I Eat Cannibals

"I Eat Cannibals"
Single by Toto Coelo
from the album Man o' War
B-side	"I Eat Cannibals (Part 2)"
Released	1982 (1982)
Genre	Tribal rock [1] new wave [2] novelty [1]
Length	3:30 (Part One) 3:55 (Part Two)
Label	Radialchoice Virgin
Songwriter(s)	Barry Blue Paul Greedus Roy Nicolson
Producer(s)	Barry Blue
Toto Coelo singles chronology
"I Eat Cannibals" (1982) "Dracula's Tango (Sucker for Your Love)" (1982)

"I Eat Cannibals" is a song by British new wave group Toto Coelo, known as Total Coelo in the United States. The song was written by Paul Greedus, Roy Nicolson, and Barry Blue, who also produced the track. It was included on Toto Coelo's only studio album, Man o' War (1983), and released as the group's debut single in 1982. On the album, the song is split into two parts: Part One appears as the opening track while Part Two closes the album. ^[3]

"I Eat Cannibals" became a chart hit in several countries, peaking at number two in Sweden, number three in South Africa, number four in Australia and Denmark, and number eight in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the song peaked at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and its music video was nominated for Best Use of Video to Enhance Artists' Image at the Fifth Annual Billboard Music Video Conference.

Release and promotion

"I Eat Cannibals" was released in the United Kingdom in 1982 and in the United States in January 1983. ^[4] For all the 7-inch singles released outside North America, "I Eat Cannibals" was split into two halves, with Part 1 as the A-side and Part 2 as the B-side. ^{[5] [6] [7]} In the United States and Canada, Part 2 was replaced with "Mucho Macho", and was released under the name Total Coelo to avoid confusion with American band Toto. ^{[8] [9]} The single was also released on 12-inch vinyl, with the UK, European, and Australian versions containing extended versions of Parts One and Two. ^{[10] [11] [12]} The US and Canadian versions include both extended mixes on the A-side, while the B-side features a shorter version of "I Eat Cannibals" plus "Mucho Macho". ^{[13] [14]} The promote the song in the UK, Toto Coelo performed it at the Camden Palace during the filming of "Breakout", the pilot episode of a new British rock series. ^[15]

Critical reception

Writing for Billboard , Leo Sacks called "I Eat Cannibals" "lots of fun" and compared it to Toni Basil's 1982 hit "Mickey". ^{[2] [16]} Another writer likened the song to an African version of the Go-Go's' music, while Larry Flick retrospectively called the song a guilty pleasure in 1993. ^{[1] [17]}

Music video

A music video directed by Mike Brady and produced by Jon Roseman was filmed for the song. ^[18] It features Toto Coelo dancing to the song on a stage with tropical props. At the beginning, the stage is lit with a bright white light, but when Toto Coelo member Lacey Bond waves a wand over a balloon, the white light turns off, revealing colourful tubes of light on the props. ^[19] The video received medium rotation on MTV and was nominated for Best Use of Video to Enhance Artists' Image at the Fifth Annual Billboard Music Video Conference. ^{[18] [20]}

Track listings

UK, European, and Australian 7-inch single ^{[5] [6] [7]}

A. "I Eat Cannibals (Part 1)" – 3:30

B. "I Eat Cannibals (Part 2)" – 3:55

UK, European, and Australian 12-inch single ^{[10] [11] [12]}

A. "I Eat Cannibals (Part 1)" (extended version) – 6:40

B. "I Eat Cannibals (Part 2)" (extended version) – 5:17

US and Canadian 7-inch single ^{[8] [9]}

A. "I Eat Cannibals (Part 1)" – 3:28

B. "Mucho Macho" – 3:28

US and Canadian 12-inch single ^{[13] [14]}

A1. "I Eat Cannibals (Part 1)" (extended version) – 6:34

A2. "I Eat Cannibals (Part 2)" (extended version) – 5:14

B1. "I Eat Cannibals" (short version) – 3:28

B2. "Mucho Macho" – 4:56

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1982–1983) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report) [21] 4 Denmark (IFPI) [22] 4 Ireland (IRMA) [23] 11 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [24] 38 South Africa (Springbok Radio) [25] 3 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [26] 2 UK Singles (OCC) [27] 8 US Billboard Hot 100 [28] 66 US Dance/Disco Top 80 ( Billboard ) [29] 27 US Cash Box Top 100 [30] 65

Year-end charts Chart (1982) Position UK (BMRB) [31] 91 Chart (1983) Position South Africa (Springbok Radio) [32] 17

References

1. "New on the Charts: Total Coelo". Billboard . Vol. 95, no. 17. 23 April 1983. p. 24.
2. Sacks, Leo (5 March 1983). "Out of the Box: Hot 100/AC". Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 9. p. 22.
3. Man o' War (UK LP liner notes). Radialchoice, Virgin Records. 1983. TCLP 1.
4. Robertshaw, Nick (18 December 1982). "'Mickey' Does the Trick for U.K.'s Radialchoice". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 50. p. 56.
5. I Eat Cannibals (UK 7-inch single vinyl disc). Radialchoice, Virgin Records. 1982. TIC 10.
6. I Eat Cannibals (European 7-inch single vinyl disc). Virgin Records. 1982. 104 677.
7. I Eat Cannibals (Australian 7-inch single vinyl disc). Powderworks Records, Radialchoice. 1982. POW 0102.
8. I Eat Cannibals (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). Chrysalis Records. 1983. VS4 42669.
9. I Eat Cannibals (Canadian 7-inch single vinyl disc). Chrysalis Records, Radialchoice. 1983. CHS 2669.
10. I Eat Cannibals (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). Radialchoice, Virgin Records. 1982. TIC 10-12.
11. I Eat Cannibals (European 12-inch single vinyl disc). Virgin Records. 1982. 600 680.
12. I Eat Cannibals (Australian 12-inch single vinyl disc). Powderworks Records, Radialchoice. 1982. POWT 0102.
13. I Eat Cannibals (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Chrysalis Records. 1983. 4V9 03545.
14. I Eat Cannibals (Canadian 12-inch single vinyl disc). Chrysalis Records, Radialchoice. 1983. CDS 3545.
15. "Video". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 50. 18 December 1982. p. 30.
16. Sacks, Leo (26 March 1983). "Out of the Box: Hot 100/AC". Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 13. p. 14.
17. Flick, Larry (27 March 1993). "Dance Trax: Estefan Fills Dance Card; Acts Bare Their Soul". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 13. p. 28.
18. "Congratulations the Video Music Awards Nominees". Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 47. 19 November 1983. p. VM-10.
19. Brady, Mike (director); Roseman, Jon (producer) (1982). I Eat Cannibals (Music video). Radialchoice, Virgin Records. Event occurs at 0:50–0:51.
20. "Video Music Programming: MTV Adds & Rotation". Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 9. 5 March 1983. p. 28.
21. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
22. "Hits of the World: Denmark". Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 15. 9 April 1983. p. 43.
23. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I Eat Cannibals (Part 1)". Irish Singles Chart.
24. "Toto Coelo – I Eat Cannibals". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
25. "SA Charts 1965 – 1989 Songs H–I". rock.co.za. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
26. "Toto Coelo – I Eat Cannibals". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
27. "Toto Coelo: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
28. "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. 30 April 1983. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
29. "Dance Club Songs" . Billboard. 9 April 1983. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
30. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles". Cash Box . 7 May 1983. p. 4.
31. "Singles of the Year". Record Mirror . 1 January 1983. p. 3.
32. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1983". rock.co.za. Retrieved 31 May 2025.