Chelsea Girl
The band was formed in 1979. The original 5 band members were: - Ian 'Oddy'… Read Full Bio ↴The band was formed in 1979. The original 5 band members were: - Ian 'Oddy' Hodson Vocals Kieron Egan Vocals Guy Naylor Guitar Gary Naylor Drums Mick Clarke Bass Band names were discussed and originally 'The Anti Heroes' was chosen, which at a later date was changed to Resistance 77. We decided on the name Resistance 77 because we were playing a style of music more associated with '77 than with the stuff at that time which was thrashier. Our first gig was in November 1980 at South Normanton Miners Welfare. Bricks in Brixton became our first release on the compilation L.P. 'Riotous Assembly'. The nowhere to play E.P. was released in late November 1982 and sold 3000 copies. The E.P. spent 11 weeks in the 'Sounds' Punk Charts peaking at Number 5. In 1983 Guy Naylor on guitar left the band and was replaced by Marc 'Luggy' Ludlam. Soon after the line up change we released a couple of tracks on 'Rot Records' compilation L.P. called 'Wet Dreams'. The line up at this stage consisted of: - Ian 'Oddy' Hodson Vocals Kieron Egan Bass/Vocals Marc 'Luggy' Ludlam Guitar Gary Naylor Drums This was soon followed by the release of the 'Vive Le Resistance' E.P. The same line up went on to record the classic album Thoroughbred men and was then released in 1984. The album received good reviews getting 4 stars in 'Sounds'. In 1988 our new drummer Paul 'Mushy' Marshall replaced Gary Naylor. We did some sell out gigs in 1988 and got through to the final of 'The National Battle of the Bands' competition. We then decided to record a new single called 'You Reds' to commemorate Nottingham Forest getting to the 1990 Littlewoods Cup Final. This single came about after Forest and England footballer Stuart Pearce suggested we record one as he had seen some of our gigs and was into punk music. The single went on to sell around 2000 copies. Resistance 77 has always had a strong following not only in the U.K. but also in the U.S.A. the former Yugoslavia Italy Spain France Germany and Belgium. In 1990 Luggy left the band and Rob took over lead guitar, then in 1992 Spike joined to play rhythm guitar. By this time Resistance 77 was becoming even more popular. In 1996 our back catalogue was re-released on the CD 'Thoroughbred Men' on Captain Oi Records. Rob and Spike left the band and Tom Young took over guitar in 1996. We then played some gigs over in Belgium and at the HITS in Morecambe and were offered slots on the 2000 bill and also the Holidays in the Smoke at Tuffnell Park London. Since 2000 the popularity of Resistance 77 really took off and we have played many gigs in the U.K and aboard. In May 2001 the 'Retaliate First' album was released on Captain Oi Records, but after recording this album Tom had to hang up his guitar due to University Studies but we soon recruited Ellis Waring as his replacement. We have played many more gigs in England and Europe which were a great Success. After HITS Blackpool in 2002 we played HITS U.S.A. in New Jersey Germany Italy and The Czech Republic. In March 2004 Resistance 77 released their first DVD 'Live in Trutnov' which showed the band in action in the Czech Republic. Soon followed a second DVD, which was 'Live at Rakovnik' Punk Festival. We then went on to release a CD in May 2004 called 'Long Time Dead'. It has received excellent reviews in the music world from as far a ? field as Poland, France, Canada, Italy and The USA, which has resulted in us being invited to perform at music festivals around the world. In December 2004 Mushy our drummer decided to retire after a 16-year stint and was replaced by Stuart Meadows. Our new line up to the present day is as follows: - Ian 'Oddy' Hodson Vocals Kieron Egan Bass Ellis Waring Guitar Stuart Meadows Drums This led to bringing out this new DVD ' H.I.T.S TO WASTED ' looking back over the last 25 years and the different line-ups of the band. We are currently organising our schedule for the year which as well as several major Music Festivals in the U.K. will also include gigs in Finland, Czech Republic, U.S.A, Germany and France.

Chelsea Girl
Resistance 77 Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Down there nearly every Saturday
They've got their money to spend
Flicking through the racks of pastel coloured clothing
Keeping up with the latest trend
She's fallen in love with something she can't afford
It looks like the case of the lend
I bet the first time she wears it it will fall to pieces
But it's nothing that her mummy can't mend

Chelsea Girl

All the boyfriends are being dragged
Round the jewellers and Chelsea Girl
He knows it's gonna cost him 'cos she's talking so fast
She's got his head spinning in a whirl
Can I have this? How much is it? Christ Almighty
You must think it grows on trees
You would if you loved me go on can I have it
Can I have it oh go on please





But she's so worried in case she runs out of money
To spend to keep up with all the latest trends

Overall Meaning

The Resistance 77 song "Chelsea Girl" tells the story of a young woman who loves going to the Chelsea Girl clothing store on Saturdays to browse the racks of pastel-colored clothing to keep up with the latest fashion trends. She has fallen in love with a particular item of clothing that she cannot afford, but she tries to convince herself that she can borrow it. Her boyfriend is dragged along with her to the store and the nearby jewelers, where she tries to convince him to buy her expensive items. She continuously talks so fast that her boyfriend's head starts spinning. She pressures him to buy her the items by saying he would if he really loved her. However, she is worried about running out of money to keep up with the latest fashion trends.


The lyrics of "Chelsea Girl" offer a commentary on the consumerist fashion culture of the time. The song highlights the pressure put on young women to conform to societal beauty standards and to spend money they might not have on expensive items to maintain a certain image. The lyrics also show the immense pressure put on men to buy their girlfriends expensive items as a sign of their love.


Line by Line Meaning

Down there nearly every Saturday
Every Saturday, she goes to Chelsea Girl.


They've got their money to spend
They carry cash to spend on clothes.


Flicking through the racks of pastel coloured clothing
Going through pastel colored clothes to choose a dress.


Keeping up with the latest trend
She wants to wear the latest trend clothes to be stylish.


She's fallen in love with something she can't afford
She loves a dress that is beyond her budget.


It looks like the case of the lend
She can't afford it, but she is thinking of borrowing money.


I bet the first time she wears it it will fall to pieces
The quality of the dress may not be up to the mark.


But it's nothing that her mummy can't mend
If it gets damaged, her mother can easily fix it.


All the boyfriends are being dragged
All boyfriends have to accompany their girlfriends to Chelsea Girl.


Round the jewellers and Chelsea Girl
They have to visit the jewelers and Chelsea Girl together.


He knows it's gonna cost him 'cos she's talking so fast
She is talking fast because she wants him to buy something expensive.


She's got his head spinning in a whirl
It's tough for the boyfriend to make sense of what she wants.


Can I have this? How much is it? Christ Almighty
She is inquisitive about the cost of the things she likes.


You must think it grows on trees
She feels her boyfriend must think she has unlimited funds.


You would if you loved me go on can I have it
She is playing the love card on her boyfriend.


Can I have it oh go on please
She is persuading him to buy her things.


But she's so worried in case she runs out of money
She is always worried about running out of money to spend on new clothes.


To spend to keep up with all the latest trends
She has to spend money to stay up-to-date with the newest fashion trends.




Contributed by Caden I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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