B-side Friends Format vinyl record (7") Label CBS Records | Released 30 November 1981 Length 3:40 | |
Genre Rap-rock, new wave, post-punk | ||
"Ant Rap" is a 1981 song performed by the British new wave band Adam and the Ants. Written by Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni, the song was included on the band's 1981 album Prince Charming. It entered the UK Singles Chart in December 1981 at number 9 before rising to a peak position of number three.
Contents
Music video
The setting for the music video is Bodiam Castle and features Adam wearing a suit of armour, then a blue American Football uniform with the number 57 on the front. While in his football uniform, he crashes through a door, revealing Marco Pirroni sitting at a grand piano dressed as Liberace. Adam then does a Bruce Lee impersonation while rescuing the princess (played by Lulu) before reverting to his shining armor. The video ends with Adam jumping from the top of the castle into the moat (the jump is actually performed by a stuntman). He throws his sword in the moat only to see an armored hand lift it again from the water.
Reception
While widely panned by critics, "Ant Rap" was one of the earliest rap singles to chart in the UK, reaching number 3 on the UK singles chart.
The B-side to the single was a rerecording of "Friends". The band's former label, Do It Records, would release an early recording of "Friends" as a single in 1982.
Lyrics
Adam's chest pounding bravado lent itself to the rap of the time. He boasts of his success and his ability to dance, and calls out the anarchists of the music scene, affirming he was never concerned with receiving their credibility.
In "Friends" Adam does a considerable amount of name dropping in an attempt to be guestlisted. Among the people he claims as a friend include Shirley Bassey, former Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe, Michael Jackson, Michael Caine, John Wayne, Stevie Wonder, Eric Fromm and Bryan Ferry.