Ring-a-Ting-Ting

Music comes to us in many ways; radio, movies, and of course music blogs like this one, but more frequently from TV. The first time that I heard the The Ting Tings was either in an iPod commercial or an episode of Gossip Girl. Pathetic, but true. What led me to check out their album was hearing about them from a friend at work, one of the few hip people at my day job. She mentioned that she had picked up The Ting Tings’ album last year in London. She thought she was really cool. Then she played the album for her teenage daughter, who was utterly unimpressed. Apparently, our Gen X tastes don’t translate entirely to kids today. But, what do they know? The Ting Tings bring us back to the ’80’s and simple pop rock tunes. Are The Ting Tings destined for the one-hit-wonder realm of Toni Basil’s “Mickey” or will they be around for the long haul?

With so many fun songs on their album, We Started Nothing, it’s doubtful The Ting Tings will have only one hit. In fact, they’ve already had more than one. “Shut Up and Let Me Go” made it to #55 on Billboard Hot 100 and “That’s Not My Name” is currently on VH1’s Top 20. Originally from Manchester, England, The Ting Tings were the darlings of the British music media last year. “That’s Not My Name” made it to number 1 in the UK. Although they immediately conjure up the sound of an all girl group, they are a male and female duo, Jules De Martino and Katie White.

I like the entire album and the indie pop rock sound. The songs are catchy and happy. Their music makes you smile while you bop your head and chair-dance in front of the computer. In addition to the hits mentioned above, “We Walk” and “Great DJ” also get under your skin. All the songs have a great pop sensibility and tell short quirky stories with choruses that invite you to sing along.

“That’s Not My Name” seems to borrow a guitar riff from Toni Basil’s “Mickey” so the comparison is obvious. The Ting Tings also have been compared to Blondie, and even early Bjork. Other songs that come to mind are “Echo Beach” by Martha and the Muffins, and “I Eat Cannibals” by Total Coelo. Realizing that I may very well be the only person who remembers “I Eat Cannibals,” in 1983 it was one of my favorites. When I first heard The Ting Tings, I thought of The Waitresses. But The Waitresses if they had been from L.A. rather than Akron, Ohio.

[caption id="attachment_569" align="alignright" width="97" caption="The Waitresses"][/caption]Best known for their holiday classic, “Christmas Wrapping,” The Waitresses also had a hit with “I Know What Boys Like.” They were a catchy post-punk band with horns and a dry wit. Their use of saxophone and reed instruments was unique for the post-punk genre. They also sang the theme song for Square Pegs. Yes, the very same TV show where Sarah Jessica Parker got her start. Other songs from The Waitresses included “Thinking About Sex Again” and “They’re All Out Of Liquor, Let’s Find Another Party.” Of course, those titles were merely amusing to me when I was a teen. Who knew that decades later they could have been songs on the soundtrack of my life? The only album currently available by The Waitresses is a greatest hits, which is worth a listen. Not as danceable as The Ting Tings, but still much fun.

The Ting Tings motivated me to pull out some REALLY old school girl tunes. The girl group pop sound goes back further to the 50’s and early 60’s with The Chordettes, The Bobbettes, and The Marvelettes. While few women in early pop music history did much more than sing, they likely dealt with the same crap women in music still face today. Apparently a review of The Ting Tings is not complete without commenting on the beauty of lead singer Katie White. The fact that she writes songs and plays bass drum and guitar is a mere footnote. So yes, isn’t she pretty?

Listen to mixes
The Ting Tings
The Waitresses
SWIK Girl Group Sounds (a sampling from the '50s to the '80s)

See music
The Ting Tings: That's Not My Name, Shut Up and Let Me Go
The Waitresses: I Know What Boys Like, Square Pegs
Toni Basil: Mickey
Martha and the Muffins: Echo Beach
Total Coelo: I Eat Cannibals


Buy music
The Ting Tings
The Waitresses