>You’ve all heard of Smokie, right?

Smokie, the band that backed Peter Noone (of Hermann’s Hermits fame) in the early 70’s and who – if there were any justice in the world – should have sunk without trace?

But then again, you probably live in the States and were lucky enough not to have been exposed to the lethal doses of them that I had to endure

They’re still around – you can’t go to a bierfest without either them or the Rubettes or the Tremeloes or some other geriatric crew lip-synching to a bunch of sing-along/clap-along ditties for the Metronomes

“Living next door to Alice”, for example

And then, of course, there’s Gompie.

They took the melody and some of the lyrics and …shall we say? …. modified them slightly.

It was the sort of song that played at every party, every disco, every football stadium and mainstream radio played it to death.

Content warning?

Offensive lyrics?

Over here?

In Germany?

NPR (or its local equivalent) regularly plays Zappa’s “Bobbie Brown” and no-one complains to the protectors of public morals or even bats an eyelid….

So here – for your listening pleasure and amusement – is

Who the **** is Alice – Gompie