Swedish singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry owns the fourth most underrated 80s song with ‘Buffalo Stance,’ her biggest hit. The 1988 single went to #1 in her native Sweden and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Of the ten songs on Chris Dalla Riva’s “underrated” chart, this one has the fewest Spotify streams. Cherry had a decent run in the late 80s and early 90s but has pretty much fallen off the map (despite releasing an album as recently as 2022).
I missed out on ‘Buffalo Stance’ even when it was popular. I did catch up with Cherry a few years later when her sophomore album, Homebrew, became a favorite 1992 release. That was a time when I was gobbling up new music, and her mix of R&B, rap, and pop really made an impression.
This song’s title is a reference to the Buffalo group of artists, photographers and fashion designers who prowled London in the early 80s. Cherry described the “Buffalo stance” to The New York Times as “an attitude you have to have in order to get by. It’s not about fashion but about survival in inner cities and elsewhere.”
(Gigolo) Will you stop the **** scratching and gimme a beat?
Ouch!
Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce the hi-hat
Go on, mmm, that’s good!
Now the tambourine, right now!
Mmm, whoo, yeah, DJ!
[Verse 1]
Who’s that gigolo on the street
With his hands in his pockets and his crocodile feet?
Hanging off the curb, looking all disturbed
Ask the boys from home, they all came running
They were making noise, manhandling toys
There’s the girls on the block with the nasty curls
Wearing padded bras, sucking beers through straws
Dropping down their drawers, where did you get yours? (Gigolo)
[Interlude]
Huh, sucka? (Gigolo, gigolo)
Huh, sucka? (Gigolo)
[Pre-Chorus]
Who’s looking good today?
Who’s looking good in every way?
No style rookie
You better watch, don’t mess with me
[Chorus]
No moneyman can win my love
It’s sweetness that I’m thinking of
We always hang in a buffalo stance
We do the dive every time we dance
I’ll give you love, baby, not romance
I’ll make a move, nothing left to chance
So don’t you get fresh with me
[Interlude]
Get funky
Yeah, Timmy
Tell it like it is!
Check out this DJ
[Verse 2]
So you say you wanted money but you know it’s never funny
When your shoes worn through and there’s a rumble in your tummy
But you had to have style, get a gold tooth smile
Put a girl on the corner so you can make a pile
Committed a crime and went inside
It was coming your way but you had to survive
When you lost your babe, you lost the race
Now you’re looking at me to take her place
[Pre-Chorus]
Who’s looking good today?
Who’s looking good in every way?
No style rookie
You better watch, don’t mess with me
[Chorus]
No moneyman can win my love
It’s sweetness that I’m thinking of
We always hang in a buffalo stance
We do the dive every time we dance
I’ll give you love, baby, not romance
I’ll make a move, nothing left to chance
So don’t you get fresh with me
[Interlude]
Smokin’, not cokin’
Get funky, sax
[Verse 3]
Looking good, hangin’ with the Wild Bunch
Looking good in a buffalo stance
Looking good when it comes to the crunch
Looking good’s a state of mind
State of mind, don’t look behind you
State of mind or you’ll be dead
State of mind, may I remind you?
Bomb the Bass, rock this place!
[Interlude]
What is he like?
What’s he like anyway?
Yo, man, what do you expect?
The guy’s a gigolo, man
You know I mean?
[Chorus]
No moneyman can win my love
It’s sweetness that I’m thinking of
We always hang in a buffalo stance
We do the dive every time we dance
I’ll give you love, baby, not romance
I’ll make a move, nothing left to chance
So don’t you get fresh with me
No moneyman can win my love
It’s sweetness that I’m thinking of
We always hang in a buffalo stance
We do the dive every time we dance
I’ll give you love, baby, not romance
I’ll make a move, nothing left to chance
So don’t you get fresh with me
[Bridge]
Wind on my face, sound in my ears
Water from my eyes, and you on my mind
As I sink, diving down deep
Deeper into your soul
[Outro]
No moneyman can win my love
It’s sweetness that I’m thinking of
No moneyman can win my love
It’s sweetness that I’m thinking of
No moneyman can win my love
No moneyman can win my love
No moneyman can win my love
No moneyman can win my love
No moneyman
Meet Me In Montauk 
I’ve heard of Neneh Cherry, but am not familiar with this song. If this was her biggest hit, I doubt I know any of her other music.