Its been 37 years and I still don't understand what a "Buffalo Stance" is.. do you?
Posted by cybah@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 212 comments
This was a jam and a half in summer of 1989.
JoeHin1981@reddit
“Yo man what do you expect, the guy’s a gigolo man”
aed38@reddit
BWW should have bought the rights to this song.
jules6815@reddit
Just listen to the lyrics. It’s not the hard. Just lean into the satire of the song. 🎵
Fluid-Internal-2729@reddit
Thanks for the memories! 🫶🏼🥳🤟🏽
Neither-Brick-6391@reddit
Daughter of famous jazz trumpeter Don Cherry.
gerginof@reddit
Basically meant you were tough. Like a hardcore mofo.
notta_3d@reddit
I haven't heard this song in years.
OldCreezy@reddit
It's a BANGER! That's all you need to know! Thanks Neneh Cherry!
KnucklesG-Roy@reddit
Word!
OldCreezy@reddit
Glad I'm not the only one who still says word!
stevencastle@reddit
Eagle Eye Cherry is good as well... love Save Tonight
MandyWarHal@reddit
She a baddie too! All the sounds and looks the kids are into these days owe her her flowers 🌹
Igniter0808@reddit
Ugh
BoyznGirlznBabes@reddit
ZimmiMane@reddit
URfwend@reddit
Hege_Knight@reddit
Look at that “go to” smile.
thamajesticwun2@reddit
Name checks out. 🤔
heldaway@reddit
Tatonka
instant_ramen_chef@reddit
Tah-ton-ka
purplecrayonadventur@reddit
Buf...?
Exotic_Page4196@reddit
TheSpanxxx@reddit
Only acceptable answer
FahQBerrymuch@reddit
Bornagainchola@reddit
I love you.
jasonrubik@reddit
turned injin didnt cha?
Euphoric_Evidence414@reddit
Oh wow. I hope responding with this image brought you glee because you deserve it; it’s funny af
kalitarios@reddit
did you even google it?
cybah@reddit (OP)
Omg can’t people understand a joke, jfc
edasto42@reddit
And the power of Internet searches have been around for about 25 years. And before that there were interviews in magazines, and if I remember correctly, an MTV News piece back in the day doing a bit of an expose on her and the song
Cael_NaMaor@reddit
I don't believe you.
SilentDrapeRunner11@reddit
Buffalo was a fashion/art collective that she was a member of at the time
BagsOfGasoline@reddit
Never heard of it until now. Had to Google it. I thought this video was interesting
Buffalo
Fabulous-South-9551@reddit
There’s a popular chain of buy/sell clothing stores in the Bay Area called “buffalo exchange”. I frequented there in the 90s, especially the one on Haight St in SF. I wonder if it’s in reference to that.
devour_feculence___@reddit
I was just wondering if Buffalo Exchange still exists! I used to go to the one in Flagstaff, I had some wild outfits from there
SilentDrapeRunner11@reddit
Ooh great find!
Imgjim@reddit
TIL. I always thought it was referring to the way buffalo will wall up to face predators and lower their heads to put horns forward.
PenultimateChoices@reddit
Same. I was thinking of herd protective behaviors.
IpeeInclosets@reddit
Pretty sure I had buffalo shirts or pants
Horse_Dad@reddit
I enjoy buffalo wings. And buffalo mozzarella.
unbanned_lol@reddit
Beefalo tastes great too. Remember when that was a thing?
rodw@reddit
"Buffalo Stance" also prominently samples Malcolm (Sex Pistols manager) McLaren's "Buffalo Gals", which like Blondie's "Rapture" is from that brief window in the very early 80s when white punk bands would unabashedly borrow from hip hop.
I guess arguably the Beastie Boys (who started out as a hardcore punk band ~1979-80) also fit into that tradition
jahneeriddim@reddit
The DJ is wearing a buffalo checkered flannel too 🤔
ForeignBarracuda8599@reddit
Leaning back on a wall with one foot hiked up slightly, pretty basic.
bustab@reddit
Don't you get fresh with me
rockadoodoo01@reddit
Great tune.
three-sense@reddit
I like this tune. But admittedly I had to research that it’s kinda a “b boy stance”
virstultus@reddit
Now do crocodile feet.
Why_So-Serious@reddit
You’re not familiar with Crocodile shoes? Shoes made from Crocodile skin?
DeadPeanutSociety@reddit
im only familiar with interior crocodile alligator
virstultus@reddit
No, but I've also never drunk beer through a straw. So don't.... you get fresh with me.
HangryHangryHedgie@reddit
What about Bailey's from a shoe?
