1. The Bees (… Read Full Bio ↴There have been several bands with the name The Bees.
1. The Bees (known as A Band of Bees in America, owing to a rights conflict over their name) are a UK band from the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. Formed in 2000, the band members are Aaron 'Fletch' Fletcher (bass), Paul Butler (vocals, keyboards, guitars), Kris Birkin (guitar), Tim Parkin (trumpet), Michael Clevett (drums) and Warren Hampshire (keyboards). Known for harking back to the 60s and 70s, with cheery pop and trips into the psychedelic, The Bees record their albums in analog, notably recording their debut album in a garden shed.
To quote an Amazon review: "The best word to describe the music is bouncy -- the Bees call on snappy drums and cheery basslines and guitar riffs for their sound, as well as some deeply moving Hammond organ. To finish off the sound, they inject some harmonies that would make the Zombies wipe away a tear of pride."
Their influences cover soul, reggae, funk and Motown, with artists such as Curtis Mayfield, Burt Bacharach, Up the Junction era Manfred Mann, The Kinks and Small Faces.
In the USA The Bees are known as "A Band of Bees" to avoid confusion with two local bands of the same name (see below):
2. The Silver Seas, formerly the Bees, are a pop-rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, formed by producer-musician Jason Lehning and singer-songwriter Daniel Tashian. They played their first show as the Bees in 1999 and toured as an opening act for Guster in 2004 after the independent release of their debut album, Starry Gazey Pie. Their second indie release, High Society followed in May 2006.
On May 2, 2007, the Los Angeles-based label Cheap Lullaby announced that it had signed the Bees and intended to reissue High Society. Copyright issues involving the British band the Bees had already forced the Nashville group to add "U.S.," in parentheses, to the end of their name (even though the Bees of the UK are marketed as A Band of Bees stateside), so Cheap Lullaby encouraged Tashian and his bandmates to come up with a new moniker, hence the Silver Seas. The label reissued High Society under the band's new name on October 9, 2007.
Metromix gave the reissue of High Society a "Pick" rating and mentioned that the Silver Seas had a reputation as "one of the best unsigned bands in their hometown of Nashville," while Performing Songwriter magazine raved that the band had "made the catchiest album of the year." High Society was nominated at the seventh annual Independent Music Awards in 2008 for best pop-rock album of the year.
In July 2010, shortly after reissuing Starry Gazey Pie under their new name, the Silver Seas independently released their third album, Château Revenge! (in Europe it was released by the Lights Label via EMI, which also distributed the band's subsequent two releases. It was followed six months later by a "blue edition" featuring acoustic versions of Château's 12 songs. BBC Radio presenter Danny Baker called the Silver Seas "the best group in the world" in 2011.
3. The Bees was a San Gabriel Valley garage band that released one single in October of 1966, "Voices Green And Purple" backed with "Trip to New Orleans" as the B-side, on the Covina, California-based Liverpool Label. No other singles by this band were issued.
4. Quirky New Wave/Punk band from New York with three 7" releases on their own label Obey My Brain - 4 song EP (1978), "TV Mentality" (1979), "Already In Love" (1979).
5. The Bees were an R&B act that released a version of "My Ding-a-ling" in 1954 on the Imperial label, entitled "Toy Bell."
Chicken Payback
The Bees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pay the chicken back back
Pay the chicken back
Pay back the chicken back
Do the chicken pay back
Piggy
Pay the piggy back back Pay the piggy back
Pay back the piggy back
Do the piggy pay back
Monkey
Pay the monkey back back
Pay the monkey back
See the monkey do the monkey
Pay the monkey back
Chicken
Pay the chicken back back
Pay the chicken back
pay back the chicken back back
Do the chicken payback
Camel
Pay the camel back
sitting on a camel back
see the camel do the camel
Pay the camel back
Donkey
Pay the donkey back
back pay the donkey back
pay back the donkey pay back Pay back the donkey
All the animals together
break it down
let me hear ya
Chicken
Pay the chicken back back
Pay the chicken back back
do the chicken payback
Pay back the chicken
Piggy
Pay the piggy back back
Pay the piggy back
See the piggy Do the piggy
Pay the piggy back
Monkey
Pay the monkey back back
Pay the monkey back
Pay back the monkey
Pay back
Pay back the monkey
Chicken
Pay the chicken back back
Pay the chicken back
Pay back the chicken back
Do the chicken pay back
Camel
Pay the camel back back
Pay the camel back
Pay back the camel
Pay back
Pay back the camel
Donkey
Pay the donkey back back
Pay the donkey back
Pay back the donkey
Pay back
Pay back the donkey
Pay back
Take him away
Pay back the donkey
Take him away
Pay back the Piggy
Take him away
Pay back the Monkey
Take him away
Pay back the Chicken
Take him away
The lyrics to The Bees' song "Chicken Payback" seem to be an invitation to a dance, with instructions given to the listener on how to pay back different animals for their various actions. The repetition of the phrase "pay the [animal] back" suggests a call-and-response style of music, with the lead singer prompting the audience to imitate his or her movements in response to each animal's payback. The lyrics give specific actions for each animal, such as "see the monkey do the monkey," suggesting that the dance involves more than just paying back the animals, but also mimicking their actions.
