'WHERE DO THE CHILDREN GO' BY THE HOOTERS - GREAT SONG BUT WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE LYRICS?

American band The Hooters deserve to be remembered for more than just one song, the anthemic party rocker AND WE DANCED.

Unfortunately like so many bands have discovered over the years one or two mega-hits can actually be a total curse because fickle fans tend to latch onto a hit song to the point where they don't take any notice of the definitive output a band records which doesn't quite have hit singles written over it. 

THE HOOTERS did in fact score a few hits, including the minor one, ALL YOU ZOMBIES,

which is a very provocative interpretation of the biblical journey taken by the 'lost children of Israel' under the guidance of Moses. 

AND WE DANCED of course is a dance favourite which caters for teenagers caught up in the throws of innocent romance, two inspirational tunes undoubtedly, but beyond all the fickleness of the commercial success of these songs is a catalogue of if not better songs which continues to be ignored by Australian radio stations.

The Hooters are categorised by a sound which incorporates rock'n'roll, folk and a little element of reggae if you listen very carefully.

I love the song featuring on the You Tube above, WHERE DO THE CHILDREN GO, a song which has always aroused my curiosity as to who the deadly piper is who is leading all the children away as it's rendered in the song.

Personally I interpret that as meaning so in a purely metaphorical way, that the innocence of children always gets lost to all the bad influences in the world as they grow up, I don't think The Hooters are singing about a child predator who's kidnapping children. 

It may be construed in that manner if you
were to interpret the song literally. A bit like how a certain religion interprets 'abstain from blood`.

Other tracks of The Hooters which deserve mentioning which never get played in a radio station in my part of the world is the overlooked DAY BY DAY and the title track off the NERVOUS NIGHT album, the album which AND WE DANCED and WHERE DO THE CHILDREN GO feature on, as well as a few more folk influenced songs off the 1989 album ZIG ZAG, notably a cover of 500 MILES and the rollicking DONT KNOCK IT TILL YOU TRY IT. 

In 2001 the band reformed and a brand new album came out a few years ago, still a great live act but their best music remains their classic stuff from the 1980`s.