The song made the American rap group 69 Boyz famous, ensured record sales of their debut album, and topped the charts in the English-speaking world for several months. It was played at discos, encouraging boys and girls to do fantastic stunts, and arousing the indignation of morality zealots, who believed that the guys from “69 Boyz” preach unthinkable debauchery, especially since they did not come from smoky Chicago or stiff Washington, but from frivolous bright Florida, the “Land of Flowers”. What is the real story behind this song, whose title translates into Russian as “Pretty, Spin?” And what is its true, rather than fictional, meaning?
The story of the song “Tootsie roll”.
The guys from “69 Boyz” assure that this song has no sexual content, though it mentions the free body movements reminding of the wild hunting dances of the African tribes. They believe that the melody and lyrics of “Tootsie roll” were written just to stretch legs and “shake” the body, tired from a long sitting in a university classroom, or spending many hours at the counter or at the office desk.
They also discovered the secret of the name “Tootsie,” which has nothing to do with the nickname of some hot hottie or the comedy film of the same name starring Dustin Hoffman. “Tootsie Roll” is the name of an early 1920s New York bar, as famous as the legendary Saigon in St. Petersburg decades later. Here you could try a trendy cocktail with psychedelic colors, listen to music that blew your mind, and at the same time admire the lady, who felt at home and took off everything but her underwear to freshen up. People in the know said that the club was filled with illegal substances, which added to the looseness and drive of the customers and encouraged them to try new and desperate adventures.
The guys from 69 Boyz had never been in the bar and knew about its atmosphere only from urban legends. After all, it had closed decades before they were born, a victim of the inexorable Prohibition and never resurrected, despite the efforts of enthusiasts. This is the country of America, which combines a rigid conservatism to the point of prudery with a looseness of manners unprecedented in the Western world, which inspires fans of predictions about the near collapse of the transatlantic power. In reality, everything turns out as in the folk proverb: he, who is loved to be “buried” in life, lives and lives to shame the gloomy predictions.
The meaning of the song “Tootsie roll”
Now let’s try to understand the meaning of this song, which often escapes from rap fans, even those who are perfectly versed in the subtleties of the American version of the English language! Because unlike Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian and so on rap, the main thing in American rap is the fiery rhythm, which “turns off” the head for a while, but makes the arms, legs, neck, torso – in a word, all parts of the body, including those parts that are not usually mentioned in high society, move and rotate. And exclamations like “Hey!”, “Wow!” or “Oops!” don’t need a translation at all, being understandable in every country of the world where American culture has penetrated.
So, the main character, aka the performer of the song, invites his girlfriend to “spin” in an exciting new dance. This is not a “Butterfly” dance, imitating the light movements of this charming capricious insect, following only the gusts of wind and his own desires. It is a completely new exuberant dance, which does not require much grace and dance skill. The main thing is tirelessness, stamina and the ability to hit the rhythm. However, even if you have stepped on the ear is not just a bear, but a grizzly bear, still pick up a partner and dance, not thinking about stale decency!
By the way, the phrase “Tootsie Roll” has another meaning. It is the name of a chocolate bar with a filling, reminiscent of the world-famous “Mars”, “Snickers” and “Picnic,” only even sweeter and more calorie-dense. If “Mars” is positioned as the perfect snack for those who love healthy lifestyles, allowing them to immediately run a marathon race or storm the mountain peaks, “Tootsie Roll” is a real “energy bomb”, allowing them to jump up and fly to the moon! In short, the hero of this catchy song obviously called his girlfriend “sweet candy” and “my cotton candy” for a reason!
