Charly

Album: The Prodigy Experience (1991)
Charted: 3
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Charly was an animated cat from a public information film who warned children about road safety, playing with matches and other dangers. The advert inspired Prodigy keyboardist/producer Liam Howlett to splice a bout of mewing and the phrase, "Charly says never go out without telling your mummy first," onto an aggressive techno-rave beat. After becoming a huge hit in the British rave scene of the time, the song crossed over to the pop charts, peaking at #3.
  • Charly is a slang term for cocaine and the song drew flack for encouraging a flood of novelty "kiddie rave" tracks referencing drug use and clubbers' '70s childhoods, such as "A Trip to Trumpton" by Urban Hype, "Sesame's Treet" by Smart E and "Roobarb And Custard" by Shaft.
  • Asked by Q magazine how easy it was to clear the public information sample, Liam Howlett replied: "The BBC will have money off you for anything, so it was a piece of piss. Three minutes. It was harder to sample. There would always be '70s programs when I got back from raves, so I knew when 'Charley Says' would be coming and thought if I sampled that it would do these guys' heads in, so I taped it off the telly! It's funny, it makes no sense to anyone outside of England."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Joe Elliott of Def Leppard

Joe Elliott of Def LeppardSongwriter Interviews

The Def Leppard frontman talks about their "lamentable" hit he never thought of as a single, and why he's juiced by his Mott The Hoople cover band.

16 Songs With a Heartbeat

16 Songs With a HeartbeatSong Writing

We've heard of artists putting their hearts into their music, but some take it literally.

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

How "A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss" Became Rock's Top Proverb

How "A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss" Became Rock's Top ProverbSong Writing

How a country weeper and a blues number made "rolling stone" the most popular phrase in rock.

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.