Buffalo Stance

"Buffalo Stance" is a song by Swedish singer Neneh Cherry, released from her debut album, ''Raw Like Sushi'' (1989), in November 1988. The song peaked at 3 on both the UK Singles Chart and the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and it reached No. 1 in her native Sweden and the Netherlands. An early version of the song appeared as the B-side on the 1986 Stock, Aitken, and Waterman-produced single "Looking Good Diving" by duo Morgan-McVey, which was made up of Jamie Morgan and Cherry's future husband Cameron McVey. The song, titled "Looking Good Diving with the Wild Bunch", was sung by Cherry.

Morgan says the B-side was written using elements from the single's A-side, most notably Phil Ramacon's distinctive ascending keyboard hook, with Cherry writing the rap, while he supplied lyrics for the sung chorus. He says that no one working on the track recognised its hit potential, which was only reconsidered after his chance encounter at The Wag nightclub with DJ Tim Simenon, who expressed interest in reworking the song.

The song title refers to "Buffalo", a group of photographers, models, musicians, hair and makeup artists, etc. formed by fashion stylist Ray Petri, of which group Cherry, Morgan, and McVey were all members. A buffalo stance is, Cherry told ''The New York Times'', "an attitude you have to have in order to get by. It's not about fashion but about survival in inner cities and elsewhere." The song's title is also a reference to the Malcolm McLaren song " Buffalo Gals" (1982), which "Buffalo Stance" samples. Other samples came from Rock Steady Crew's "Hey You", and the saxophone break is from the band Miami's song "Chicken Yellow" (1974).''Hitlåtens historia'', "Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance", Sveriges Television, 3 January 2012.

Cherry performed the song live on '' Top of the Pops'' while seven-months pregnant. When asked by a reporter if it were safe for her to go up on stage performing, Cherry answered: "Yes, of course! It's not an illness."

Critical reception

Andy Kellman from AllMusic described the song as "at once a personal manifesto and celebration and critique of city-street peacocking". Annie Zaleski from '' The A.V. Club'' called it an "unstoppable, electro- hip-hop hybrid". She stated, "With smart samples and swaggering production from Bomb the Bass—not to mention fiercely feminist lyrics that demand respect and assert independence—“Buffalo Stance” remains one of the best singles of the ’80s." Angus Taylor for BBC noted "its undulating synths, ''You go girl!'' sentiments and killer hooks is every bit the floor-filler it was ten years ago." Kieran Yates from '' The Guardian'' called it a "punchy manifesto". A reviewer from '' People'' wrote, that "over a prominent drum-machine beat and minimal synthesized accompaniment, her raw voice half-sings, half-raps, mock-tough lyrics." The reviewer added that "when she sticks to that formula, singing about infatuation and seduction on the city's mean sidewalks" as on "Buffalo Stance", "she's fresh and inviting."

Pop Rescue commented that "it’s (OMG!) got a female rapper, record scratching, and a fast beat, and this was a fresh sound. Only Salt-N-Pepa could have got close." Lesley Chow from '' The Quietus'' said that on the song, "Cherry already comes across as a fully formed artist: powerful and casually multicultural, as we might expect from an African-Swedish singer raised in Yorkshire and Long Island." She added that it is "a song of many moods, as Cherry goes on to alternate between anger and softness, anti-materialism and a high fashion attitude. A rising synth figure bubbles us up to a heavenly chorus ("No money man can win my love/ It's sweetness that I'm thinking of") which shows a rare tenderness in the narrator. Even though the track has been unrelenting up to now, the bubbling and the melody expose an underlying effervescence."

Impact and legacy

'' Q Magazine'' ranked "Buffalo Stance" No. 606 in their list of the ''1001 Best Songs Ever'' in 2003. '' The Daily Telegraph'' placed it at No. 37 in their ''Top 50 Dance Songs'' list in 2015.

'' The Guardian'' put it at No. 8 in their list of ''The greatest ever female rap tracks – ranked!'' in 2018, while ''Time Out'' listed the song at No. 13 in their ''The 50 best '80s songs'' list same year.

'' Rolling Stone'' ranked "Buffalo Stance" No. 412 in their list of ''500 Best Songs of All Time'' in 2021 and No. 71 in their ''200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time'' in 2022.

Track listing

"Buffalo Stance" was released on both 3-inch CD single, and 5-inch CD single.
# "Buffalo Stance" (extended mix) – 5:43
# "Buffalo Stance" (Scratchapella) – 1:38
# "Buffalo Stance" (Electro Ski) – 3:38
# "Give Me a Muthufucking Break Beat" (Sukka Mix) – 5:19

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

Official Music Video - YouTube

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1988 debut singles
1988 songs
Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
Neneh Cherry songs
Number-one singles in Sweden
Song recordings produced by Bomb the Bass
Song recordings produced by Mark Saunders
Songs written by Cameron McVey
Songs written by Neneh Cherry
Virgin Records singles