Music Monday

Music Monday: German Bold Italic by Towa Tei

Music Monday is a meme that was created by Drew from The Tattooed Book Geek. Bjørn and I will pick a song alternatively on each Monday and share our thoughts about them. Bjørn’s pick this week is German Bold Italic by Towa Tei.

Thoughts and Ramblings

Why yes, you might recognise the singer. Unless you’re allergic to mainstream, in which case you won’t know her, because she’s mainstream, so win = win. Towa Tei (not the singer) invited her to collaborate on two songs, ‘German Bold Italic’ and, later, ‘Sometime Samurai.’ As Wikipedia notes, “the video’s treatment of Japanese culture sparked varied opinions from scholars.” I am not a scholar, Towa Tei is Japanese, so I’ll just warn you the video features a white person wearing a kimono and acting like Björk while not being Björk.

In 1996, the Mysterious Chanteuse was actually in the process of bankrupting her record label (this is not a joke) because of, among other reasons, the death of Princess Diana. The album has already been postponed from January to May 1997. The CDs, vinyls, cassettes (note to younger readers: there has, in fact, been a time without Spotify) were already printed and ready for distribution. And then destroyed, because the album’s title was Impossible Princess and releasing a record with this title weeks after Princess Di’s car crash felt… like a not good idea. 

Postponed again, the album nearly ended the Chanteuse’s career. Fortunately, Towa Tei was there to make it even more confusing, ‘German Bold Italic’ released between the first two singles from the-no-longer-Impossible-Princess and obviously not included on it, the Chanteuse’s name only hastily added as a sticker on the CD singles when it reached the dizzy heights of UK #63.

Song Lyrics

Hello… Hello… Hello
My name is (My name is)
German Bold…
German Bold…
German Bold…
German Bold…
German Bold…
German Bold Italic

(Hello) My name is German Bold Italic
I am a typeface

Which you have never heard before
Which you have never seen before
I can compliment you well
Especially in red
Extremely in green
Maybe in blue (Blue, blue)
You will like my sense of style
You will like my sense of style
You will like my sense of style
You will like my sense of style
Gut ja!
Ow!

Gut ja!
Gut ja! (Yes)
Gut ja!
Gut ja!

My name is German Bold Italic
I am a typeface
Which you have never heard before
Which you have never seen before
I can compliment you well
Especially in pink
Extremely in green
Maybe in blue? (Blue, blue)
You will like my sense of style
(Baby)
I fit like a glove
Let me adorn you
The bold design of you
The bold design of you
B-b-bold design of you

Gut ja!
Gut ja! (Yes)
Gut ja!
Gut ja!
German Bold Italic (Yes)
German Bold Italic

It’s cool
Is my name German Bold Italic?
(Hello)
I am a typeface
Which you have never heard before
Which you have never seen before
I can compliment you well
Especially in pink
Extremely in orange
Maybe in yellow? (Ow!)

(Oh!)
Gut ja
Gut ja
Yes
Gut ja
German Bold Italic
(I fit like a glove)
German Bold Italic
(Hello)
German Bold Italic
(I am a type face, hello)
German Bold Italic

Which you have never heard before
Which you have never seen before
High contrast, it’s cool
High contrast, it’s cool

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