| Cover | Respectable Street.jpg |
|---|---|
| Artist | XTC |
| Album | Black Sea |
| Released | 13 March 1981[1] |
| Recorded | 1980 |
| Studio | Townhouse Studios, London |
| Genre | |
| Length |
|
| Label | Virgin |
| Writer | Andy Partridge |
| Producer | Steve Lillywhite |
| Prev year | 1980 |
| Next year | 1982 |
"Respectable Street" is a song written by Andy Partridge of XTC, released as the opening track on their 1980 album Black Sea. According to Partridge, the song is about English streets[4] and "the hypocrisy of living in a so-called respectable neighborhood. It's all talk behind twitching curtains. It's all Alan Bennett land."[5] In another interview Partridge reveals that Respectable Street was based on a real street Bowood Road in Swindon, which was diagonally opposite the flat above a shop on Kingshill Road where he was living at the time he wrote it.[6] Discounting the Canada-only "Love at First Sight", it was the fourth and last single issued from the LP. BBC Radio banned the song because of its references to abortion and a "Sony Entertainment Centre".[7]
Legacy
Music journalist John Harris highlighted "Respectable Street" as "one of the most evocative items in Partridge's oeuvre."[4] In 1996, critic Jack Rabid praised its "sardonic crack" and wrote "am I the only one who's noticed that super-fans Blur have ripped this song off three times already???!!!!"[8]
In 1982, it was the only song XTC performed at a televised gig simulcast in Paris, which became one of the last live performances of their career. Partridge experienced a panic attack mid-performance and walked off the stage.[5]
It is the first XTC recording in which Dave Gregory contributed his keyboard playing.[9]
Personnel
XTC
Variations
- Original album version - Black Sea (1980)
- Single remix (1981) - Rag and Bone Buffet: Rare Cuts and Leftovers
- Live versions
- BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert (1982, recorded November 1980)
- Urgh! A Music War (1981)
- Home demo, live studio demo, and instrumental versions released on 2017 expanded edition of Black Sea
References
- ^ "News". Record Mirror. 14 March 1981. p. 3.
- ^ Schabe, Patrick (27 October 2006). "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul". PopMatters
1980's Black Sea sold well on the album charts on the strength of its solid post-punk tracks, including "Respectable Street", "Towers of London", and "Generals and Majors".
- ^ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1982". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. pp. 414–415. ISBN 9781493064601.
- ^ Harris, John (2 April 2010). "The sound of the suburbs and literary tradition". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ Farmer, Neville (1998). XTC: Song Stories: The Exclusive Authorized Story Behind the Music. London: Helter Skelter Publishing. pp. 94, 134. ISBN 190092403X.
- ^ Partridge, Andy (2016). Complicated game : inside the songs of XTC. 1st ed. London. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-908279-78-1. OCLC 900032028
- ^ Bernhardt, Todd & Partridge, Andy (26 February 2007). "Andy discusses 'Respectable Street'". Chalkhills
- ^ Rapid, Jack (July 1997). "Upsy Daisy Assortment". The Gallery of Sound Stereo-Type
- ^ Dave (9 March 2008). "Interview of Dave Gregory" (Audio). Rundgren Radio. Retrieved 14 January 2008.