Crimping refers to a fictional type of song which usually contains no particular musical element but is instead sung acapella, does not follow any single tune and contains surreal lyrics that often make little sense. Other common
characteristics of crimping are unusual subject matter such as soup or jackets, repetition of vocal lines and dance gestures to accompany the songs. The style is reminiscent of scat singing.
Crimping originated in the British BBC Three series
The Mighty Boosh where the two main characters, Howard Moon (
Julian Barratt) and Vince Noir (Noel Fielding) sing a song with each other, often for nostalgic purposes. The most obvious of these is "The Soup Song", with "Calm A Llama Down" and "Jean-Claude Jaquettie" also being prominent examples.
These small tunes were not known as crimping until the third episode of the third series, "The Power of the Crimp", in which the main characters stage a "crimp-off" against their doppelgänger rivals, The Flighty Zeus. The match culminates in a four-way crimp to which both Bollo and Naboo contribute.
The best example of crimping is the famous Four Way Crimp:
"Ahhhhhheeeeeeeee
Crimpity crimpity now now,
Crimpity crimpity ask me how
Crimpity crimpity humble pie
Crimpity crimpity
Boing ding bong bong ting
Crimpity crimpity ping pong
Sugar man light source why did you come for me,
he put me in a coma
Woke up in the future
Robot man can't you help me find my way!
I can't
understand the things you say.
Chew mouse
I love you so,
I took you from the
underground and brought you home.
I put you in my
jacket pocket
took you to the meeting
I put you in my jacket pocket
took you to the meeting
Put you in my jacket pocket
Put you in my jacket pocket
Put you in my jacket
Put you in my jacket
Jean claude jaquette
with his jacket on
with his jacket off
Jacket on
Jacket off
Jacket on
Jacket off
Oh oh oh I did a twisty
Oh oh oh a tiny twisty
Crimpity crimpity now now
Crimpity crimpity ask me how
Crimpity crimpity you will pay
Crimpity crimpity out my way
Boing ding bong bong ting
Crimpity crimpity fuck you!"
