Song · Happy Mondays
“Kinky Afro” by Happy Mondays
From the album Pills ’n’ Thrills and Bellyaches (1990)
“Kinky Afro” by Happy Mondays appears on 10 radio countdowns from 7 stations between 1990 and 2026. It was first released in 1990 on the album Pills ’n’ Thrills and Bellyaches. Its best result is #32 on the John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1990. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #124 alternative song of 1990 and #4,746 alternative song of all time.
Watch
Video from YouTube (London Records). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Kinky Afro" rolled out in October 1990 as the second single from Happy Mondays' third album, Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches, on Factory, and it's Madchester at its loosest and most insinuating. Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne produced, arranged and mixed it, giving Mark Day's guitar, Paul Davis's keyboards and the Paul Ryder and Gary Whelan rhythm section a lazy, rolling bounce, while Shaun Ryder slurs his own words over the top and Rowetta drops in as a guest vocalist. The chorus nicks its shape from Labelle's "Lady Marmalade", and the song was nearly called "Groovy Afro" until the Farm got there first with "Groovy Train".
It became the Mondays' biggest American hit, topping Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks, and matched "Step On" at No. 5 back home. Keith Jobling of the Bailey Brothers made the video.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 82 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1990 | 107 |
| 1990 | 32 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1990 | 50 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1985 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 2000 |
| 2000 | 1961 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) | 2001 |
| 2002 | 1831 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 870 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2021 | 539 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s | 908 |
| 2022 | 306 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s | 900 |
| 2026 | 814 | KXT | KXT 917 Song Countdown | 917 |
| 2026 | 469 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs You Discovered on The Colorado Sound | 1055 |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Kinky Afro" by Happy Mondays.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.