Their early sound was a quirky, cabaret-inflected pop-rock with witty, literate lyrics from Blegvad. Their first two albums featured members of Faust in the backing band, although the second was later re-recorded with session musicians for Virgin records.
By 1975, they had been interleaved with the British avant-rock group Henry Cow, a union that produced two important works: a theatrical, Kurt Weill-esque set of songs entitled Desperate Straights and a much more daunting and avant-garde set entitled In Praise Of Learning.
The band has had fitful reunions ever since, sometimes just for the odd single, but often for major projects (the 1991 television opera Camera and the 1998 studio album Ça Va, for example).
Krause, Moore and Blegvad reformed Slapp Happy again in November 2016 to perform with Faust at the Week-End festival in Cologne, Germany. The two groups also played on 10–11 February 2017 at Cafe Oto in London. On 24 February 2017 Slapp Happy (without Faust) performed at Mt. Rainer Hall, Shibuya in Tokyo. In September 2017, Slapp Happy and Faust played at the 10th Rock in Opposition festival in Carmaux, France. They made a final appearance in November 2017 in Brussels, Belgium.
Casablanca Moon
Slapp Happy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now he sports a fez
There's cabalistic innuendoes
In everything he says
Sucking at a cigarette
Picking up a thread
Underneath the Casablanca Moon
In the shadow of a mosque
He can't count all the continents
He's crossed
Trailing party-members leaving
Footprints in the frost
Underneath the Acnalbasac Noom
His cover was broken somewhere
In Hoboken the man said his
Case was lost
He was sent to the Orient
A double agent double crossed
There's a cocaine stain on his moustache
The pieces of his puzzle just don't join
People in high places want to stamp his
Many faces on a trans-caucasian coin
He'd better watch his step 'cause sooner or
Later they'll find his headless body in
A ventilator
Lines of sweat like tinsel start to smart his eyes
Neurosis seeps like cement through the cracks in his disguise
In a dark bordello he cracked a mirror with his cries
Underneath the Casablanca Moon
Yesterday evening he finally lost his mind
The walls fell in & all mankind
Was standing before him all raising their hands
In a significant gesture which he didn't understand
His cover was broken somewhere
In Hoboken the man said his
Case was lost
He was sent to the Orient
A double agent double crossed
He used to wear fedoras
Now he sports a fez
There's cabalistic innuendoes
In everything he says
Sucking at a cigarette
Picking up a thread
Underneath the Casablanca Moon
He'd better watch his step 'cause sooner or
Later they'll find his headless body in
A ventilator
The lyrics of the song "Casablanca Moon" by Slapp Happy are a story about a spy and his experiences while on a mission. The lyrics describe the spy's transformation from wearing fedoras to sporting a fez and the cabalistic innuendos that he uses in his speech. The spy is paranoid and anxious, constantly picking up threads and lurking behind papers and in the shadow of a mosque. However, he is also adept at picking up clues left by party-members and has traveled to various continents in his line of work.
The story takes a dark turn when the spy's cover is compromised in Hoboken, and he is sent to the Orient as a double agent, only to be double-crossed. The lyrics describe his deteriorating mental state as evidenced by a cocaine stain on his mustache, sweat like tinsel in his eyes and the cracks in his disguise. As the anxiety builds, the lyrics suggest that the spy may meet a gruesome fate with people in high places wanting to stamp his many faces on a trans-caucasian coin. The song ends with the spy finally losing his mind and facing the collective judgement of all mankind, which he doesn't understand.
Line by Line Meaning
He used to wear fedoras
He used to wear hats that were typically associated with stylish men
Now he sports a fez
Now he wears a hat that is associated with a specific culture or region
There's cabalistic innuendos
There are hidden messages or meanings in what he says that are associated with mystical or esoteric knowledge
In everything he says
These hidden messages are present in all of the things he says
Sucking at a cigarette
He is smoking a cigarette
Picking up a thread
He is starting a conversation or idea
Underneath the Casablanca Moon
All of these things are happening at night under the light of a full moon in the city of Casablanca
He lurks behind a paper
He hides himself behind a newspaper or other reading material
In the shadow of a mosque
He is near a mosque, which is casting a shadow over him
He can't count all the continents
He has traveled to many different places
He's crossed
He has traveled across many different continents and regions
Trailing party-members leaving
He is following people who are part of a political party
Footprints in the frost
He can see the footprints of the people he is following, which are visible in the frost on the ground
Underneath the Acnalbasac Noom
All of these things are happening at night under the light of a full moon in a place called Acnalbasac Noom, which is an anagram for Casablanca Moon
His cover was broken somewhere
He was found out or exposed somewhere
In Hoboken the man said his
This happened in Hoboken, where a man told him
Case was lost
His situation was hopeless or he could no longer hide himself
He was sent to the Orient
He was sent to a region typically associated with Asia or the Middle East
A double agent double crossed
He was betrayed by someone who was supposed to be on his side
There's a cocaine stain on his mustache
There is evidence of drug use on his mustache
The pieces of his puzzle just don't join
He has a lot of information, but he can't put it all together
People in high places want to stamp his
Important people want to capture him and make him
Many faces on a trans-caucasian coin
Famous faces from the region will be imprinted on a coin with his image
He'd better watch his step 'cause sooner or
He needs to be careful because eventually
Later they'll find his headless body in
They will find his body without a head in
A ventilator
A machine designed to move air in and out of the lungs
Lines of sweat like tinsel start to smart his eyes
He is sweating so much that it is causing his eyes to sting
Neurosis seeps like cement through the cracks in his disguise
He is having a mental breakdown, which is becoming visible even though he is trying to hide it
In a dark bordello he cracked a mirror with his cries
He was in a seedy place when he lost control and broke a mirror while screaming
Yesterday evening he finally lost his mind
He had a complete mental breakdown yesterday evening
The walls fell in & all mankind
The world seemed to be collapsing around him, and all of humanity was present
Was standing before him all raising their hands
People were holding their hands up as if they were surrendering
In a significant gesture which he didn't understand
He couldn't figure out the reason behind this gesture, but it seemed important
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANTHONY JOHN MOORE, JOHN MOORE ANTHONY, PETER BLEGVAD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind