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Thomas: Anybody who says the lyrics are dumb hasn't taken the time to digest the verses. Sears: That was the best song on the album, even though it's considered the worst song of all time. The rest were a load of crap. Sears: Grace was unhappy. I saw that. She was being staunchly brave. In a band, either you're in or you're out. Wolf: It sounded like nothing else on the radio and had a very in-your-face, hard-edged machine bottom.
Yes, I'm proud of it. The mockery came way later. Francis Delia video director : I got a call from the band, asking if I could be in Kalamazoo to join them for a dinner. It was a very celebratory time; a bunch of guys who were knocking on middle age suddenly had a No. Garland: You know me, kind of a clown.
Love, Les Garland. Chaquico: It marked a new chapter in the band where we couldn't stop making No. Wolf: I saw them in Costa Mesa, and when they played the beginning of the song, 15, people were singing. Tears were running down my eyes. It was very moving for me. The '80s, in my personal life, were a total disaster for me. Someone in the production crew thought it would be neat to release thousands of Ping-Pong balls.
The audience starts throwing the balls, and while Mickey's hitting a note, a ball flies into his mouth. He was pissed. Thomas: When the song went to No. Page: Hmm. Marconi was the first one to send music across the ocean.
Marconi created the radio. Chaquico: Marconi's the guy who invented the radio, and his style of music was the mamba. But listen to the radio now. Do you hear any mamba? That's how I look at the lyric: Things change. I could be totally wrong. Thomas: The stakes were higher because of the band's past. It's I thought Mickey Thomas was singing "Marconi plays the number". Got here via a Google search for 'marconi plays the mamba' after NPR's 'Planet Money' used this song as their theme yesterday.
Brilliant analysis, I really enjoyed that! Well, again, I'm another person who googled "Marconi plays the mamba" and came up with this. I listened to this song on the radio for the first time a few weeks ago and I instanly got hooked with its catchy tune. Who cares if Blender rated this as the 1 worst song ever written, I think it's still pretty enjoyable.
Also, the in-dept analysis of the song lyrics was awesome. Thanks for that. I think that "Marconi plays the mamba" is the best line from this song, seriously Did I ever tell you I sang this at a banquet for JA in high school? Now I know what I was singing about! You rock! Saucy Vixen Rock on! I'm kinda with defessus, wanting to add my "me too. And about the whole worst song ever thing, it's a matter of opinion.
I happen to throughly enjoy this song for its upbeat tempo. But then again, could just be me. Hear here! Love the article. You've got a new reader. I, too, arrived here by Googling "Marconi plays the mamba. Turned out to be the song that I'd been humming just hours earlier. What a kwinky-dink. And I think Blender was guilty of hyperbole when they named the song the worst song, ever. I can think of many songs that are much, much worse.
I always thought "Marconi plays the mamba or mombo listen to the radio" referred to the beat of the between station static on an old AM radio. There is definately a Latin Beat emitting between stations. Listen to it at night, to the radio that is, an AM radio, and listen for the Latin Beat. That is how I interpreted it. Yeah, I'm a Googler too; glad I found this. I knew this song from when it first came out, and for some reason never thought that Marconi line was too weird.
Now that you mention the snake connotation, though, it makes me think that "playing the mamba" could be a reference to snake charming? Playing the horn and making the snake dance? Charming the corporate snake beast that radio has become?
Vixen -- I like your style! Just an idea, but couldn't they be referring to Marconi 'playing' or acting the role of a snake or Mamba by taking credit for an invention that wasn't his to lay claim to?? With all of the other references to corporate America, is it possible they mean Marconi himself IS the Mamba??
Listen to the radio, it's NOT his? I googled "Marconi plays the mamba" as well It irks me that this was the 1 worst song ever.. But what do I know? Previous Anonymous Poster of August 10th! I have just read all these comments, and I like your interpretation best! Wasn't there some sort of debate and snitchiness involved with the invention of the radio or was that television? I like the idea that Marconi is trying to sneak credit for something someone else did, perhaps something like building a city on rock'n'roll, perhaps something like building a city on rock and roll of which the public needs reminding.
Don't you remember? The radio waves identified by Marconi, when diagramed, looked like a snake think gentle up and down wave. It's actually Marconi plays the mambo not mamba. I'm in choir and we're are going to have a concert called American Pop Forever and that song is included. The lyrics go as I have said before. Marconi plays the mambo.
Anon, You may be in choir, but you are wrong. Very, very wrong. I'm sorry you are so very wrong. The sad state of American choir today Some really stupid people here. Like the guy who thought "the city that rocks" and "the city that never sleeps" are both San Francisco, when they are really Cleveland and New York, respectively. Like many, I too got here by Googling 'Marconi plays the mamba', but I bet you could also get here by Ask.
Just so happens that this song is on there and with 18 songs on repeat all day, I hear We built this city a few times. I googled marconi plays the mamba to see what the dealio was on it Good stuff. Very interesting. I stumbled upon this when using Google to find out if Marconi in the lyrics referred to the same Marconi of the radio. Which it did. Anyway, I'm replying because I see so many people say Jefferson Starship is bad, but to be honest I actually love their music I'm only 19 years old but I like listening to old music rather than commercial new bullshit.
I actually read the entire thing. That's what I get for googling bizarre lyrics Marconi plays the mamba, of course. The best interp I've seen myself is that they're saying modern radio is poisoning the youth of today.
XD You know Marconi representing the radio, the mamba representing an extremely venomous snake. Though I actually like the AM static-mambo theory. Especially if the singer is nowadays saying the lyric is really "mambo. Which is true. I do it all the time. PS: I love this song. How can people not like this song?! Yet another googler of the infamous line. I'm doing it because of a temporary obsession with Grace Slick. As a 35 yr old, I'm suddenly in love with her mid 80's version, with some serious like of her late 60's early 70's type.
If I'm completely honest, though, I'd always thought that this particular song, and any song that has "rock and roll" in the lyrics, was tainted with a degree of lameness that required changing stations, momentarily. Now, though, I am totally into this and the Mannequin song. Usual thing - young people assume that everyone else is stupid, apart from them! When you get a bit older, you will realise that you're stupid too! Instead of writing all this crap, the solution was so simple - you just need to ask the person who actually wrote the lyrics what they meant!
But I doubt you ever thought of that, because you think you're much more clever than them, as we all do when we're your age. The reality is this is an enduring, massively enjoyable song, and we don't know what the lyrics mean, unless we ask the person who wrote them.
They wrote one of the best ever rock songs, so I would treat them with some respect, unlike you. This was a mindless and fun essay written three years ago. Lighten up. Get yourself a sense of humor. In a VH1 special, Paul Kantner commented on this song saying, "Uh No, you didnt build this city, you didnt build shit".
I love Paul Kantner. WHAT a hoot. I actually got out of bed at 1 am to google marconi plays the mamba. Actually I googled while charlie plays the bumbum. Somehow I've been perfectly happy that this was the correct lyric for 30 years of my life until now.
I don't really don't know when you wrote this, but it's just what I was looking for. I'm from Argentina, and I just couldn't believe when you said that there're people saying this is the worst song ever written. Hell no, I love this song, and I really appreciate your analysis, if it's the word. I loved this song as a kid, when it was new, along with their other hit from the same album, Sarah. I had completely forgotten about it until , when I was at a Christmas party in a karaoke bar in Japan and one of my Japanese co-workers sang this song.
Anyway, I added it to my project playlist Spaceface's youtube video showing Mickey Thomas overemphasize MambO settles the issue in my mind, though some other bloggers have argued that Mambo wasn't invented until after Marconi's death. That is an argument to be taken up with Mickey Thomas. Thank you Saucy Vixen and Spaceface! I,too am one of the many people who googled "Marconi plays the Mamba" Vixen i would like to say that I like your interpretation very much!
And, it seems that by posting this along with so many others, I'll help keep it the 1 result. Had a lot of fun reading all the ideas here -- I think some of them are probably deeper than the writer's.
Vixen this is Dallas pirate radio out in the extreme rural fringes. I think your breakdown of the lyrics is 'spot on' and probably dead on. Take a BIG bow! Totally shocked and blubbering, I said hello, and, asked him one question.. I asked him about the whole mamba thing. It wouldn't have reached number one on the radio, and okay, fine, even if it had done so, we wouldn't still be talking about it. And if every hit from the 80s that sounded just like it were complete trash, why would an entire generation of young pop musicians have decided to reintroduce the world to synths, saxophones, and drum machines again, with hyper-sharp, over-produced vocals, straight outta this era?
You know why that's happened? Because pop songs don't have to make sense, they just have to get caught in your head and maybe make you dance. This is the sound of stupid fun. And everyone who ever said otherwise either works for NPR, or has already told it to their blog. Stay up to date!
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