The quiet desperation that is the English way (thanks Neil). OK, let’s get one thing straight: if it’s the man who wrote about the last train for the coast, it’s Don McLean, and if it’s the one-time Peter Glaze sidekick, it’s Don Maclean, and we’ll never know which one is being referred to, although you lot will argue about it, without doubt. Turned Up Clocked On Laid Off is one of the most beautifully gloomy songs HMHB have ever recorded, especially the coda after the last chorus. Magnificent. Thanks to Bob, Neil, Grim, Jon A and gNick
Ben
Nothing to add corrections wise, looks A.O.K (Athens?!) here.
Just wanted to say this has long been one of my faves, I like that apart from the Mickey Most bit at the end, it’s almost as serious as Soft Verges, well almost.
Is there anything as depressing an image as who or what a ‘Factory Prankster of the Year’ would be like?
The Allotments pun, so so clever, is it borrowed or purloined from somewhere or an original NB witticism?
And the ‘weird’ musing, almost like a call to arms for all the pedants on here.
12 January 2010
Steve Malkmoose
OK I’ll get it started..as someone has to LOL
To my mind he is clearly referring to the erstwhile Crackerjack ‘funny man’ as Nigel pronounces it in the song as “McCLEAN” (which is how he was introduced on the show, if memory serves); whereas the American Pie man was always to my knowledge pronounced “mcLANE”. Anyone else care to back me up on this?
Having said that I can see why Nige would think there were merits in killing both of em!
Oh and by the way surely there’s a “But” before ‘I cant cope…’ ?
13 January 2010
Chris The Siteowner
Thanks Steve: definitely an omission on my part, but I think it’s “and I can’t cope…”
13 January 2010
simon smith
OK, I may have to use a football analogy to try and justify this; In the first phase of play (the arch phase) NB paraphrases the lyrics of American songster Don McLean, a structure he has utilised on many occasions with a myriad of artists.
In the second phase of play (the pull back and reveal phase) NB, well, pulls back to reveal his Crackerjack credentials and play on the fact Don McLean is both the name of perma-gurning doppelganger of window cleaning Antipodean Mr Cave and deformed thumb tattooed sentimentalist.
The gift is in knowing the knowing audience will indeed know he has plagiarised Don Mclean`s lyrics and the joke is subtly rendered. Unlike the sledgehammer approach we are using to dissect the frog here. Barry Cryer`s joke springs to mind.
13 January 2010
Charles Exford
One of my favourite songs of this or any other artist, ever. Sums up a whole era in Britain (and on Merseyside especially) for me. Not released in the 80s but defo sums up the 80s.
Yes, it’s ‘AND I can’t cope’, and it’s also ‘THE father’, same as in American Pie.
But funnily enough the only word I’d never got before is ‘phone’. Wow, it’s ‘phone’. Wish I understood that line.
I agree with Simon about the scenario, and I also like to muse that out of the motley gang of four of them on the imaginary train, some of them may believe they are gunning for one person, some for another.
No coincidence that at the end of each week’s Crackerjack, Glaze, Maclean, Stewart et al used to ‘murder’ current chart hits. Friday about half past five throughout the mid to late 70s was the time the music died, just after the Cabbage Game. Only yesterday I was remembering their quite unforgettable version of Pilot’s “January,” for the obvious reasons.
13 January 2010
Charles Exford
Ha, talk about guilty pleasures. Just spent a very agreable hour on YouTube listening to Medicine Head, and their best known song features a verse starting “and when I call you on the telephone….”
Maybe the song sums up the 70s even better then 🙂
13 January 2010
Chris The Siteowner
I think Mum was probably listening to Dial-a-Disc.
13 January 2010
Steve Malkmoose
yes of course its “and” not “but”…. will teach me to type from memory without playing the damn song first 😛
14 January 2010
Dave Betts
I note with the usual level of macabre interest that both Most and Glaze have shuffled off this mortal coil and Don “American Pie” McLean doesn’t look very well in his Wikipedia picture. I don’t think we can hold Nigel responsible for Mr Glaze’s demise though…
14 January 2010
Sim
A small correction, I think it’s ‘I need pills to help me sleep’ not ‘I need pills to make me sleep’
1 March 2010
MIKE IN COV
That’s the beauty of this site. I’d never have got the Crackerjack references unaided.
Is it too obvious to note that “Happy days are here again” is a quote? Click here for the original version with lots of frying bacon and here if you admire Barbra Streisand.
Does anyone else suspect that “It’s just like I’m fourteen again” is a nod to Sixteen Again (tune!) by Buzzcocks?
9 July 2012
John Burscough
Could be. An alternative Manclink would be Victoria Wood’s “Fourteen Again” (which Morrissey turned into “Rusholme Ruffians”).
9 July 2012
MIKE IN COV
@John, I didn’t know the VW song, and having listening to it I’m sure you’re right.
9 July 2012
paulthehalfwit
“People who can’t spell ‘weird’ right” – a nod towards Terry Pratchett, who wrote ‘Wyrd Sisters’ and is undoubtably quite well off?
14 December 2013
Dr Desperate
Or towards David Bowie, according to his handwritten lyrics for ‘Ziggy Stardust’?
14 December 2013
chrisp
http://twitpic.com/4wsgp
9 March 2014
Toastkid
Outstanding find CHRISP.
10 March 2014
Peter Gandy
I’m surprised that nobody has mentioned this already, but in ‘I Believe, Boot…’, the final story in John Lennon’s ‘A Spaniard in the Works’ there is this line:
“Ai too am capable of compassion dear Wabooba – and in the name of the Father, Sock and Micky Most, I forgive you sweet brother.”
10 March 2014
CHARLES EXFORD
Great find that Peter, not read that meself since I was about 14 and borrowed it from Wallasey library so wouldn’t remember it at all.
11 March 2014
dirk hofman
‘When you walk through a storm..’..first line of You’ll never walk alone.Rogers and Hammerstein,Carousel.
13 January 2015
cream cheese and chives
From the BBC Football page Juventus v Man Utd (20:00 GMT)
Gary Flintoff
BBC Radio 5 live reporter in Turin
Our hosts at Juventus have put on a great spread for the British media. Plenty of pasta options and they have not held back on the deserts either!
Thousands in the bank? Probably.
7 November 2018