The Aristocats

Remeber this disney cartoon?

Obviously the name is a play on the word aristocrat.

And so the popular song from the movie "everybody wants to be a cat"

Is really, everyone wants to be an ARISTCRAT. So pretty much, they threw a big pie in our faces when they made thism ovie. They had littlev kiddies singing along, not realizing its actually a song mocking and deriding the common working people.

Just look at the lyrics for this song

Skat Cat:
Well, little lady, let me illusidate here
Everybody wants to be a cat - aristocrat
Because a cat's the only cat
Who knows were it's at - Like seriously... could they be anymore explicit? Aristocrats are the elite, and they are the only ones who know 'where its at" - ie; whats really going on
Tom:
Tell me, everybody's pickin' up on that feline beat
'Cause everything else is obsolete.
Skat:
strickly high button shoes.
A square with a horn makes you wish you weren't born
Skat:
Everytime he plays
Tom:
Tom:
But with a square in the act
You can set music back
Skat:
To the cave man days, cha cha ba dum bo day
Tom:
I've heard some corny birds who who tried to sing
Skat:
Still a cat's the only cat who knows how to swing
Bass:
Who wants to dig a long haired gig or stuff like that
Tom:
When everybody wants to be a cat
Tom and Skat:
A square with a horn makes you wish you weren't born
Everytime he plays
Tom:
Oh a rinky tinky tinky
Tom and Skat:
With a square in the act you can set music back
To the cave man days
Marie:
Oh a rinky tinky tinky
Tom:
Yes
M & T:
Everybody wants to be a cat
Beause a cats the only cat who knows where it's at
While playin' jazz you always have a welcom mat
'Cause everybody digs a swinging cat.
Drummer cat:
Oh boy fellas, lets rock this joint!
Cat playing cello:
Ha ha groovy cats!
Piano cat:
Shanghai, Honk Kong, Egg Foo Yong.
Fortune cookie always wrong.
That's a hot one!
(Harp begins)
Duchess:
If you want to turn me on,
Play your horn don't spare the tone,
and blow a little soul into the tune.
T:
Lets take it to another key.
Skat:
Modulate, and wait for me.
I'll take a few ad-libs and pretty soon.
T:
The other cats will all commence
Congregating on the fence.
Underneath the alley's only light.
Duchess:
Where every note is out of sight.
(Jazz music begins again)
S & Crew:
Everybody, everybody, everybody wants to be a cat!
Skat:
Halejuah!
S & Crew:
Everybody, everybody, everybody wants to be a cat!
Everybody, everybody, everybody wants to be a cat!
Everybody, everybody, everybody now

And as for the interpretation of the song. They clearly rely heavily on typical mystical motifs.

A square with a horn makes you wish you weren't born
Everytime he plays

The sqquare is the physical world. And the horn, refers to a very loud noise or influence. Basically it says, whenever youre suffering (everytime he plays) you wish you werent born.

But with a square in the act
You can set music back
to the cave man days

Since square weve established refers to something negative and evil - ie, satan, when its in the "act", you can set the music back - ie: society, which can be referred to as a piece of music, to caveman days.

Theyre basically saying at any time they screw up our lives, which im sure gives them pleasure.


Amazing the kind of movies disney makes.

reply to post by dontreally

Dam straight! The film blatently Rubbs fresh lemon in Yer faces! Then again im Upper-Class Therefore cant complain

it's a symptom of schizophrenia to see patterns and meaning where there is none. I'm just saying.

But I love all those old Disney movies. I can't wait until they resurrect ol' Walt and take over the world. muahaha

reply to post by TedHodgson


Oh really. Youre not a very nice person!

I hope you lose it all and become like one of us

reply to post by Electric Crown


actually its pretty explicity. not much symbolism here. They just slightly changed a word - aristocrat - took out the "r" to become cat. And they dressed up a bunch of cats, had them act and talk the way aristocrats do, and... thats it.

In terms of allegories, this was not a very good one by disney.

reply to post by dontreally


I dont have to lose it, i give it all away lol And work as a volunteer in a homeless shelter full time.
Im a bit different from the normal upper class prat's

reply to post by TedHodgson


So than i guess that doesnt make you upper class anymore.

not unless you can return to mummy and daddy, and get it all back.

reply to post by dontreally


Nah, Never asked for a penny from them, Could return at any point.
But theres no point, Too much money has never bought anyone happiness.
Ive been doing what i do for two years and it really is all worth it

Actually, it's the exact opposite. The particular cats singing that song are underclass -- they're the exact opposite of the aristocats. They convert the Aristocats to their way of thinking -- the underclass are the ones who know where it's at. Jazzy free spirits.

reply to post by Solasis


That doesnt make any sense.

