The second album Midnight Calling (2013) saw the introduction of fellow Dane, jazz vocalist, Karina Kappel and took a more song-based approach to the genre steering away from the samples of the first album. It also included the swing cover of Crazy In Love (a much-imitated version of the Beyonce tune) that has since notched up over 6 million plays on Spotify alone, achieved even higher numbers on YouTube and inspired the version that appeared in the film The Great Gatsby.
Swing Republic continued this success with a string of singles and EP’s The Ballroom EP (2011), Crazy in Love Remixes (2012), The Return Of… (2014), a further album melding the style of both the first two albums Mo’ Electro Swing Republic – Let’s Misbehave (2015), and the recent EP’s Musicians (2017), Long Legs (2018) and Back In Time (2018).
This new Best Of compilation selects highlights from all of these including material that was until now available only on CD. The last eight years have seen Swing Republic produce music that strikes a resonant balance between contemporary electronic and vintage swing; and this has been key to their huge popularity. They remain one of the artists that has come to define the contemporary sound of swing.
Peas and Rice
Swing Republic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mama don't want no peas an' rice an' coconut oil,
Mama don't want no peas an' rice,
Mama don't want no coconut oil,
Just a bottle of brandy handy all the day!
Mama, Mama, Mama she likes the rum
Mama don't want no gin because it would make her sin,
Mama don't want no glass o'gin,
Because it's bound to make her sin,
Says it keeps her hot and bothered all the day!
Mama, Mama, Mama she likes the rum
Mama complains she's got a pain across her chest,
Mama complains she's got a pain across her chest,
Mama complains she's got a pain,
And the reason is very plain,
And the fruit that papa gave her, it won't digest!
Mama
Mama, Mama, Mama she likes the rum
The song "Peas and Rice" by Swing Republic is an upbeat, catchy tune that explores the preferences and desires of Mama, the central character in the song. The first verse begins with the line "Mama don't want no peas an' rice an' coconut oil." This line sets the scene for the rest of the song, indicating that Mama has specific taste preferences that she wants fulfilled. She doesn't want peas, rice, or coconut oil, which are staples in many Caribbean diets. This preference is then followed up with the line "Just a bottle of brandy handy all the day!" which indicates that Mama prefers to have brandy instead.
The second verse of the song continues exploring Mama's preferences, stating that she doesn't want gin because it would make her sin. Again, Mama's preferred alcohol of choice is introduced - rum. Mama likes rum, and she doesn't want anything else. The third and final verse introduces a new element to the song, whereby Mama is complaining about a pain across her chest. However, the reason for this pain is revealed to be that the fruit that Papa gave her won't digest. It's not clear what this means, but it adds a layer of humor and intrigue to the song.
Overall, "Peas and Rice" is a fun, lighthearted song that explores the preferences and desires of Mama. It's a song that's easy to dance to and sing along with, making it a popular choice in the swing dancing community.
Line by Line Meaning
Mama don't want no peas an' rice an' coconut oil,
Mother does not desire a meal of peas, rice, and coconut oil.
Mama don't want no coconut oil,
Mother doesn't want coconut oil.
Mama don't want no peas an' rice,
Mother doesn't want peas and rice.
Just a bottle of brandy handy all the day!
All mother wants is a bottle of brandy available all day long.
Mama, Mama, Mama she likes the rum
Mother likes rum.
Mama don't want no gin because it would make her sin,
Mother refuses gin for it causes her to make sinful choices.
Mama don't want no glass o'gin,
Mother doesn't want a glass of gin.
Because it's bound to make her sin,
The reason mother doesn't want gin is that it will cause her to sin.
Says it keeps her hot and bothered all the day!
Mother claims that gin will make her feel uncomfortable and restless all day long.
Mama complains she's got a pain across her chest,
Mother informs others about the pain she feels across her chest.
Mama complains she's got a pain,
Mother whines that she's experiencing pain.
And the reason is very plain,
The reason for mother's pain is obvious.
And the fruit that papa gave her, it won't digest!
The fruit papa gave her won't digest, causing her pain.
Contributed by Eliana W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.