Settle an old disagreement by listening to this on Youtube!

[shaznay]

great song

I have always sang it 'more deadlier'....

[Lockjaw]

These things are always difficult when one has built up one's own idea of what is being said; remember that video of a BNP bloke a few years ago where there were two camps who were convinced he was saying two totally different things? This is, of course, how mondegreens develop, too.

 

I'm pretty certain he's singing "deadly".

 

I remember when this first came out & Mark Radcliffe was playing it loads. As a bit of a grammar spod ("A BIT"? you may say) I was mildly hacked off when it sounded like he was singing deadlier but a closer listen and consideration of the fact that it's a slight homage to, I think, 1920s songs which were sung with posh accents led me to conclude that he's just putting a little flourish at the end of "-ly"

 

Of course, now we have youtube we can solve these issues with much more certainty because we can look at the mouth movements. Look at 0.51 and 1.38. In no way is he possibly singing "deadlier". Now go to 0.33 where you can't see him & you'll hear he's singing exactly the same.

[davyboy]

Mrs D is right but the lyrics are "more deadly"

 

 

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/coldfeet/femaleofthespecies.htm

[cgksheff]

Theyier are playingier the O2 Academyier on Marchier 2nd.

 

You can poppier along and ask Tommy yourselfier.

[Alcoblog]

Having listened to this song just now, I think the lyrics are 'The e-mail is more heavier than the mail'

I think this is in relation to the weight of the computer that the e-mail comes in on. Mail through the letterbox is patently much lighter. If I dropped my computer tower onto the kitchen floor from the height of the letterbox, it'd plainly damage the floor tiles and surrounding areas. Mail doesn't. I think most would agree on this.

 

It's obviously a protest song to Steve Jobs (now deceased) to get him to invent a lightweight hand held computer, capable of being dropped from a height (say, a letterbox?) ... without causing major structural damage to the kitchen, whilst still being able to receive electronic messaging.

 

Although I personally don't have one, I think the i-pad answers this problem. Well done (posthumously) Steve!

[Pixie824]

Mrs D is right but the lyrics are "more deadly"

 

 

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/coldfeet/femaleofthespecies.htm

 

Oh dear...

 

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/space/female+of+the+species_10221489.html

[davyboy]

Oh dear...

 

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/space/female+of+the+species_10221489.html

 

Oh dear, oh dear.

 

 

Draggletail,

I'd forget trying to score points over Mrs D you're onto a loser here.

Live in peace!!

[muddycoffee]

Here is the definitive answer to this question.

 

The guy who wrote and sung this song was attempting to pronounce "deadly" like Noel Coward would.

His recently deceased dad had asked him why he couldn't write some "nice songs" like Noel Coward's as what he had been doing up to then was a bit of a racket as far as he was concerned.

 

Therefore he is singing "Deadly" but pronouncing the last sylable "-ly" more like "-leeayah"

 

 

This information came from the man himself when he was interviewed on the TV. I remember watching it back when I still had a TV.

Edited February 19, 2013 by muddycoffee

[Lockjaw]

Here is the definitive answer to this question.

 

The guy who wrote and sung this song was attempting to pronounce "deadly" like Noel Coward would.

His recently deceased dad had asked him why he couldn't write some "nice songs" like Noel Coward's as what he had been doing up to then was a bit of a racket as far as he was concerned.

 

Therefore he is singing "Deadly" but pronouncing the last sylable "-ly" more like "-leeayah"

 

 

This information came from the man himself when he was interviewed on the TV. I remember watching it back when I still had a TV.

 

I believe that fits my, slightly less knowledgeable but on the right lines, explanation above.

 

Yay!

 

Erm ... Yayah!

[Draggletail]

Thanks to Lockjaw and muddycoffe for your posts below - you have me convinced and I admit defeat. Nobody PM Longshanks (Mrs D) to tell her, O.K.

 

She's originally from the south of the country and although she's become prone to saying words like 'Nesh' over the years maybe she's still got an ear for the posh pronunciation of deadly.

 

Thanks to everyone else who replied, I've enjoyed reading all your posts

 

These things are always difficult when one has built up one's own idea of what is being said; remember that video of a BNP bloke a few years ago where there were two camps who were convinced he was saying two totally different things? This is, of course, how mondegreens develop, too.

 

I'm pretty certain he's singing "deadly".

 

I remember when this first came out & Mark Radcliffe was playing it loads. As a bit of a grammar spod ("A BIT"? you may say) I was mildly hacked off when it sounded like he was singing deadlier but a closer listen and consideration of the fact that it's a slight homage to, I think, 1920s songs which were sung with posh accents led me to conclude that he's just putting a little flourish at the end of "-ly"

 

Of course, now we have youtube we can solve these issues with much more certainty because we can look at the mouth movements. Look at 0.51 and 1.38. In no way is he possibly singing "deadlier". Now go to 0.33 where you can't see him & you'll hear he's singing exactly the same.

 

Here is the definitive answer to this question.

 

The guy who wrote and sung this song was attempting to pronounce "deadly" like Noel Coward would.

His recently deceased dad had asked him why he couldn't write some "nice songs" like Noel Coward's as what he had been doing up to then was a bit of a racket as far as he was concerned.

 

Therefore he is singing "Deadly" but pronouncing the last sylable "-ly" more like "-leeayah"

 

 

This information came from the man himself when he was interviewed on the TV. I remember watching it back when I still had a TV.