Forget the movie for a second. Aristocats = aristocrats. And everybody wants to be a "cat" is them saying to us - the common people watching this stupid movie, that we would love to be members of the upper class.

The idea that the lower class converts the upper class, is laughable. Seriously. anyone with a brain who understands how this world works knows that most people in the underclass have never had an original idea, unfortunately. Its filtered down through the media the culture they eventually develop.

And the fact "they know where its at" is to say they know how the world really works. And as for the jazzzy free spirits. I guess that goes along with the dionysian culture of the elites. Theyr always partying and livin it up; while the rest of us are put to work for them.

Its the same old story. They mock and deride us because its amusing to them.

reply to post by dontreally


Your confusing class with money.

The class system in Britain has nothing to do with how much money you have.

You can be a multi billionaire company director and still be working class or you can have no money at all be living in a one bedroom flat but still be upper class.

It depends on a lot of things but mostly it's what school you went to, and what your parents were.

If you are born in a particular class in Britain then it never really changes, although you can change it for your children.
If you get rich and send your kids to an expensive school for example then they can become middle class, but you will still be working class.

Most of the true upper class in Britain don't actually have that much money

reply to post by dontreally


No, what you're saying doesn't make any sense. The title characters are a family of 4 cats, a mother and her three children. They are very fancy. Owned by a rich old woman. They are the title "Aristocats." Not all of the cats in the movie are Aristocats.

You can't "forget the movie" for a second, because your entire argument is about the movie.

reply to post by dontreally


This is a thread?

reply to post by Solasis


Im saying forget the movie, and focus simply on the song, in the context of the song. in which case it sends a very clear message.

reply to post by davespanners


The whole idea of a class system implies power - which is synonymous with wealth. That is, those with wealth, than have power. Or if they dont have much wealth, but nevertheless have power, than its clear that power has been "loaned" to them, from those with actual wealth and power - for the sake of performing some purpose for them. Thus, such people arent really members of the upper class, but just used by them.

Next youll say the royal family is poor because they dont publicize their finances.

Show me a poor aristocrat. The very word itself means "the rule of the best'". Never in the history of planet earth have aristocrats been poor. They are the "ruling" power. They rule, and therefore manage the very concept of money.

Notice how many of todays nobles dont have jobs.. Their job is pretty much nothing other than to be 'royals'. They have mansions, cars, yaughts, host parties for the rich and fabulous and they havent earned any of it, but have inherited the role from their ancestors. For instance, the rulng familiy in portugal - the house of braganza, is a branch of the house of bourbon, which in turn is derived from old nobility all the way back to the mythological merovach. The families crest appears on the portugues flag. And liekwise, the brazilian branch of the familiy - its crest appears on the brazilian flag.

Class is synonymous with wealth. To say it has to do what school you went to, is just stupid.

oh.. and once you become poor; youre no longer a member of the upper class, but have joined the lower class(unles youre in a situation where you could 'rejoin' the upper class by turning to relatives)

reply to post by dontreally


My parents arnt rich, Then again the Grandparents are
But they arnt Lords Or Aristorcrats
You really need to get over this idea that somebodys better than you, Everyones equall.
Untill you understand this, that everyone has a equall chance of getting somewhere in life, you will fail to begin to suceed.

reply to post by dontreally


You REALLY don't understand the class system at all

The Queen may well have quite a lot of money, she is absolutely not the richest person in the country though, not by a LONG way.
Lots and lots of football players earn more money in a month then the queen has access to and again that does NOT make them aristocrats, it makes them working class people that have a lot of money.

There are hundreds of stately homes around England that are literally falling apart or have been knocked down or sold off and made into hotels because the aristocratic families (lords and ladies) that live in them can't even afford to repair the windows.

It's not even a controversial theory that I have just somehow made up, the aristocracy being poor in Britain is such a cliche that no one is in the slightest bit surprised by it, I realise that you in depth research of watching a cartoon might not have bought the subject up but there you go.

Originally posted by dontreally
oh.. and once you become poor; youre no longer a member of the upper class, but have joined the lower class(unles youre in a situation where you could 'rejoin' the upper class by turning to relatives)

Again you don't understand the class system

Someone born working class can NEVER become upper class