Slow-Heron-4335@reddit
Soft, creamy beige
twirlerina024@reddit
I thought that meant the guy had unkempt feet. Dry, ashy, skin resembling scales, and possibly gross overgrown toenails hanging over the edge of his Adidas slides.
Stardustquarks@reddit
You have to wear crocs when Buffalo stancing…
GuySmiley369@reddit
Not at all, lol. It’s just refers to an attitude or mindset that she and the other members of the Buffalo Collective had. Buffalo styles and trends had nothing to do Buffalo, NY
Apart-Consequence881@reddit
I forget about this song. I kept thinking it was going to transition to the lyrics "I'm hooked on you". which is a vastly superior song by Sweet Sensation.
walter_grimsley@reddit
One of my favorites, made sure it was played at my wedding. Very few people remembered it. Lame crowd
Apart-Consequence881@reddit
What? I would have been the one of the few dancing my ass off at that song.
Minute-Unit9904s@reddit
Great song
torrso@reddit
I assume you can see it at 2:22 in the video
jewelophile@reddit
I haven't heard this song in about 30 years and I still know all the words. Auditory memory is crazy.
Fabulous-South-9551@reddit
Right? I played it and it didnt sound familiar so I fast forwarded to the chorus and it was like I heard it yesterday.
Bad-Habit-2020@reddit
Only for the hip happening cool folks 🤣
UnderH20giraffe@reddit
This song is soooooo good. It’s absolutely crazy, psychedelic, funky.
hamburgler26@reddit
I randomly discovered this amazing song through Michael Hedges covering it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41l3UzA64sE&list=RD41l3UzA64sE&start_radio=1
Tempest_Fugit@reddit
She’s Swedish
the-great-crocodile@reddit
Wait, her name’s not Nina?!
evilpercy@reddit
More Gen X
DangerousLoner@reddit
Think SNL David S Pumpkins. Arms crossed looking hard.
ExactReport691@reddit
I actually have many
DangerousLoner@reddit
I’m so in the weeds with David Pumpkins!
AppropriateCattle69@reddit
And the skeletons are?
likeusontweeters@reddit
"We're part of it!"
DangerousLoner@reddit
Part of it!
smuckola@reddit
That's David S. Pumpkins!!!!
snoopyh42@reddit
This was so streets ahead!
DrButtgerms@reddit
This, like that, is a high-quality expositional theme song
rolL_uP_one_more@reddit
The original underground house song used by Nina Cherry and Eminem
Michael McLaren “Buffalo Gals”
TheConcreteGhost@reddit
Dudes still hit that Buffalo stance and don’t know that they are doing it or that is is called there. They are just standing there trying to look “hard”/ tough in a group. I think the kids call it “posted up” now.
RoRoRicardo@reddit
Fun fact, her daughter is the pop singer Mabel.
Ricanzanity@reddit
I love this song. Forgot about it until one day in the 2010’s cbs was on my tv and some chef used it as the theme to his show.
EmRuizChamberlain@reddit
It’s just women taking up space like men
MasterpieceVivid8435@reddit
I am mesmerised by her beautiful mouth 👄
canisdirusarctos@reddit
The singer is a baby boomer, so it's hard to say. They liked to use weird euphemisms for everything.
m-fab18@reddit
NEHEH CHERRY?
cybah@reddit (OP)
Yeah I know I fat fingered video info
Lack_Jackaballzy@reddit
TIRACS@reddit
Well that song sucks
ZealousidealDog4802@reddit
It's so bad I thought it was a parody
TIRACS@reddit
For real! An In Living Color skit 😂
Mr-Mothy@reddit
2:22 is the Buffalo Stance, generally arms crossed with a lead foot sticking out
celestial_chocolate@reddit
I personally think it’s about pimp/prostitution culture, standing on the corner, crocodile shoes, gold tooth smile…”when you lost the babe you lost the race now you looking at me to take her place”…some dude was pimping girls out so he “could make a pile”. And the buffalo stance I assume is the group of people on the corner and the dude looking tough with arms crossed and with even with furs maybe.
RicFlair-W000000@reddit
What is he likkkeee
RUk1dd1nGMe@reddit
I love this song, I still have it on heavy rotation.
Mickey_Juice@reddit
A quick Google reveals that "Buffalo" was the name of an art and fashion collective whose members included the original songwriting team. It's not the animal or the city in NY, they were shouting out themselves. Like reminding people that Flipmode Squad is dangerous, or informing them that you're Jimmy Ray (who wants to know?)
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
The background is like an Earthbound random encounter.
