Music Mondays: "Kitty" by The Presidents Of The United States of America

"Pussy purrin' and lookin' so satisfied."
--The Presidents of the United States of America



You might remember The Presidents Of The United States of America from the 90s -- they were the ones with the incomprehensible lyrics and the irresistible riffs. She was lump, she was lump, and in his head. They were going to the country to eat a lot of peaches. I didn't know what the hell they were talking about, but I always turned up the radio when they came on.

I recently heard "Kitty" on the radio and was blown away by its sexual energy. On the surface, it's just about a cat. The cat wants to be petted. The narrator wants to pet the cat. Then the cat scratches him. He sends it to spend the night outside, but he still wants to touch it. So you could argue it's not about sex.

But you can't sing lines like "pussy purrin' and lookin' so satisfied" without being aware of the double entendre. I'd suggest that the simple narrative above has a sly double meaning--a story of a sexy woman who, despite the pain she causes the narrator, keeps him wanting to touch it.