Lip Up Fatty

"Lip Up Fatty"
Single by Bad Manners
from the album Ska 'n' B
B-side"Night Bus to Dalston"
ReleasedJune 1980
StudioRo-Lo Productions
GenreSka
Length2:49
LabelMagnet Records
Composer(s)Bad Manners
Producer(s)Roger Lomas
Bad Manners singles chronology
"Ne-Ne Na-Na Na-Na Nu-Nu"
(2/1980)
"Lip Up Fatty"
(1980)
"Special Brew"
(9/1980)

"Lip Up Fatty" is a single released by British 2 Tone and ska band Bad Manners in June 1980, which reached No. 15[1] in the UK Singles Chart. It is one of a number of songs by Bad Manners about 'being fat', (a reference to the round figure of frontman, Buster Bloodvessel). According to Bloodvessel "Lip Up Fatty" was an expression used at his school "to tell people to shut up". Its signature melodic lines were a simple but careful blend of brass instruments and lead harmonica theme, played by Alan Sayag (Winston Bazoomies).

During early live gigs and in the film Dance Craze, Alan Sayag sometimes played the harmonica part on a Hohner Echo Tremolo instrument. Harmonica player David Turner took up the instrument as a result of hearing the song in early 1980 and credits the melody line as the first tune he ever taught himself.

In November 2012, Tim Armstrong recorded a version as a part of his Tim Timebomb and Friends project.[2]

  1. ^ "1980-08-16 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive". Official Charts Company. 16 August 1980. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  2. ^ "Tim Timebomb and Friends". Timtimebomb.com. Retrieved 28 June 2014.