Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I of a two part series on the saying and the 1984 tune/song "Talkin' Out The Side Of Your Neck". by the Funk band known as "Cameo". This tune/song is commonly referred to as "Neck" by Historically Black Colleges & Universities [HBCU] marching bands as well as marching bands from PWI (Predominately White institutions).
Part I provides definitions of the African American Vernacular English saying "talking out the side of your neck" and showcases a YouTube video of Funk group Cameo's 1984 recording of that song. Song lyrics and selected comments from that video's discussion thread are also included in this post.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/03/comments-videos-of-marching-band-tune.html for Part II of this series. Part II provides comments about the marching band tune "Neck" along with six videos of various HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges & Universities)' marching bands performances of "Neck" ("Talkin' Out The Side Of Your Neck"). A video of Louisiana State University, a PWI (Predominately White Institution)'s marching band performance of "Neck" that shows the predominately White crowd's responses to that tune/song is also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, political, and aesthetic purposes.
Thanks to Cameo for their musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
****
"WHAT TALKING OUT THE SIDE OF YOUR NECK" MEANS
From https://www.waywordradio.org/talk_out_the_side_of_ones_neck/ talk out (the side of) one’s neck
1. Posted by Grant Barrett on November 25, 2005 ·
"talk out (the side of) one’s neck v. phr. to give an uninformed opinion; to fabulate; to talk unwisely or unguardedly; to blow smoke (out one’s ass). Also talk through (the side of) one’s neck.
[waywordradio.org] Editorial Note: The claim in the second 1994 citation that the expression also exists in Dutch has not been substantiated. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)"
-snip-
"v. phr." = verbal phrase
**
2. Pamela Arencibia says:
December 24, 2007
"AA slang from the 1970s. It means talking and bypassing the brain."
-snip-
"AA" = African American
**
3. lawmak says:
October 1, 2008
"It can be heard in the song “Doo wop(that thing)” by Lauryn Hill from the album “The miseducation of lauryn hill” dated 1998…”…talking out your neck sayin’ you’re a Christian…”(It became the 10th single to debut at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, and stayed there for two weeks in the fall of 1998, and won two Grammy Awards the following February)"
-snip-
Comment #4, #5, and #28 below from the discussion thread for Cameo's video of "Talkin' Out The Side Of Your Neck" provide three additional definitions for the African American Vernacular English originated saying "talkin out the side of your neck".
****
LYRICS -TALKIN' OUT THE SIDE OF YOUR NECK
(Cameo)
So you can see we're back into this same old mess?
Seems like every time we get out of one situation
We're back into it all over again
All you people that watch you talk
You better get it together or we won't get it done
We sit down while you cuss and fuss
But guess who's suffering, nobody but us
Now we're a dedicated people and we do our job
But the harder we work the game gets hard to beat
One for all and all for one but it's harder to play
When you can't have fun
Hey, you talking out the side of your neck
Hey your gonna get what's comin' to you yet
You carry the weight but we carry the force
And that's ain't fair so stop rockin' the boat
You think you get away with political crimes
But don't take this for granted
Just get out of my house, now some of the people
Some of the times but not all of your people all of the time
Trick you get, bored too, General Matt Conrad
Ronnie Reagen too
Hey, you talking out the side of your neck
Hey your gonna get what's comin' to you yet
Cligdi, cling die? Clindi? Hosh posh?
Clinge ding? Cling me die? Clinge ding?
Horns? Hoshpsh?
Hey, you talking out the side of your neck
Hey your gonna get what's comin' to you yet
Hey, you talking out the side of your neck
Hey your gonna get what's comin' to you yet
Hey, you talking out the side of your neck
Hey your gonna get what's comin' to you yet
Source: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/cameo/talkinoutthesideofyourneck.html
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO Cameo - Talkin' Out The Side Of Your Neck
CameoVEVO, Uploaded on Jun 16, 2009
Music video by Cameo performing Talkin' Out The Side Of Your Neck. (C) 1984 The Island Def Jam Music Group
-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameo_(band)
for information about Cameo. According to that Wikipedia article is an American soul-influenced funk group that formed in New York City in the early 1970s. Cameo's genres are R&B, funk, soul, electro, hip hop.
While that Wikipedia article mentions Cameo's hit song "Candy", it makes no mention of the tremendous influence that band's song "Talkin' Out The Side Of Your Neck" has had and continues to have on the repertoire of American marching bands, especially for HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) and American high school marching bands with Black conductors.
Here are selected comments from the discussion thread of this embedded video. Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only.
2010
1. XOLA X
"Great post - I'm well aware that the average yt user has comprehension problems but it should not take much to figure out that this video was political - They could have easily picked any other types of mask but they chose masks of former president faces - The chorus sings:
You're talkin out the side of your neck
You're gonna get what's coming to you yet
They're talking about politriKKKs period
W/ a superb beat from a superb band
Cameo: You think u can get away w/ political crimes
Think about it"
**
2. Anthony Benton
"Any HBCU or any high school band with a black band director/HBCU graduate director plays this song lmao"
****
2011
3. BlackCreole214
"GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY WAS THE FIRST BAND TO PLAY NECK UNDER DIRECTION OF DR.CONRAD HUTCHISON BAYOU CLASSIC 1984 ALSO PLAYED SHE'S STRANGE"
-snip-
Read other comments below that assert that another HBCU marching band was the first to play "Neck". Some other assertions about the first HBCU marching band to play "Neck" can be found in the comment section for Part II of this pancocojams series.
**
[The following two comments were written in response to the question "What does talkin' out the side of your neck" mean? Also read comment #28 below for another definition of this saying.]
4. Theotis Jenkins
"@whoorderedasexybeast they don't mean it literally it's a saying we say in the black community when someone says something that sounds very outlandish to us or if they're talking saying something that's crazy..like for instance if I were to say that Shaquille O'neal was the best ever at shooting free throws...I'd be considered to be talking outta the side of my neck because everyone knows he couldn't free throw to save his life."
**
5. candayboo
"@whoorderedasexybeast It basically means that whoever was talking was just talking for the heck of it and didn't know what they were really talking about. Lol..."
****
2013
6. Cameron Dixon
"I remember playing this back in High school not too long ago and man it was the jam. but i listen to the lyrics now and theres a powerful political message behind it. And i respect Cameo even more now."
**
7. MrDavidCee
"Always did like this song cause it's talking about the political issues in Washington,DC and how the politics of that arena affects the nation as well as the individuals that help shape this nation. It's relevant for today in 2013..."
**
8. Richard Maurice
"I wonder which school started playing it first? I went to Hampton and of course I know we play it the best"
**
Reply
9. Superfoot
"Tennessee State played this first..then other Black colleges picked it up. Then later the Power school bands....late as usual...lol. And I don't even go to Tennessee State..you gotta credit where credit is due. But Arkansas Pine Bluff's band take it to another level."
**
Reply
10. Charles Thompson
"I read somewhere Southern U played it first. Some bands play it to fast."
**
Reply
11. Cerl84, 2015
"who ever said SU played this in the 80's is lying. We begged our directors to play this with no luck. They didn't care for the tune at the time. It wasn't until the 90's that the tune was played by Southern- as a fanfare first. I remember Grambling played Tribute to Bob Marley though. Anything by Cameo was hot stuff."
-snip-
SU= Southern University
**
2012
12. tylermdrums
"i hope these guys know how big of an influence they are in the marching band world"
**
Reply
13. Yesmeen M
"no but in the case of my school and a lot of other well all HBCUs it is the official song of the the band fraternity and sorority"
-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_Kappa_Psi
For information about Kappa Kappa Psi, the National Honorary Band Fraternity (ΚΚΨ, colloquially referred to as KKPsi). In May 1957 the first chapters of that fraternity were formed at historically black universities:
Tau Beta Sigma is the National band sorority for females. However, females can become members of Kappa Kappa Psi.
