Shu-bi-duas formation was as a tongue-in-cheek act, rewriting beat and in particular rock´n´roll classics with danish lyrics using college humour and satire. Already on the first album - they combined this with original material - often writing in pastiche. Their sound developed from rock in the early 70s - to pop in the 80s and into entertainment (or dansktop) in later years - but often using and intermixing styles from bossanova and reggae over rockabilly to synthpop to underline their humour. Their lyrics have kept up the satirical tone throughout the years and although they have shied away from the direct political blurbs and kept up a fun and games attitude - they have nevertheless described danish middle class society, its beliefs and desires - often to devastating effects. As such they have been a noteworthy inspiration for danish lyrics in pop rock and also for the wit and satire of later bands like MC Einar, Ibens and Det Brune Punktum.
To date Shubidua's discography is getting close to 30 albums (18 studioalbums). They have had many hits in Denmark like Vuffeli-vov, Hvalborg, Står på en Alpetop, Stærk Tobak (to the music from The Beatles song Twist and Shout), Familien kom til Kaffe, Sex Chikane, We wanna be free, and many more -all of whom have classical status as golden oldies. They reached maximum sales and accolade with the albums between 1978-1982.
The group formed in 1973 in Copenhagen by vocalist Bundesen, Jens Tage Nielsen and members of the rock group Passport : (guitarists Michael Hardinger and Poul Meyendorff, the drummer Bosse Hall Christensen, and bass guitarist Niels Grønbech). Passport, released the single Tomorrow/Everything's Wrong in early 1973. Shu-bi-dua released the single Fed Rock/Tynd Blues which became a hit single. After the release of one more Passport single with new members Bundesen and Nielsen, called Change of the Guard/Highway of Living, the serious english project was dropped, and the band continued as Shu-bi-dua,
In 1974 they released their first self-titled album Shu-bi-dua. After the first album, Poul Meyendorf left the group and was replaced by Claus Asmussen, who was technician on the first.
Since then the group has had numerous changes in its lineup. Kim Daugaard replaced Niels Grønbech in 1977, Willy Pedersen replaced Jens Tage Nielsen, and Kasper Winding replaced Bosse Hall Christensen in 1981. In 1984 Michael Bundesen left the group to lead the Copenhagen TV network "Kanal 2", and simultaneously Kasper Winding left to be replaced by Paul Callaby. In 1987 Jørgen Thorup was made a permanent member in the group when Willy Pedersen left. Thorup had been singing backup vocals since Shu-bi-dua 11 in 1985. In 1987 Michael Bundesen returned as lead singer, while Søren Jacobsen also joined the band. In 1988 Peter Andersen replaced Paul Callaby as drummer, and shortly thereafter Søren Jacobsen left the band again. After having made the film Den røde tråd in 1989, they went on a sabbatical until their return in 1992 with the hit single Sexchikane. In the intervening years their back catalog was rereleased on CD in 1990, and in 1991 a Best Of album by the name Stærk Tobak was released. In connection to this they played live in front of 50,000 people on Bellevue Strand. In 1997 Michael Hardinger left the band after 24 years. He was replaced by Ole Kibsgaard, and in 2001 Jørgen Thorup left the band to be replaced by Jacob Christoffersen. In 2003 their 30th anniversary was celebrated with a 10-CD set called Shu-bi-dua 200 (each CD had 20 songs). In 2005 Claus Asmussen left Shu-bi-dua having been the only original continuous member in the group's 30-year history.
Små Duppeditter
Shu-bi-dua Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
der stod ved siden af mig i baren.
Og det havde jeg sådan set heller ikke regnet med,
for vi stod jo bare der og sludrede om den nye Volvo
- fed vogn ellers
Nå men det fik mig til at tænke lidt over
hvor svært det hele er blevet.
Dengang jeg fik seksualundervisning i skolen,
og en trans det var noget man bestilte,
når man sku' flytte.
Nu er det Bøsse og Leppe og Sado og Maso.
Det lyder sgu som en sofagruppe fra Ikea.
Nå men der ka' vel heller ikke være noget i vejen
med at prøve noget nyt,-
som de siger ovre i Sovjetunionen:
Nogle er til damer
nogle er til herrer
nogle er til intet
og nogle er til alt
læder og nitter
og noget der stritter
og små duppeditter
der smager
smager af salt
Nu er jeg jo ikke TV-narkoman,
men jeg har fået kabel,
og så ka' man jo ikke undgå at få en kigger af og til.
Og det er jo ikke alt det de sender,
der er lavet af Lars von Trier
det ka' vi godt bli'e enige om ikke?
Reklamerne,-
de må sgu da tro vi er fuldstændigt åndssvage.
Så står der den der lille bjørn
og reklamerer for et skyllemiddel, ik'
og så er det ikke engang en vaskebjørn.
Næh jeg har lavet et digt:
Kvinder bløder
mænd barber' sig
og bløder også
hvis de skær' sig.
Det må de sgu godt bruge
- det ka' de få fuldstændig gratis:
Nogle er til damer
nogle er til herrer
nogle er til intet
nogle er til alt
hunde der prutter
og nogle der sutter
på små dippedutter
der smager
smager af salt
Nogle er til damer
nogle er til herrer
nogle er til intet
og nogle er til alt
læder og nitter
og noget der stritter
og små duppeditter
der smager
smager af salt
Nå, nu er jeg jo ikke religiøs,
men jeg er ansat i et lille firma
der hedder "De 10 Bud".
Vi bringer varer ud til pensionister
der ikke ka' få gangstativet ud ad hoveddøren.
