Swimming Pools, Movie Stars

Thirty years ago, Watusi was released to the world by Island Records. Now, in 2024, the band will be playing the album in full again for its thirtieth anniversary just as they did for the twentieth in 2014.

In the main, Watusi was a deliberate musical departure from the noisy, indie rock of the previous couple of years and with new member Darren Belk, Gedge had someone who would help lean the group toward new territories such as surf and pop. It is fair to say that this direction did not sit well with a lot of the fanbase at the time. With every iteration of the band, they seemed to shed people who wanted another George Best/Bizarro/Seamonsters (delete as applicable).

But it is remarkable to see the development of the band’s musicality and how they were all growing as songwriters. For the first time the songs were not simply credited to Gedge (not because the earlier songs were solo efforts but due to PRS membership reasons) and Swimming Pools, Movie Stars was one of 15 credited to Gedge/Smith/Belk/Dorrington. This was a striking and confident indie pop song with themes of Americana, joy and hope.

One of the weirdest moments around this time as a Wedding Present fan was seeing them appear on a mid-morning BBC 2 show fronted by Esther Rantzen. In front of a bemused audience who had probably never heard of them, the band played this song as a bizarre counterpoint of the ‘classic’ music of The Troggs. There are many songs and eras from The Wedding Present which might seem to be diametrically opposed to 60s era rock n’ roll but this song was not one of them! It is also a song that makes me feel different depending on my mood. Sometimes I see it as a fizzy but throwaway pop song but other times I see it in a different light and as a sign of what was to come, especially in the Cinerama era.

Commentary from David Lewis Gedge (DLG):

What do you remember about the creation, writing and recording of this song?

DLG: Well, it’s obviously one of the more poppier songs in the Wedding Present catalogue. Paul Dorrington’s guitar is gnarly, of course, but I’m playing an acoustic – and the vocal is very sing-a-long – so it has a light and airy feel. That fitted in well with our choosing to work with the producer Steve Fisk because, for the Watusi album – which he recorded – we wanted to move away from the rockiness of Seamonsters and the Hit Parade and explore more classic pop sounds and arrangements. Watusi was recorded in Seattle at a studio called Bad Animals, which was owned by the Wilson sisters from the band Heart. We were there for a about a month from the middle of April 1994, and we used to go to the same diner for breakfast every morning. The waiter would shout: “The British are coming!” as we walked in.

Lyrically, there are references to Americana. Was this to do with your experiences with American tours or a general interest with all things American?

DLG: I’ve always liked to throw pop culture references into my work and American pop culture has had one of the strongest influences on me, especially the 1960s and 1970s. The title is a lyric from the theme tune of the 1960s television show, The Beverly Hillbillies, which I loved as a kid.

The chorus mentions “bunny girls”, which is presumably a reference to Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Bunnies. Modern thinking generally has a negative connotation on this today.  How do you feel about this now?

DLG: It was a nod to another part of American pop culture, but I probably wouldn’t use that particular reference now, no. In my defence I do say that they “don’t amuse me anymore and I’m not even sure I liked them then”!

You infamously performed a mimed version of this song on the Esther (Rantzen chat) TV show in September 1994. What do you recall about this? What position of the argument (something to do with modern pop vs classic pop) were you supposed to be? I remember thinking that I wasn’t sure if it was really cool for you to be playing on this quaint/safe show or deeply embarrassing. How did you feel?

DLG: Ha, ha… I’m not sure, either! I don’t remember too much about it, but I know we were basically set up! I subsequently discovered that other bands – Jarvis Cocker later told me that Pulp had been asked – had turned it down, but we thought it would be good to be on national television playing a song from our new album. And, like you say, the surrealness of being on that kind of daytime show probably appealed to us! We were there to represent ‘modern’ pop, while The Troggs were ‘classic’. Both bands mimed to a song and then there was a debate! But the older demographic of the audience was such that it was never going to be an equally balanced discussion. And the programme makers just wanted “good television”, anyway, so there were audience plants – who were there every week, apparently – to make provocative comments in order to stir things up. I don’t think we took much part in the debate because we didn’t feel the need to defend ourselves. It was cool meeting Tony Blackburn and Reg Presley, though.

Nicola Hodgkinson from Boyracer stood in for Jayne on this appearance – do you remember anything about how that came about?

DLG: Our bass player, Jayne Lockey, was away at the time and so Nicola stood in. I’ve known Nicola for years. She actually auditioned to be our bass player when Keith Gregory left in 1993 but had just missed out to Darren Belk, who had himself moved over to guitar by the time of the Esther programme.

Official Lyrics:

I’ll stand over here and, when you walk past me again, I’ll try and say “hello”
It doesn’t look like you are here with anyone; maybe they’ve already gone?
Oh, I don’t know

I’ve thought of nothing else today; the things I’d love to say if I got the chance
And, oh, how grateful I would be if you could just give me a second glance

And that’s because tonight I’ve seen you in a different light
Bunny girls and motorcars
Swimming pools and movie stars just don’t amuse me anymore
And I’m not even sure I liked them then
I feel like I’m awakening and I’ll do anything
Please just say when

Oh, it’s all because tonight I’ve seen you in a different light
Bunny girls and motorcars
Swimming pools and movie stars

They can keep it
They can keep it all
If only you would call

Tonight, I’ve seen you in a different light
Bunny girls and motorcars
Swimming pools and movie stars

They can keep it
They can keep it all
If only you would call

Yes, they can keep it
They can keep it all
If only you would call

Written by: Gedge/Dorrington/Belk/Smith

Gedge is self-published in Eire and the United Kingdom. Outside of Eire and the United Kingdom, the publishing of Gedge is administered by Sentric Music, except for in Canada and the United States of America, where it is administered by Superior Music. The publishing of Dorrington, Belk and Smith is administered by Sentric Music throughout the world.