The song's title, "Chicken Payback," suggests that the dance is centered around the chicken and its payback, but the other animals are included as well, creating a lively and inclusive atmosphere. The repetition of the phrase "pay back" also suggests a theme of reciprocity or revenge, as if the animals are getting back at someone who has wronged them. However, the lighthearted tone of the music and lyrics suggests that this payback is all in good fun.
Line by Line Meaning
Chicken
Let's focus on the chicken now
Pay the chicken back back
The chicken owes us, time to pay it back
Pay the chicken back
Make sure the chicken pays us back
pay back the chicken back back
The chicken needs to repay us in full
Do the chicken pay back
The chicken needs to take action and repay us
Piggy
Now let's move on to the pig
Pay the piggy back back
We need the pig to repay us what it owes
Pay the piggy back
Make sure that pig pays us back
Pay back the piggy back
We want the pig to return what it was lent
Do the piggy pay back
The pig needs to act and repay us
Monkey
Now let's move on to the monkey
Pay the monkey back back
The monkey needs to repay us with interest
Pay the monkey back
The monkey needs to pay us back
See the monkey do the monkey
Watch the monkey perform its actions
Pay the monkey back
Make sure the monkey pays us back
Chicken
Back to the chicken again
Pay the chicken back back
The chicken still owes us money
Pay the chicken back
The chicken needs to return what it borrowed
pay back the chicken back back
We want the chicken to repay us with interest
Do the chicken payback
The chicken needs to take action and repay us
Camel
Let's switch to the camel now
Pay the camel back
The camel owes us and needs to repay
sitting on a camel back
Riding on the camel
see the camel do the camel
Observe how the camel behaves
Pay the camel back
Make sure the camel repays us
Donkey
Finally, let's talk about the donkey
Pay the donkey back
We need the donkey to repay us
back pay the donkey back
The donkey needs to return what it owed us
pay back the donkey pay back
Make sure the donkey returns what was borrowed
Pay back the donkey
Make the donkey return what is owed
All the animals together
Let's focus on all the animals now
break it down
Get ready to break it down
let me hear ya
Sing along with me
Take him away
Take the animal away
Pay back the donkey
Make the donkey return what it owes
Take him away
Take the pig away
Pay back the Piggy
Make the pig return what it borrowed
Take him away
Take the monkey away
Pay back the Monkey
Make the monkey return what it owes us
Take him away
Take the chicken away
Pay back the Chicken
Make the chicken repay us
Take him away
Take away the animal
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: AARON FLETCHER, KRISTIAN DAVID BIRKIN, MICHAEL JOHN CLEVITT, PAUL JAMES BUTLER, TIMOTHY DAVID PARKIN, WARREN MICHAEL HAMPSHIRE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sperea-eo
why the hell do I keep coming back to this song? I think it is the voice. It is so smooth. No wonder Devendra wanted to have him record his newest record. I need some more up-beat sounds in my life.
@roflsean6495
Anyone still hear? This song came to mind today randomly...I ain't mad about it.
@startrooper00
Same dude...haven't heard it in a few years and just randomly thought of it....
@t.c.bramblett617
I think about it all the time lol
@johnthehappyjohn
It's so strange that it's automatically brilliant. If I had kids, they'd be brought up on stuff like this I'd be a great dad Great job Kwaichi!
@naonaokao
I heard this at an Abercombie & Finch and my life hasn't been the same.
@KatyD43
I am thinking of having this song as our first dance at our wedding. Lol! I love it.
@birdy1numnum
I played this yesterday at a flea market and people loved it! Chicken Payback slaps!
@FifiDebord
The star of this video is my old housemate Kenji Watanabe. I havent properly seen it in its entirity before as The Bees didnt even give Kenji a copy!I expect that i will end up sharing this around all our mutual freinds and aquaintances now, for cheap laughs. It is pretty cool though this, I now see Kenji in a whole new "Japanese John Travolta" style light!
@masarujasu
used to have this on some triple j dvd few years back when i worked at a busy cafe in chinatown... love this clip, used to get me through the nightmare shifts...