Når jeg engang bli'r gammel ik'
så sidder vi garanteret i hvert sit lille betonkammer
og så skal vi hele tiden trykke på en knap
og så lyser der en lille lampe henne i kontrolcentret.
Og når lampen ikke lyser mer'...
så kommer de og henter mig.
In Shu-bi-dua's song "Små Duppeditter," the singer finds himself reflecting on the changing attitudes towards sexuality and gender identity in society. He begins by recounting a conversation he had with a man at a bar who asserted that he was not gay. The singer notes that he never assumed otherwise, but the exchange prompts him to remark on how difficult it has become to navigate the various labels and identities that have emerged over the years. He recalls his own sex education in school where gender was presented in binary terms - male or female - and anything outside of those categories was either not discussed or stigmatized. Now, in contrast, there are seemingly endless categories and labels for different sexual orientations and gender identities. The singer concludes, however, with a note of openness to trying new things, "there can't be anything wrong with trying something new," he says, citing a popular phrase from the Soviet Union.
Throughout the song, the singer weaves in a series of seemingly unrelated vignettes that nevertheless shed light on his broader point. He marvels at the strange and often inane commercials on television and jokingly composes a poem about menstruation and shaving. Finally, he jokes about the absurdity of his own job working for a company called "The Ten Commandments" that delivers groceries to elderly people who cannot leave their homes. He imagines that one day he too will be confined to a small room and forced to press a button and await transport into the great beyond. In all of these episodes, the singer seems to be highlighting the fundamentally unknowable and strange nature of human existence. Despite all of the categories and labels we might impose on ourselves or others, we are still endlessly complicated and unknowable creatures.
Line by Line Meaning
Nu er jeg jo ikke bøsse sagde fyren
der stod ved siden af mig i baren.
The guy next to me at the bar said that he's not gay, which I wasn't assuming anyways since we were just talking about cars.
Og det havde jeg sådan set heller ikke regnet med,
for vi stod jo bare der og sludrede om den nye Volvo
- fed vogn ellers
I wasn't expecting him to be gay anyway since we were chatting about the cool new Volvo car.
Nå men det fik mig til at tænke lidt over
hvor svært det hele er blevet.
It made me realize how complicated everything has become.
Dengang jeg fik seksualundervisning i skolen,
der var en dame en dame og en fyr var en fyr
og en trans det var noget man bestilte,
når man sku' flytte.
When I got sex education in school, there were only two genders -- male and female -- and transgender people were something you only encountered when moving houses.
Nu er det Bøsse og Leppe og Sado og Maso.
Det lyder sgu som en sofagruppe fra Ikea.
Nowadays, there are so many different sexual orientations and types of fetishes that it sounds like a furniture set at IKEA.
Nå men der ka' vel heller ikke være noget i vejen
med at prøve noget nyt,-
som de siger ovre i Sovjetunionen:
But there's nothing wrong with trying something new, as they say in the Soviet Union.
Nogle er til damer
nogle er til herrer
nogle er til intet
og nogle er til alt
læder og nitter
og noget der stritter
og små duppeditter
der smager
smager af salt
There are some people who are attracted to women, some to men, some to nobody, and some to anything. There are those who like leather, studs, and things that protrude, as well as small gadgets that taste like salt.
Nu er jeg jo ikke TV-narkoman,
men jeg har fået kabel,
og så ka' man jo ikke undgå at få en kigger af og til.
I'm not addicted to TV, but since I have cable, I can't help but watch it from time to time.
Og det er jo ikke alt det de sender,
der er lavet af Lars von Trier
det ka' vi godt bli'e enige om ikke?
Not everything they air on TV is made by Lars von Trier, can't we agree on that?
Reklamerne,-
de må sgu da tro vi er fuldstændigt åndssvage.
The commercials seem to think we're idiots.
Så står der den der lille bjørn
og reklamerer for et skyllemiddel, ik'
og så er det ikke engang en vaskebjørn.
There's this little bear advertising laundry detergent, but it's not even a real bear.
Næh jeg har lavet et digt:
Kvinder bløder
mænd barber' sig
og bløder også
hvis de skær' sig.
I came up with a poem: Women bleed, men shave and also bleed when they cut themselves.
Det må de sgu godt bruge
- det ka' de få fuldstændig gratis:
They can use it if they want, free of charge.
Nogle er til damer
nogle er til herrer
nogle er til intet
nogle er til alt
hunde der prutter
og nogle der sutter
på små dippedutter
der smager
smager af salt
There are some who like women, some who prefer men, some like nobody, and some who want everything. Then there are dogs that fart and some who suck on little gadgets that taste like salt.
Nå, nu er jeg jo ikke religiøs,
men jeg er ansat i et lille firma
der hedder "De 10 Bud".
I'm not religious, but I work for a company called 'The Ten Commandments.'
Vi bringer varer ud til pensionister
der ikke ka' få gangstativet ud ad hoveddøren.
We deliver goods to elderly people who can't carry their own stuff out the front door.
Når jeg engang bli'r gammel ik'
så sidder vi garanteret i hvert sit lille betonkammer
og så skal vi hele tiden trykke på en knap
og så lyser der en lille lampe henne i kontrolcentret.
When I'm old, I'll probably be sitting in a tiny concrete room pressing a button all day while a small lamp lights up in some control center somewhere.
Og når lampen ikke lyser mer'...
så kommer de og henter mig.
And when the lamp stops lighting up... They'll come and get me.
Contributed by Carson H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jan
on Humbug
Super-mand = en mand der handler i et supermarked.
Jan
on Humbug
Måske skulle du nævne ordspillene, som måske går tabt for den kun engelskkyndige.
tournedos tornado
øl og vand ild og vand
Frellsens her Frellsens Hær
Der er sikkert flere.