The Undertones - My Perfect Cousin - Lyrics Meaning

My Perfect Cousin is a song written and performed by the Undertones

one of the first punk rock bands to emerge in the UK.

The song was released in 1980 and made it only as high as number 11 in the charts, although it enjoyed and still enjoys a tremendous cult following to this day.

Lead singer and principal songwriter Feargal Sharkey's high pitched, trembling vocals, feverous singing and trademark strong accent made My Perfect Cousin one of the most talk about songs of the eighties.

The song describes Sharkey's troubled relationship with his cousin Kevin who does everything right and is constantly being used as comparison as to how to behave by Sharkey's mother who is constantly asking why he can't be more like him.

The vocals of My Perfect Cousin are written "tongue in cheek" and have been rated as amongst the cleverest written by any punk rock group before and since.

Sharkey's obsession with his cousin knows no boundaries and goes back to their childhood together.

"He always beat me at subbuteo, because he flicked to kick, and I didn't know"

As the cousins became adults there was no letting up in Feargal's anxiety regarding Kevin's achievements.

"He's got a degree in economics, maths, physics and bionics."