Basic-Biscotti-2375@reddit
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
amayain@reddit
Needs more New Age Retro Hippies =)
semicharmdlifer@reddit
I did not expect an Earthbound reference in this sub. Nicely done.
CherryPickens@reddit
😂 😂 😂 😂
Ok-Sprinkles-3301@reddit
It's arms crossed with a side-eye.
cybah@reddit (OP)
And honest question.. how many people knew Neneh Cherry was Swedish?
For years I thought she was black or latina. Boy I was I surprised....
GiganticCrow@reddit
I knew she wasn't American, for some reason I thought she was British. Very surprised to find she is Swedish.
twirlerina024@reddit
She must have had the legendary Dick Van Dyke as her dialect coach
Prize_Toe_6612@reddit
What the fuck has black or latina to do with nationality?
spaceporter@reddit
Black as an ethnicity is very tied to the US. Some black people identify as such in Canada, but it’s pretty rare outside of North America. It is different from being African.
killit@reddit
As someone not from the US... Tf are you talking about? 🤣
spaceporter@reddit
The Black culture in the US is quite different from the culture in Africa, and as such sociologists consider them distinct.
killit@reddit
You claimed some black people identify as such in Canada, but it's rare outside of north America.
That... Is complete nonsense lol.
Do you think black people in the rest of the world identify as white people?
If you're talking about African American, sure, that's obviously unique to North America, but that's not the same as identifying as black.
spaceporter@reddit
Black with a capital B is an ethnicity that is generally defined as those who descended from slavery.
That’s different from African, which is a collection of ethnicities originating on the continent of Africa.
The person said ethnicities and not races.
Yes, both Black people and Africans are black.
Even the Latin part could be North America specific, depending on the definition. There are pretty big distinctions between people from Iberia/Italy and those from Latin America, where many other cultures mixed with Latin colonists to create a unique group of ethnicities.
killit@reddit
People identify as black all over the world, that isn't something unique to North America. You're describing African America, some people descending from slavery may well identify as Black with a capital B, that doesn't make it unique to North America, it's is global, and indicates a shared ancestry. Here in the UK for example, we havespecific ethnic groupings of Black and Black British, among others. These are officially used on the census. It's very closed minded to assume people only identify as Black if they are African American, and descended from slavery, just because the US has its own movement towards identifying this way, it's far more nuanced than that.
youzrneejm@reddit
you high?
AbominablePloughman@reddit
What?
GiganticCrow@reddit
I assume they meant black or latina american.
steeveedeez@reddit
OP just discovered that biracial people exist outside the US.
O_C_Demon@reddit
Good grief mate...
SameSpecialist8284@reddit
Also mother of Mabel and brother of Eagle-Eye Cherry if anyone remembers the song save tonight.
MetallurgyClergy@reddit
Sister of?
SameSpecialist8284@reddit
Good point, well made.
WhoStoleMyJacket@reddit
Stepdaughter of legendary jazz musician Don Cherry
RoastQueefSandwiches@reddit
Fight the break of dawn
PracticalAd2862@reddit
Come tomorrow
kellybelly4815@reddit
Tomorrow I’ll be gone
killit@reddit
three-sense@reddit
You compared a country of origin to racial identities lol
zealot_ratio@reddit
It means they were all huddled together in western NY, as lake effect snow fell, eating wings.
CooperChick@reddit
Lol. I have this CD. 🥰
CooperChick@reddit
So hot 😍😍
Fanabala3@reddit
Neneh Cherry. Sister of Eagle-Eye Cherry
freshleysqueezd@reddit
That hats are definitely one thing that haven't made a come back. Don't see the kids stealing that part of the style lol
smellyjerk@reddit
Anything they don't steal is ours and cringe. Anything they do steal, its theirs, we didn't actually make it and pointing that out that we did is cringe.
guacamole579@reddit
Very much a teenager vibe. I remember doing the same thing with bell bottoms, clogs, Mary Jane’s, etc. “you wore them but they looked so corny back then. We made them look cool”
smellyjerk@reddit
I remember my nephew needing to explain to me what the fuck Shoegaze even was...only for him to roll his eyes and tell me a revised musical version of history from someone who clearly wasn't there to see it to someone who was about bands I saw in person... What happened to just calling it "Alternative" music?... maybe Ethereal Wave?
"Oh, they look at their shoes because of how many pedals they use as they pla-"
Everyone did in the 80s and 90s, you little shit!🤦♂️
Shit was maddening, really was. Old man rant of the day complete ✅️
psilosophist@reddit
Hate to be that guy, but "shoegaze" got it's name from the UK Press in the late 80's, because of the staring down at the pedals. Never underestimate the corniness of the UK music press.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoegaze
"The term was coined by music executive Andy Ross and was later used by the British music press to describe shoegaze bands' motionless stage presence, during which musicians directed their look down toward their effects pedals."
smellyjerk@reddit
Im aware but thats exactly what I mean, though. I saw Swervedriver, My Bloody Valentine and im sure a few other bands that would fit the criteria 20ish years ago and never heard this silly term until like a handful of years ago from 00s kids who werent even alive when i saw them. Maybe I wouldve if I was British and well read at the time lmao
Comprehensive-Fact94@reddit
Kind of like the term 'Grunge'.
Started out as a small part of a local scene. The term was more a creation of the music press than the people who were actually a part of that scene.
Then people who were late to the game started adding bands who were not part of the actual 'grunge' scene to the category just because they were from the PNW.
Then it's became a blanket term for all early 90s alt rock bands.
It's like a cultural version of the 'telephone game'.
psilosophist@reddit
I will cop to reading absolutely anything I can get my hands on.
bookofgray@reddit
The return of raver pants has been a mind blowing excursion. Just no Kangoo hats please, I’ll have an acid flashback.
Icarium13@reddit
This video looks like something that was made for an after school TV show.
twirlerina024@reddit
Or what was the girl group called on Saved by the Bell? Hot Sundae maybe? The one that pushes Jessie over the edge into caffeine pill addiction, because being in a girl group AND getting into Stanford is a lot of work.
GravyPainter@reddit
80s rap cadence was so bad
t_rey357@reddit
Raw Like Sushi is kind of an unfortunate name, but putting that aside, I remember Neneh Cherry with Fab 5 Freddy on Yo! MTV Raps one episode and it's hot af in the club they're at, Freddy's like "damn you're not even sweating". She responds in her unique accent "I'm sweating in all he hidden places" and my pre-teen mind was blown.
Euphoric-Piglet-8140@reddit
No idea, but I liked the track :)
fourofkeys@reddit
i thought it was a state of mind.
cranberries87@reddit
I’ve always heard Nenah Cherry and this song referenced over the years, but I don’t remember this song being big or even being played that much in my neck of the woods, and I clearly remember the music that came on the radio in 1989.
sick_of-it-all@reddit
I'll tell you what; I was more of a Monie Love "Monie in the Middle" fan. The beat for that song is vastly superior in my opinion.
Money_Magnet24@reddit
Completely forgot about that song
I remember that song, but respectfully disagree as a superior song
No_Ordinary_3799@reddit
Omg this song will randomly pop in my head!
Ass_Cream_Cone@reddit
I think she does it repeatedly in the video as she says the words.
PrincipleStill191@reddit
One of the best 80's to 90's transition songs ever.
MysteriousCicada5012@reddit
My older siblings and I have several pictures of us in the Buffalo Stance, some hanging up in people's houses. My kids started copying us in their pics.
WorldlyPipe@reddit
I feel like this video has “Let’s Go To The Mall” Robin Sparkles music video vibes 🤣
8last@reddit
The chorus has no business being as good as it is compared to the rest of the song. its almost avante garde.
Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit
She was on the Graham Norton show not too long ago
amccune@reddit
Nenah and her brother Eagle Eye Cherry (Save Tonight)
cthulhuwantshugs@reddit
Don't forget their other half-sister, Titiyo.
marbotty@reddit
What’s crazy is the have like six siblings and they’re all musicians of varying degrees of success… (another one has four Grammies.) And also they’re Swedish
nevertoolate1983@reddit
I think you mean Nehah, no?
/s (crazy that her name is misspelled in the video!)
rekipsj@reddit
And lesser known lil sis Sour Wild.
paulpach@reddit
This is uniquely suited for a Raygun dance.
Jokierre@reddit
London’s art scene Buffalo Collective was her crowd, and the “stance” was from the fact they hung around in dense packs wearing leather or hide-based jackets.
It’s crazy that it’s now been 10+ years since she collab’d with RocketNumberNine to revamp the tune!
https://youtu.be/EKiomlphufM?t=3210
Advanced_Swing5657@reddit
37 years .....
deltadawn6@reddit
It’s posturing
octopusgardeb@reddit
Thought it was about being with a gigalo
MikeyRocks757@reddit
This video was when I realized I was into black girls 😂
syntax_sorceress@reddit
You getting fresh with me??
boringdystopianslave@reddit
That melody just transports me back to the 1990s. I love that sound.
I feel like EVERYTHING once had a tune just like that, so many TV shows copied it.
GiganticCrow@reddit
That rising arpeggio before the chorus has been sampled and copies on SO much stuff. Assuming it wasn't itself ripped off from something.
jasonrubik@reddit
are you talking about the distorted keyboard? If so, that reminds me of the Axel Foley Theme song.
EDIT. on second thought, its not the same sound at all. Where do I know that from ?
Late_Knight_Fox@reddit
Wait until you discover the rabbit hole that is hardware synth modules. Most of the 90s TV, Film and Video Games had familiar sounds because they were produced using the same tech.
Look into the Roland JV series and its mind blowing how much ground they covered 🤣
GiganticCrow@reddit
I am far too familiar with that stuff, which is how I can say this riff definitely predates the Roland JV series. But I was talking more about the riff than the sound.
bookofgray@reddit
I’m getting Toejam and Earl vibes with a splash of Maniac Mansion. Where’s the hair bear at?
Shuatheskeptic@reddit
I love this track. This is so representative of the vibe at the end of the 80s. This one of the songs in my "freestyle playlist" when I'm feeling nostalgic.
DandyLionsInSiberia@reddit
Nina ❤️ (and massive attack).. what's not to like, really?
Greybinson@reddit
I’m not gonna fact check myself, but I believe she is Eagle Eye Cherry’s sister.
LukeMayeshothand@reddit
Get funky.
NoNameLaura@reddit
I once heard someone use it as an insult "shut up you buffalo stance!"
Muted_Month83@reddit
I was in elementary school when this came out. Never heard of or seen it until today. Wish i never had
ZealousidealDog4802@reddit
Same
Maximum-Tomatillo743@reddit
I love the trans Atlantic leapfrogging of “Wot is he loike anyway? Whaddaya expect, the guy’s a gigolo man. NAH-AH MEAN?”
CodexSerapinianus@reddit
Right, so i might be way off on this one, but in Sweden (the Cherry-kids are from Sweden) we had this fashion fad in the 90-ies when the cool kids all wore platform sneakers. Like, way high plateu kicks. I always figured that a "Buffalo Stance" is the wierd leaning stance you get from having to absolutely focus on not falling over in your stilt shoes.
ZealousidealDog4802@reddit
37 years and this trash completely missed me until today.
mcvmccarty@reddit
I loved this song when it came out and fell in love with her
Current_Poster@reddit
I figure I'd only sort of learn it before the final bossfight in the movie? ("Is that the BUFFALO STANCE?")
Iahdheuskfndj@reddit
WOT'S HE LOIKE?! I remember this one from elementary school and dances at the local community club. That, and the Locomotion.
aweraw@reddit
Don't you get fresh with me
torrso@reddit
https://i.redd.it/5gsthfzqkzpg1.gif
aweraw@reddit
... I will accept this answer, but only this once, Mr Freshmaker
lol
torrso@reddit
https://i.redd.it/t0d10xvaqzpg1.gif
aweraw@reddit
Now you're just being disrespectful of Ms. Cherry
partmachine623@reddit
I pocketed a cassingle of this.
hiro111@reddit
I loved this song back in the day. I was surprised it was only a minor hit.
Stunning-Risk-7194@reddit
If I had to guess I’d say the brother wanted to use the word romance in the hook and worked backwards
calidownunder@reddit
It’s sweetness that I’m thinking of
actualelainebenes@reddit
This is still a banger
jhnystvns@reddit
Know I mean!
jncheese@reddit
Gigolo, sucker
time2sow@reddit
No it wasn't don't lie to the kids now
torrso@reddit
What about the dive they always do when dancing?
guacamole579@reddit
Some songs just immediately hit me with nostalgia and this is one of them. What a great song for teenage me
Background-Step-8528@reddit
I forgot how good this song is and am adding it to my commute playlist.
MissWickedBlonde@reddit
This album was one of the first vinyl records I owned.
Apart-Consequence881@reddit
I forget about this song. I kept thinking it was going to transition to the lyrics "I'm hooked on you". which is a vastly superior song by Sweet Sensation.
kalsainz@reddit
passamongimpure@reddit
billsfan411@reddit
This song gets me ready to run through a fucken wall. Whenever my team the Buffalo Bills score a TD during a game on fox they play this song at that part of the song . GO BILLS!
Dimplefrom-YA@reddit
this shit reminds me of revenge of the nerds
Melliorin@reddit
The visionary moves by those two back-up dancers at about the 1-minute mark... Wow. Just wow.
SunshineInDetroit@reddit
Holy shit this is the whole video
Timely_Help_4065@reddit
It's for gigilos