T'Pau formed in 1986. The members originated from the towns of Shrewsbury and Wellington in central England and took their name from a Vulcan high priestess in the classic Star Trek episode Amok Time. Their debut single and first hit was the 1987 release Heart and Soul. Initially a flop in the UK, it first became a hit in the U.S. Billboard charts, reaching #4, a feat it repeated in the UK Singles Chart some months later. The same year, the band had their biggest hit with the ballad, China in Your Hand, which spent five weeks at Number One in the UK chart, and also claimed the top slot in several European countries, although oddly the song made little impact on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
They had a number of smaller hits which made it to at least the UK Top 40, including the singles Valentine, Sex Talk (a new recording of early flop single Intimate Strangers), I Will Be With You, and Secret Garden. Their 1987 album Bridge Of Spies (the album was called T'Pau in the U.S.) was a best seller and won several British record industry awards.
Nevertheless, the band failed to maintain their success and split in 1991. But Decker reformed the band with a new line-up in 1998, and T'Pau have in recent years attempted a comeback.
In May 2005, Carol Decker reached the final round of the ITV show Hit Me Baby One More Time, singing the T'Pau hit China in Your Hand.
See also: Official site
Monkey House
T'Pau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We will teach you how to think a clean way
There'll be no more dirty looks
And no more dirty books
Now for your own good, we will take the choice away
There is a limit in the state of Mental Hygiene
To the difference of opinion we can allow, oh yeah
Now we must close an open mind
Well, how can you hurt us if we:
Clean up in the Monkey House tonight
Oh yeah, you're gonna be alright
We clean up in the Monkey House, house tonight
Now we can make or break your mind
With Mental Hygiene
And you will see things in the way we think you should
Oh yeah
In the quiet of the night
The first cut is the deepest in the fight
How can you blame us if we:
Clean up in the Monkey House tonight
Oh yeah, you're gonna be alright
We clean up in the Monkey House
We're gonna take you
We're gonna wash you whiter than white
In the Monkey House
Oh yeah!
Woh, ooh, ooh, ooh, woh, ooh, ooh, woh
In the quiet of the night
You can hear your own heart beating
In the quiet of the night
We'll take your breath away
Now you're gonna listen to the things we say
We gotta:
Clean up in the Monkey House tonight
Oh yeah, you're gonna be alright
We clean up in the Monkey House
We're gonna take you
We're gonna wash you whiter than white
In the Monkey House tonight
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha yeah!
We clean up in the Monkey House
The lyrics to T'Pau's song "Monkey House" suggest an authoritarian regime that aims to control people's thoughts and behavior through a program called Mental Hygiene. This regime claims to teach people how to think in a clean way, implying that alternative or unconventional ideas are dirty and should be eradicated. The state imposes limits on the difference of opinion and closes open minds that are not in line with the regime's values. The imagery of "monkey house" suggests a place where undesirable elements are confined and cleaned up, like animals in a zoo.
The chorus of the song repeats "we clean up in the monkey house tonight" as if celebrating a victory or a mission accomplished. The second verse suggests that Mental Hygiene can make or break people's minds and that they will see things in the way the regime thinks is appropriate. The quiet of the night seems ominous, as the first cut is the deepest in the fight, implying that resistance to the regime is futile. The bridge of the song repeats the phrase "In the quiet of the night" twice, suggesting a moment of introspection or vulnerability, but then quickly shifts back to the regime's desire to take people's breath away and make them listen to the things they say.
Line by Line Meaning
In the healthy, wealthy state of Mental Hygiene
In a society where everyone is mentally healthy and successful
We will teach you how to think a clean way
We will enforce our way of thinking on you
There'll be no more dirty looks
There will be no expressions of dissent
And no more dirty books
We will censor all material that does not conform to our ideology
Now for your own good, we will take the choice away
We will restrict your freedom for your supposed benefit
There is a limit in the state of Mental Hygiene
We only allow a certain range of opinions
To the difference of opinion we can allow, oh yeah
We only tolerate opinions that align with ours
Now we must close an open mind
We will not allow independent thinking
If it's open to a different kind
If one is receptive to diverse ideas
Well, how can you hurt us if we:
We will protect ourselves from criticism or opposition
Clean up in the Monkey House tonight
We will enforce conformity on dissenters
Oh yeah, you're gonna be alright
You will be okay if you conform
Now we can make or break your mind
We have the power to manipulate your thoughts
With Mental Hygiene
Through our enforced ideology
And you will see things in the way we think you should
You will perceive reality as we dictate
In the quiet of the night
When no one is around
The first cut is the deepest in the fight
The first blow in a battle is the most damaging
How can you blame us if we:
We will absolve ourselves of responsibility
We're gonna take you
We will force you to comply
We're gonna wash you whiter than white
We will cleanse you of your independent thoughts
In the Monkey House tonight
In our society of enforced conformity
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha yeah!
We revel in our power over dissenters
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CAROL ANN DECKER, RONALD PHILLIP ROGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind