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To Be or Not to Be (BA Robertson song)Buy To Be or Not to Be (BA Robertson song) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it. | |
Wikipedia article'"To Be or Not to Be"' is a song by Scottish musician BA Robertson, released in May 1980 as the fifth and final single from his debut album 'Initial Success'. It became his third Top-Ten hit in the UK, peaking at number 9 on the Singles Chart. In the UK and some other countries, the single was released with two B-sides "Language of Love" and "Hot Shot". Whereas, elsewhere, such as Germany, "Language of Love" was the only B-side. The B-side tracks were recorded live at The Venue in London on 11 April 1980. The single did not appear on 'Top of the Pops', which was out of production during the summer of 1980 because of a strike by the Musician's Union. LyricsThe song takes its inspiration from William Shakespeare, with the title coming from "To be, or not to be", from 'Hamlet'. The lyrics feature a number of inaccuracies and absurdities: that Hamlet "made it" with his mother and that Shakespeare was "queer" (which had to be censored) and that he "dressed his guys as chicks". The lyrics make reference to 'Romeo and Juliet', 'Twelfth Night', 'As You Like It' and 'Hamlet'. ReceptionReviewing the song for 'Record Mirror', Rosalind Russell wrote that "this record can't fail. Even though BA employs some bizarre rhyming couplets, he produced singles worth remembering" and that "I can overlook him rhyming Romeo with home-o, just because he thinks up tricky ideas and twists them to suit his songs. His looks are tenacious, but he uses his gimmicks, works with them and comes up with records that sound totally original". ChartsReferencesCategory:BA Robertson songs Category:1980 singles Category:Songs written by Terry Britten Category:Songs written by BA Robertson Category:1980 songs Category:Asylum Records singles Category:Works based on Hamlet | |
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