Annie - AnnieMal

The Tune for today is:

Annie - Chewing Gum 

Hey Annie, well, look at you!
Is that a new boy stuck on your shoe?
Come on Annie, how is it so?
You've always got a new bubble to blow

I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna get done
I'm just a girl that's only chewing for fun
You spit it out when all the flavour has gone
Wrap him round your finger like you're playing with gum

Oh no, oh no, you've got it all wrong
You think you're chocolate when you're chewing gum
Oh no, oh no, a slip of the tongue
You think you're chocolate but you're chewing gum
Oh no!

Hey Annie, you used to be
The only girl to take it seriously
Come on Annie, tell us your trick
On how you keep on getting boys to stick

Okay, I'll tell you why - you'll never look back
It's my selection it's my pick of the pack
Well hot dog, I'm a chewing machine
It makes me smile and keeps my teeth clean

Oh no, oh no, you've got it all wrong
You think you're chocolate when you're chewing gum
Oh no, oh no, a slip of the tongue
You think you're chocolate but you're chewing gum
Oh no!

(I just wanna chew gum)

Oh no, oh no, you've got it all wrong
You think you're chocolate when you're chewing gum
Oh no, oh no, no you're not the one
You think you're chocolate but you're chewing gum
Oh no!

I don't want to settle down
I just wanna have fun
I don't want to settle down
I just wanna chew gum

Oh no, oh no, you've got it all wrong
You think you're chocolate when you're chewing gum
Oh no, oh no, a slip of the tongue
You think you're chocolate but you're chewing gum
Oh no!

(I just wanna chew gum)

Oh no, oh no, you've got it all wrong
You think you're chocolate when you're chewing gum
Oh no, oh no, no you're not the one
You think you're chocolate but you're chewing gum
Oh no!

La la la la la-la la-la la-la la la
La la la la-la la-la la la la
La la la la-la la-la la-la la la
La la la la-la la-la la la la

In 1999, Annie and her boyfriend/producer, Erot, made a slippery-sexy single called "The Greatest Hit." Though it came out of Norway, it sounded more than a little American, sampling Madonna's "Everybody" while also echoing the nonchalant ecstasy of Patrice Rushen's "Forget Me Nots." It didn't take off, at least not in the traditional sense. It floated around the underground, saw release on labels in different territories, and eventually became a pseudo-secret smash. Within a couple years, dancers and DJs in a few countries began to wonder what became of Annie. Erot's life was claimed by a heart defect in 2001; his partner, quite understandably, went quiet for a while. She picked herself up, took a very active role in the Bergen, Norway, music community, and recorded Anniemal with production help from Richard X, Röyksopp, and Op:L Bastards' Timo Kaukolampi. "The Greatest Hit," thankfully reprised here, is indicative of the album as a whole, bursting with sparkling melodies (often spiked with just a hint of melancholy) over mostly danceable rhythms that are either wholly modern or mischievously referential to early-'80s club hits (Tom Tom Club, the Human League, Arthur Russell's Dinosaur L). Annie's voice might be a little thin, but that's no real factor when it's so sweet and likable. The topics -- teasing, aching, longing -- aren't unfamiliar, yet they're often dealt with in a clever manner. Take "Chewing Gum," in which a dumped boy gets sort of objectified and verbally slain at the same time ("You think you're chocolate when you're chewing gum"), or "The Greatest Hit," containing the most foolproof come-on you could ever give a record geek ("C'mon, baby, you're my greatest hit"). As cunning as it is, Anniemal is also deeply affecting. "Heartbeat" is the least resistible of all, glowing with anticipatory pulses, tremulous sighs, and quivering electric piano vamps.

Review by Andy Kellman

Tune the album songs here