I'm not crazy no I'm just mad
My rage and frustration are not a result of any mental illness, but rather a natural response to the societal oppression and conditioning I have received.
I don't want to be sorry
I refuse to apologize for being who I am and for past behaviors that were a result of societal conditioning and oppression.
No I want to be glad
I am now embracing my true self and desires, and am refusing to conform to societal expectations anymore.
It's just a feeling inside that I have always had
My desire to rebel and engage in 'bad' activities has always been present within me, but has been suppressed due to societal conditioning and oppression.
So look out world I'm about to be bad
I am finally ready to embrace my true self and rebel against the societal conditioning and oppression that has been imposed upon me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: KIRSTY MACCOLL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind