Backstabbers by The O'Jays

Disco sucks, man! Actually, disco was all but dead by the time I was born, but that doesn't mean it doesn't continue to haunt the airways and make me feel relieved that I was born in the New Wave era. I've always thought that 'Backstabbers' was quite a strange song, choosing to focus on the unusual theme of two-faced people - particularly pertinent to girls of a middle-school age, who are always turning on each other. That probably wasn't what The O'Jays had in mind, though. It wasn't until I looked up the lyrics to this that I realised just how paranoid these three men are - they think that someone is constantly trying to steal their women. I'm not sure, either, whether at one stage they're talking about literal back-stabbing - they make mention of long blades, "clenched tight in their fist". Sounds like it could all get very nasty - and looking at a photo of these guys, I think they could be quite tasty in a fight, particularly the fella on the right. Although I can't stand this song (you can almost see them doing formation dancing as they sing), kudos to them for sneakily slipping the words 'dirty bastards' in there at the end.

Crap lyrics: "Somebody's out to get your lady/A few of your buddies, they sure look shady."

Verdict: Although they also boarded the 'Love Train', this is more like the Paranoid Express...

(Thanks to www.dustygroove.com for the borrowed pic)