The Winker's Song (Misprint)

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"The Winker's Song (Misprint)"
Winker's Song.jpg
Song by Ivor Biggun and the Red Nosed Burglars
from the album The Winker's Album (Misprint)
Published1978
Released2 September 1978 (1978-09-02)
Genre
Label Beggars Banquet Records
Songwriter(s) Doc Cox

"The Winker's Song (Misprint)", also known as "The Wanker's Song" and "I'm a Wanker", [1] [2] [3] is a 1978 comedy song written and performed by British musician Doc Cox under the pseudonym of "Ivor Biggun and the Red Nosed Burglars". [4] The song was released as a single by Beggars Banquet Records on 2 September 1978, reaching number 22 on the UK Singles Chart despite not being aired on the radio due to its references to masturbation. [5]

History

Doc Cox signed with the British independent record label Beggars Banquet in 1978. [6] "The Winker's Song" was released as a single later that year; the song's original title was "The Wanker's Song", but this was altered to "The Winker's Song (Misprint)" because of fears that shops would not stock it. [4] The song did not receive airplay on national radio stations, and was banned by the BBC for its subject matter. [7] [8] [9] However, it received popular attention after Johnny Rotten endorsed it as a "definite buy" in an issue of New Musical Express that he guest edited. [10]

The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number 68, remaining in the charts for twelve weeks. [5] It peaked at number 22 on 1 October 1978, [11] becoming Beggars Banquet's first UK Top 40 hit. [12] It was later released on the album The Winker's Album (Misprint). [13]

Musically, "The Winker's Song" has been compared to the style of George Formby. [14]

The song has continued to be played into modern times; it has been used to clear the dance floor at nightclubs in Ibiza and Brighton. [15] [16] [17] In the summer of 2017, Mansfield 103.2 FM in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, was subjected to repeated broadcast signal intrusions playing the song. [18]

References

  1. ↑ Long, Tony (2016). Lethal Force. Random House. p. 52. ISBN   978-1785034749.
  2. ↑ Raven, Daniel (2010). Made In Brighton: From the grand to the gutter: Modern Britain as seen from beside the sea. Random House. p. 20. ISBN   978-0753535851.
  3. ↑ "The 15 Best Songs That Are Totally About Masturbation". Cracked.com. 2007-05-07. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  4. 1 2 Edge Music (2015-05-07). "Alphabetical Archive – Ivor Biggun: 'The Winker's Song' (1978)". Edge.ca. Retrieved 2017-02-03.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. 1 2 "The Winker's Song (misprint)- full Official Chart History". Officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-04. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  6. ↑ Thompson, Dave (2002). The Music Lover's Guide to Record Collecting. Backbeat Books. ISBN   1617132020.
  7. ↑ The encyclopedia of popular music: Indexes, Volume 10. Colin Larkin. Oxford University Press, 2006
  8. ↑ ".Banned Recordings". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. 1997-09-13. Archived from the original on April 27, 2006. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  9. ↑ "The Winker's Song (Misprint) by Ivor Biggun". Songfacts.com. 1978-09-02. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  10. ↑ "Press Archives". New Musical Express. 1978-07-22. Retrieved 2017-02-03– via Fodderstompf.
  11. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 75". Official Charts Company. 1978-10-01. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  12. ↑ Hoffman, Frank (2004). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. Routledge. p. 177. ISBN   1135949506.
  13. ↑ "Vinyl Album – Ivor Biggun – The Winker's Album (Misprint) – Beggars Banquet – UK". 45worlds.com. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  14. ↑ Johnson, Howard (2002). X-Rated: The 200 Rudest Records Ever!. Carlton Books Ltd. p. 28. ISBN   1842227491.
  15. ↑ "Fruity Lyrics". Stiff Weapon, Purveyors of the Finest Phonographic Filth from Ivor Biggun. Stiff Weapon. 2011-06-03. Retrieved 2017-04-01.
  16. ↑ "Blackpool Rebellion 5-8 August 2010". TV Smith. Archived from the original on 2017-04-01. Retrieved 2017-04-01.
  17. ↑ Raven, Daniel (2010). Made In Brighton: From the grand to the gutter: Modern Britain as seen from beside the sea. Random House. p. 20. ISBN   978-0753535851.
  18. ↑ Weaver, Matthew (11 July 2017). "Local radio station keeps getting hijacked by song about masturbation". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-05-23.
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