Hello
friends! Today, we dust off a single that was all over the pop and dance airwaves
in the late ‘80s, but now is quite the rare occurrence to hear on terrestrial
radio. Get ready to step out on the dance floor with Kon Kan and “I Beg Your Pardon”!
“There once was a time, and there once was a
way…
We had something going and to
my dismay…
Attention to me seemed to
drift thought I don’t know where…”
Recorded
by the enigmatic “Kon Kan”, (a quirkily-spelled abbreviation for “Canadian
Continent”), and comprising of Barry Harris and Kevin Wynne, Kon Kan specialized
in synthpop dance tunes, and enjoyed several hits in their native Canada.
However, only their debut single made a splash outside of the Great White
North.
Peaking
at US #15, UK #5, and Canadian #19 in 1988, and pulled from the LP Move to Move, "I Beg Your Pardon"
is a tune that could only have come out of the ‘80s. A hi-energy dance track
with a fun upbeat vibe yet cold and distant vocals, Kon Kan derived inspiration
from the Pet Shop Boys, which is most obvious in Kevin Wynne’s “Neil
Tennant-style” emotionless singing.
“And when we’re alone seems there’s nothing
to day…
I bring up the topic, you
push it away…
You say that you do, but I
think it’s just you don’t care…
Why do I feel you’re using
me?”
And,
as was the nature of much dance pop at the time… this thing is loaded with
samples. The most recognizable was the unlikely use of the bridge section of
Lynn Anderson's 1970 country crossover smash "Rose Garden". Barry and Kevin even named the track after the
first line in the chorus of Lynn's song, even though the Anderson vocal sample
stops short of her actually singing the famous "I Beg Your Pardon" line.
Other
samples cobbled together here include Silver Convention’s 1976 smash “Get Up and Boogie (That’s Right)”, GQ’s
1979 hit “Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)”,
and tracks from post-punkers Tones on Tails, Italian pop singer Spagna, and the
opening bars from the theme to The
Magnificent Seven.
“If that’s how you want it, that’s how it’ll
be…
There’s no use in trying or
making you see…
That love don’t come easy, you
don’t know what it’s about…”
Kon
Kan’s original lyrics, (those that are not sampled, that is) reflect a man confronting his significant
other on a perceived disinterest in their relationship. He basically gives an
ultimatum… if he isn’t the right one, then they should never cross paths again.
The “Rose Garden” bridge can actually be interpreted as the response from his
lover, asking the guy to relax and enjoy each other’s company during the time
they share together. For years, I’ve always thought that the original lyrics (sans
samples) would work well in a non-dance pop tune, perhaps one with more of a
hard rock bite.
Kon
Kan only recorded three LPs before breaking up in 1994. Their second biggest
hit, “Puss N Boots / These Boots Are Made
For Walkin’” (US #58) mined a similar synth pop vein, and incorporated
elements of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots
Are Made for Walkin’”, and Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”.
So
I invite you to give Kon Kan’s lone US top 40 entry a spin, and see if it
triggers a distant memory of the late 80s for you! Maybe high school? College?
Dance clubs? Drop me a line and let me know! Kyle’s Radio Dial… The MORE you
listen… the MORE you remember!
“Smile for a while and let’s be jolly… love
shouldn’t be so melancholy…
Come along and share the good
times while we can…”
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