Lady Bump
Sunday, 4 November 2007
Among the many records that I treasure for reasons that are difficult to explain to my friends, are two 45’s by Penny McLean. They are from the mid seventies, and I bought them when they came out. These 45’s should be filed under Bump, which was a popular dance in the disco scene of the seventies. I have never seen a Bump compilation, by the way, and I think I will try and make one myself. The dance may look stupid (although I quite liked it back then), but it resulted in some great disco hits. Like Joe Tex’ Ain’t gonna bump no more with no big fat woman, and Lady Bump by Penny McLean.
I thought that Penny McLean was a one-hit wonder, but I just disgoogled that she was also in the band Silver Convention. I should have known, because on my shelf of records-that-my-best-friends-consider-silly are also at least five 45’s by Silver Convention. And after her music career Penny McLean, whose real name is Gertrude Wirschinger, became a succesful author of esoteric books. I have never read any of these books, but they are now on my want list.
I don’t know why I still have that other record, because Lady Bump is by far the better song. I especially like the screaming in the refrain. It seems to me this must be sampled, and used in other songs, but I cannot remember ever having heard it. Every time I play this song it is always a bit less good than I remember it. Nevertheless, here it is: