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 GonzΓ‘lez Nova (owner of Comercial Mexicana), who was on board with several members of his family. A boathand, JosΓ© 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 GonzΓ‘lez 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.
In These Shoes
Kirsty MacColl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He was dressed to thrill wherever he went
He said: Let's make love on a mountain top
Under the stars on a big hard rock
I said: In these shoes?
I don't think so
I said: Honey, let's do it here
In walks a guy with a faraway look in his eyes
He said: I've got a powerful horse outside
Climb on the back, I'll take you for a ride
I know a little place, we can get there for the break of day
I said: In these shoes?
No way, Jose
I said: Honey, let's stay right here
No le gusta caminar No puede montar a caballo
(I don't like to dance, I can't ride a horse)
Como se puede bailar? Es un escandolo
(How can I dance? It's a scandal)
Then I met an Englishman
Oh, he said
Won't you walk up and down my spine
It makes me feel strangely alive
I said: In these shoes?
I doubt you'd survive
I said: Honey, let's do it
Let's stay right here
No le gusta caminar No puede montar a caballo
(I don't like to dance, I can't ride a horse)
Como se puede bailar? Es un escandolo
(How can I dance? It's a scandal)
Kirsty MacColl's "In These Shoes" is a fun, lively song about an adventurous woman who encounters various men with interesting proposals. The song begins with a man who suggests making love on a big hard rock atop a mountain, to which the woman responds in disbelief that she can't do it in her shoes. She then suggests doing it right there instead. In the following verse, another man approaches her, offering her a ride on his powerful horse to a little place they can reach by the break of day. Once again, the woman rejects the offer, this time because of her shoes. The final verse features an Englishman who asks the woman to walk up and down his spine, which she agrees to do, but not before asking if he'll survive it.
It's easy to interpret the lyrics as simply rejecting the advances of these men because of her shoes, but it's important to note that the singer is also turning them down because she doesn't want to engage in any activities that she's not comfortable with. The line "No le gusta caminar No puede montar a caballo" translates to "I don't like to walk, I can't ride a horse," further emphasizing the woman's reluctance to participate in activities outside her comfort zone, rather than just blaming it on her shoes.
Line by Line Meaning
I once met a man with a sense of adventure
I met a daring man with a love for excitement
He was dressed to thrill wherever he went
He always went out in style, wearing an outfit that made him stand out
He said: Let's make love on a mountain top
He suggested we have a passionate rendezvous on the peak of a mountain
Under the stars on a big hard rock
He hinted that sex on a big sturdy rock under the sparkling stars would be thrilling
I said: In these shoes? I don't think so
I was hesitant about engaging in intercourse wearing my current footwear
I said: Honey, let's do it here
I suggested that we find a more convenient location to express our love
So I'm siting at a bar in Guadalajara
I found myself at a bar in Guadalajara, Mexico
In walks a guy with a faraway look in his eyes
A man with dreamy eyes entered the bar
He said: I've got a powerful horse outside
He boasted about his strong horse parked outside
Climb on the back, I'll take you for a ride
He offered me a ride on his horse
I know a little place, we can get there for the break of day
He knew an ideal place to take me, and we would arrive there by daybreak
I said: In these shoes? No way, Jose
I refused his offer of a horse ride, citing my unsuitable footwear
I said: Honey, let's stay right here
I informed him that I preferred to stay at the bar
No le gusta caminar No puede montar a caballo
I dislike walking, and I'm unable to ride a horse
Como se puede bailar? Es un escandolo
How can I dance? It's a scandal
Then I met an Englishman Oh, he said
Next, I came across an Englishman
Won't you walk up and down my spine
He asked me to give him a back rub
It makes me feel strangely alive
He claimed that the experience would give him an unfamiliar sensation
I said: In these shoes? I doubt you'd survive
I doubted that I could perform the maneuver while wearing my shoes, let alone him surviving it
I said: Honey, let's do it
I agreed to his proposal
Let's stay right here
I then suggested staying in our current location for the back rub
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PETER WILFRED GLENISTER, KIRSTY MCCOLL, WILLIAM CORREA, MELVIN CLARK LASTIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Danny Riley
I once met a man with a sense of adventure
He was dressed to thrill wherever he went
He said: Let's make love on a mountain top
Under the stars on a big hard rock
I said: In these shoes?
I don't think so
I said: Honey, let's do it here
So I'm siting at a bar in Guadalajara
In walks a guy with a faraway look in his eyes
He said: I've got a powerful horse outside
Climb on the back, I'll take you for a ride
I know a little place, we can get there for the break of day
I said: In these shoes?
No way, Jose
I said: Honey, let's stay right here
No le gusta caminar No puede montar a caballo
(I don't like to dance, I can't ride a horse)
Como se puede bailar? Es un escandolo
(How can I dance? It's a scandal)
Then I met an Englishman
Oh, he said
Won't you walk up and down my spine
It makes me feel strangely alive
I said: In these shoes?
I doubt you'd survive
I said: Honey, let's do it
Let's stay right here
No le gusta caminar No puede montar a caballo
(I don't like to dance, I can't ride a horse)
Como se puede bailar? Es un escandolo
(How can I dance? It's a scandal)
m k
This song absolutely defines βcatchinessβ- you just canβt help singing and tapping along your it. The beat is addictive
Chris Gifford
One of my all-time favorite songs! The tune is so damn catchy; gets me dancing every time. I dare you to listen to this and not move...Impossible I say!!!
Huugo SΓΆrsselssΓΆn
Amen to that. Catchier than Covid.
Jan Smith
Kirsty, you are not forgotten and your music will always be brilliant!
Jedi Ninja
here here
Gwen Patton
It's two years later and it's still one of my favorites. A true Song of Power, and when Kirsty was killed, we lost a true Bard.
Caroline Godden
YES!!! SHE sounds so current, Present time.
How was she killed?
The holy man before dawn
accidental death, hit by a speedboat π€.
John North
God bless her, she was brilliant.
dogbaby1
A brilliant song with a great sense of humour. Total class!