What I wrote off as a catchy but cool pop song from the '80s has a lot deeper story. "Perfect Way" by Scritti Politti was the bigger of two American pop hits of a group orignally formed by Green Gartside, a Antonio Gramsci devotee, signed to postpunk indie Rough Trade more than 20 years ago. Scritti Politti, in fact, means "political writing" in Italian street slang.
Gartside became enamored of Michael Jackson's Off the Wall, dumped his band and ran to New York to record with R&B producer Arif Mardin, releasing Cupid and Psyche 85 and climbing the charts with the sparkling synth-pop hits "Wood Beez (Pray like Aretha Franklin)" and "Perfect Way."
According to Jeff Chung, author of Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, Gartside's lyricism reflects a period when pop culture — the coming together of lefty radicalism, structural anthropology, and romantic freedom — confidently sought the answer to political and emotional conflict. Now gone, it inspired "Perfect Way," with its catchy couplet: "I've got a perfect way to make a certain a maybe / I've got a perfect way to make the girls go crazy." Only on the surface was Gartside singing about making a pop record.
Gartside's work caught the attention of legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. Davis covered "Perfect Way," and they teamed up on Gartside's next album, 1988's Provision. Then Gartside disappeared, heading up to a cottage in a small Welsh village where he played darts for several years.
After a self-imposed exile, Green Gartside's returned with a hip-hop style comeback. Jeff Chung wrote an article about the new Scritti Politti posted here. You can find the lyrics for "Perfect Way" below:
"perfect way" by scritti politti
I took a backseat a backhander I took her back to her room
I better get back to the basics for you
You gotta conscience compassion you got away with the word
You gotta heart full of complacency too
I don't have a purpose omission I'm empty by definition
I got a lack girl that you'd love to be
You wanna diva a deduction you wanna do what they do
Wanna do damage that you can undo
Apart from everyone away from your love
A part of me belongs apart from all the hurt above
I got a perfect way to make a new proposition
I got a perfect way to make a justification
I got a perfect way to make a certain a maybe
I got a perfect way to make the girls go crazy
I took a day job amendment I took a liking to you
I took a page out of my rulebook for you
You wanna message a confession you wanna martyr me too
You wanna margin of error for two
Maybe tomorrow the next letter or when the weather gets better
I've got to wait here for your moon to turn blue
I made an offer an exception I made a sense out of you
You took a good look at your book but I knew
In times of tenderness in terms baby so true
Until such time as I can understand all the things you do
I got a perfect way to make a new proposition
I got a perfect way to make a justification
I got a perfect way to make a certain a maybe
I got a perfect way to make the girls go crazy
Want to forgive you for all the things that you do
Wanna forget how to remember with you
Maybe tomorrow the next letter or when the weather gets better
I've got to wait here for your moon to turn blue
Apart from everyone away from your love
A part of me belongs apart from all the hurt above
I got a perfect way to make a new proposition
I got a perfect way to make a justification
This is a perfect way to make a certain a maybe
This is a perfect way to make the girls go crazy
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