**
14. hanslesolo
"the lyrics are astonishly relevant to todays society even if its written nearly 30 years ago"
****
2014
15. Brian Van Camp
"The first time I heard this was at a party back in the Reagan 80's and it turned me on to Cameo for the first time. Being into Ohio Players, Commodores, Kool and the Gang and such I wasn't used to hearing funk dance oriented party music with a hard political message underneath it. Now hearing it again after all this time i find it so ironic that with all that has transpired the words still ring as true as ever."
**
Reply
16. hopintheroflcopter
"Exactly what I was thinking, man. These lyrics still stand strong and pose vital questions...even today. Will we ever learn as a species and stand-up to the bigwigs? Or will we continue to let these corrupt bastards control us?
Some amazing guitar work on here"
**
17. Kaleb Pippo
"Cameo. Teachin us about the government for years"
****
2015
18. Willie Chaptman
"a lot of the younger generations do not even know where talking out the side of your neck came from!!!! all they know is that it's just a song that all black bands play!!!!"
**
Reply
19. Adam Jr
"+Willie Chaptman All black bands?"
**
Reply
20. KreoleKing
"+Willie Chaptman Several PWI Bands play this song you know. Why would you typecast an entire group of people regarding a song? Love, don't hate! #thatisall
-snip-
"PWI"= Predominately White institutions (This is a contemporary informal term that refers to the university's student population historically & in the present predominately being White people. I've also seen this term being used to describe historically and present day predominately White Greek letter fraternities and sororities, in contrast to BGLOs- [historically] Black Greek letter organizations.)
**
Reply
21. Jeremy Whitley
"+KreoleKing He's just saying this song is known for HBCU bands to play it"
**
Reply
22. Willie Chaptman
"+KreoleKing I'm not saying that other bands play it, but the younger generation only hear this song from predominantly black schools. I did not know I had to explain it so far into depth of what I was saying. I am not hating on anyone sir."
**
Reply
23. sonic504, 2016
"+KreoleKing yea several pwi' play it but they got the song from hbcu bands.. And I don't think he meant harm with his comment though"
**
24. Jahima Hanif
"This is nothing but pure funk rock & reggae at its finest by Cameo.... What a conscious song and the politricks (politicians) are still talking this way even now..."
**
25. Charles Thompson
"Interesting..How does a song played by every HBCU band only have 320,165 hits*"
**
Reply
26. Nene J
"& don't forget high school!"
**
Reply
27. onedivision
"+Charles Thompson because a lot of the HBCU bands called the song "neck". i also believe a lot of those college kids have no clue they're playing a Cameo song."
*As of Feb 28, 2017 at 11 AM this video had 480,065 views
****
2016
28. Terrell Washington
"Cameo make a statement with this funky ass hit song that people do be TALKIN' OUT THE SIDE OF YOUR NECK! People do talk a bunch of bullsh&t* that don't mean a damn thing and don't make sense! This came from the 1984 album, SHE'S STRANGE."
-snip-
*The complete spelling for this word is used in this comment.
**
29. MrMelloCountry
"If you've ever seen a black marching band (HS, college) and they DIDN'T play this.....question their existence, cause I'm sure it's fraudulent.
Oh yeah: K...K................PSI!"
**
30. DeAndre Noel
"The song that became THE HBCU Band Anthem!!!!"
**
31. hanslesolo
"It's 2016 and the song is more relevant than ever"
**
32. 662chillin
"Pretty much a staple in any HBCU band's playlist. If your band (HBCU or high school) doesn't have a legit version of this they're lacking lol"
**
33. Alan Morris
"We still use this phrase to this very day."
****
2017
34. David Joseph
"one of the unofficial & funkiest theme songs of politicians worldwide. LOVE IT!!"
****
This concludes Part I of this two part series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment