Pop Lyric Sheets: Understanding Art part 53

At the Oxford Union debate last week, the motion proposed was that Rock and Roll is The Greatest Art Form. For the motion were Keith Allen and Blur's Alex James. Against were Mariella Frostrup and DJ Dave Haslam. The pros won the debate.

The greatest art form ever

Was dragged out of a bar

Fuelled on blues and jump-jazz

And handed a guitar

Some ramalama farmers

Saw-toothed it in the south

And doo-wop boys on corners

Filled in the rest by mouth

Brought into port by sailors

Picked up by pasty lads

Kicked in the head in Hamburg

Or whammied by The Shads

The greatest art form ever

Was best observed by night

In smallish clubs

Upstairs in pubs

In nicotine-soaked light

And everything about it

Was trashy, cheap and good

When discs might sell a million

Which frequently they would

The greatest art form ever

Was a filthy first French kiss

Until big business bought it

And then it sunk to this:

"Laydeez'n'Genn'lmen

Guyz and galz

And all who fall between.

This House believes the art form

Is the best there's ever been

Except of course for banking

In the case of certain bands.

- Oh and possibly, those small

Perspex ornaments that people

bring back from holidays in the

Isle of Wight, filled with layers

of different coloured sands."