3 January 1999
The last year of the decade, the first of chart pop’s new golden age, begins in typical ’90s style with a TV cartoon show tie-in at number one. Yes, it’s Isaac Hayes, an actual soul star, which has to be better than Bart Simpson rapping on ‘Do The Bartman’ and ‘Deep, Deep Trouble’. Still though, it’s just puerile innuendo with the flatulent breeze of South Park’s popularity and notoriety in its sails. The old-school analogue synth is nice, but that’s about it. A genuine pop revolution is less than two months away from storming the top of the Irish charts, so I suppose we don’t have to get too het up about this tacky, unfunny bit of TV merchandise.
When the deathless ‘Theme From Shaft’ won Best Original Song at the 1972 Academy Awards, Isaac Hayes became only the third Black person to win a competitive Oscar and the first to win one for music. He had also already written bona fide ’60s soul classics like ‘Soul Man’ and ‘Hold On, I’m Comin’ for Sam & Dave. Hayes slightly tarnished his escutcheon by subsequently quitting South Park over their digs at Scientology, but then maybe someone who sings a record called ‘Chocolate Salty Balls’ in public isn’t too bothered about posterity to being with. Let’s quickly leave this behind us as a minor footnote and yet another ’90s novelty hit.
