Tweet

 

Earlier this week, One Direction dropped their hotly anticipated second album, Take Me Home, and I noticed that one of the tracks on the record was called “They Don’t Know About Us”, and it immediately had me wondering if they had remade a 1983 hit single by Tracey Ullman by the same name. They are all Brits, after all, and the song certainly would fall into their sphere… So, I hit it up on YouTube, but, alas, ‘twas not the same.

 

But the damage was already done. Just the thought alone brought back a flood of memories from my (very) early childhood when Tracey Ullman was known for being a quirky pop singer and not the immensely talented and diverse comedienne/actress that she is today, and the cute music video showcasing both her vocal talents and flare for comedy was in heavy rotation on the then-new MTV.

 

The song, first composed and recorded in 1979 by British singer/songwriter Kirsty MacColl, harkens back to the old girl group doo-wop songs from the late-‘50s and early-‘60s. Tracey played up this element in her version, transforming MacColl’s rather morose vocals into something more spunky and lighthearted, and also in her video, which starts off looking like a mix of outtakes from Grease and my parents’ old 8mm home movies (which, incidentally, also contained quite a bit of bowling) and then ending with a rather, um, harsh reality. I didn’t “get it” at the time, of course – I was only, like, 4 – but it didn’t matter, because I adored the song and I thought Ullman was hilarious. In fact, I would make my mom do the little shopping cart spin with me in it every time we went to the grocery store. (Sigh.)

 

So, check out the cute little video below, from way back almost 30 years ago. And yes, that is EXACTLY who you think it is in the car at the end.

 

 

 

 

- Katie Marzullo, YH Staff Editor

katie@younghollywood.com