Pauline Black with Sunday Best: Pirates on the Airwaves

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From Pirates on the Airwaves (7")

Pauline Black's best known for her role as lead vocalist (and surviving original member) of ska soldiers The Selecter, but in 1984 she recorded this little ditty, which released on Chrysalis records (a division of Warner Brothers).

I'd call the song a tribute to rogue radio, but has it aged gracefully? Only you be the judge of that: my favorite parts are the "da-taka-chooka-tooka-daka-choo-ta!" bits interspersed through the tune, including a pitch-shifted one near the end which actually sounds kinda scary.

If anyone knows where a higher-quality version of this track can be found (or can provide one themselves), please let me know.

Sing along - lyrics below:

Pirates on the airwaves
Pirates on the airwaves

Somewhere in the atmosphere
Music plays for you to hear
All night long

From the tops of tower blocks
Tune your radio to rock
All night long

I'm dancing to a different beat
The sound that's coming from the street

AM FM turn the dial
Aphrodisiac of the wireless
Pirates on the airwaves

AM PM day or night
Everything will be alright, yeah
Pirates on the airwaves
Mmm yeah pirates on the airwaves
Oh yes pirates on the airwaves

If you're bugged with radio pop
Time for you to stop the rot
All night long

And if you don't like what you hear
There's music in the atmosphere
All night long

I'm dancing to a different beat
The sound that's coming from the street

AM FM turn the dial
Aphrodisiac of the wireless
Pirates on the airwaves

AM PM day or night
Everything will be alright, yeah
Pirates on the airwaves
Mmm yeah pirates on the airwaves
Oh yes pirates on the airwaves

(Right now on the PR Radio
A music with Jah Jah Funk
Now here it comes brand new
Played by the utmost station)

I'm dancing to a different beat
The sound that's coming from the street

AM FM turn the dial
Aphrodisiac of the wireless
Pirates on the airwaves
AM PM day or night
Everything will be alright, yeah
Pirates on the airwaves
Mmm yeah pirates on the airwaves
I hear pirates on the airwaves

(various repeated phrases which fade to close)