You guys, I can’t believe I just learned about this. In 2007 Shirley Bassey covered Pink’s “Get the Party Started.” This was the result:
Um… pardon me? Is this really happening? Dame Shirley (yes, she’s a Dame) turns the dirty-dancing original into an opulent disco track that delights and confounds me.
But it’s not the retro synth-n-strings that make her version so deliciously bizarre. It’s the fact the she crisply articulates every syllable of every word. I can’t remember the last time I heard someone pronounce the “g” in a word like “coming” so clearly, even in regular speech, so hearing it in a pop song is crazy. It’s like the Queen of England deciding to shake her tailfeather.
However, Bassey doesn’t seem like your grandma trying to prove she’s hip. For one thing, she’s still got an amazing voice, which goes a long way to validate her performance, and for another, she’s clearly aware that she is not typically the kind of perfomrer who would sing a Pink song. The way she chuckles about the line “kissing my ass” lets you know that she’s still an elegant lady. She just happens to be amused by this charming little tune, so she’s going to bless us with an interpretation.
That confidence makes her cool. As does the sexy elegance of the video. Rather than putting her in cargo pants and sending her to a glowstick convention, the video brings the song to her world, where disco singers wear furs and tuxedos are expected on the gentlemen.Â
Can I please live in that world? Just for a day? It seems like people have a lot of self-aware fun over there?






14 responses so far ↓
1 Amanda // Apr 7, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Two words: Fever dream.
2 LK // Apr 7, 2009 at 1:45 pm
This is truly one of the strangest things I’ve seen in quite a while! Its not a bad interpretation, just incredibly odd; especially when she shakes her finger at you like a scolding grandmother.
3 Russ Jackson // Apr 7, 2009 at 1:46 pm
I love Shirley Bassey. Goooooooldfingah.
And she did a song with The Propellerheads, History Repeating.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTUIHK7gHRE
4 Anonymous // Apr 7, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones are both amazing voices that aren’t afraid of embracing new artists. I love both of them for it.
5 Collin H // Apr 7, 2009 at 4:55 pm
I want to have a million of Shirley Bassey’s babies. She’s awesome. Always has been, always will be.
I love that here she’s made “Get the Part Started” into a Bond theme.
@Anonymous Speaking of Mr. Thunderball, am I the only one who thinks that a Tom Jones cover of Cory Hart’s “Sunglasses at Night” would be the greatest song ever?
6 Anonymous // Apr 7, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Brilliant. I would definitely consider permanent relocation to Bassey-land.
7 InfoMofo // Apr 7, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Seriously, where do you find this stuff? I’m not really that into the song but for some reason I can’t stop playing it.
8 Stacey // Apr 7, 2009 at 9:32 pm
I have the urge to share this song and video with EVERYONE I KNOW. It’s so appealing, in such a … strange way. Thanks for sharing it!
9 Mark Blankenship // Apr 8, 2009 at 1:46 am
I agree, Stacey. I say, forward it around. Your friends will only thank you.
10 Brooke // Apr 8, 2009 at 2:54 am
I’ve had this song hanging around since it came out and am still addicted to it.
Can we have some kind of legislation to have Shirley Bassey do all the Bond songs from now on?
11 Kingoftunes // Apr 8, 2009 at 2:59 am
Shirley originally recorded this song for an ad for (I think) Marks and Spencer. It was featured in their holiday ad in Britain a few years ago. My husband is a diehard Shirley fan, so I had to find this for him and he’s been playing it nonstop since 2007!!
Brooke – check out the same Shirley album that features this song on iTunes. She does a remake of “You Only Live Twice” on the same album. Personally, I prefer Nancy Sinatra’s version but Shirley is one step closer to claiming the entire Bond theme song canon!!
12 rora // Apr 8, 2009 at 11:13 am
Ooooh, I’m sharing this too! How is it possible that this woman is 72 years old?
13 Cora // Apr 8, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Oh, Pied Piper, when you find the door to that magically classy world, please post directions on your website. She is SEVENTY in the video and she ROCKS that slinky red gown.
14 InfoMofo // Apr 13, 2009 at 9:20 am
They played this at my gym yesterday. I couldn’t help but be a little scared. Is there no place safe from the sinister influence of The Critical Condition?
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