NEW YORK, NY – CIRCA 1994: (L-R) English songwriter, bassist and guitarist Darren Belk and English musician and songwriter David Gedge, of the English indie rock group The Wedding Present, pose for a portrait circa 1994 in New York, New York. (EDITOR’S NOTE: SPECIAL FILTER WAS USED ON LENS TO CREATE THIS IMAGE) (Photo by Bob Berg/Getty Images)

Studio Versions:

1 – BBC Radio 5 ‘Hit the North’ Session  TIME: 3:06

Recorded: 1993; available on the deluxe edition of Watusi released by Edsel Records.
Performed by: David Gedge (vocals, guitar), Paul Dorrington (guitar), Keith Gregory (bass), Simon Smith (drums).

2 – Album version / Watusi  (Track 9)  TIME: 3:09

First released:  09/09/1994
Recorded by : David Gedge (vocals, guitar); Paul Dorrington (guitar); Darren Belk (bass) and Simon Smith (drums) Steve Fisk (producer)

3 – Live at Phoenix Festival – Peel Session TIME: 2:55

Recorded: 14/07/1995. First broadcast: 15/07/1995.
Performed by:  David Gedge (vocals, guitar); Darren Belk (guitar);  Jayne Lockey (bass, backing vocals) and Simon Smith (drums)

Live:

It’s unclear when Swimming Pools, Movie Stars was first played but it was likely early 1994 and was certainly in the set list on 16 April 1994 at the Garage in London. It was a stalwart of the set through 1996 and the band’s hiatus. Other than a brief return in 2009, it returned permanently in 2014 as part of the Watusi 20 gigs. Ahead of this year’s Watusi 30 gigs, it was last played in December 2018.

Festive 50:

The song featured 15th in John Peel’s 1994 poll. It was the highest of four entries that year, the others being Click, Click (30th), So Long, Baby (37th) and Spangle (39th). The winner that year was I Want You by Inspiral Carpets featuring Mark E Smith.

Video: 

Here’s the Esther performance as referenced above:

https://youtu.be/R9sFprqGyZE?si=n3nzgLb0Ym_f4fqa

Thanks: As always thanks to David Gedge.

Blue Eyes

In 1992, I was working in the sleepy, Tory-stronghold of Leatherhead in Surrey. It is as awful as it sounds. I was working at Dixons and being pressured to sell extended warranties for crappy products to people who did not want them. A beacon of light and hope was that The Wedding Present were to release a new single of the first Monday of every single month that year. A shiny 7”, each with a colourful sleeve and two tracks: one new original on the a-side and one startling cover on the b-side. All available from the local record shop. Something to look forward to each month.

Even better, a friend of mine was the manager of the local Our Price. (The same Our Price where, a few years earlier, I saw the guitarist and drummer from The Darling Buds rearrange the albums in the D-section to put Pop Said at the front). Anyway, I strolled into the shop on my lunchbreak and asked for the new single by the top pop combo called The Wedding Present and the bloke behind the counter (my friend was not in) said “Sold out, we only had a few in and people had already had them put by”). Crestfallen, I walked away and had to wait many months before a letter writing campaign to Sally Murrell resulted in her coming to my rescue with her sending me the single along with the box set that would house all twelve.

In the meantime, I saw the song played live, I watched the bizarre (first) video and enjoyed the chaotic, ramshackle performance on Top of the Pops. For me, the song was mining the same anarchic, noisy vein of indie rock that was just exploding into the mainstream thanks to Nirvana. I loved the opening riff, adored the conversational lyric about the doomed relationship and loved the raucous, punky end to the song where it felt like the band just decided to all do their own thing for a bit. All within three minutes.

This song is still a favourite of mine and does well in polls even though it’s now (gulp) 32 years old!!

Commentary from David Lewis Gedge (DLG):

When the band came up with the idea of the Hit Parade (presumably during 1991), I understand that you had not already written any of the songs. So, were they all from scratch or were they partly-formed? How long did it take to create this and the other two songs that were recorded in the first batch?

DLG: According to my diary we “started writing new songs” on 27 August 1991 and there were some “cover-arranging rehearsals” starting 9 September. So, I’m thinking that we came up with the idea for the Hit Parade sometime between those two dates! The first recording session – with Chris Nagle at Strawberry Studios in Stockport – was 9-16 October.

A couple of songs that went on to be used for the Hit Parade were finished ahead of the end of August, though. We’d had the personnel change after Seamonsters – Paul Dorrington replacing Peter Solowka on guitar in April 1991 – and I remember that ‘Blue Eyes’ was the first song we worked on with the new line up. We might have looked at other new songs that summer but, for most of May and into June, we were on tour, so we wouldn’t have worked on any new stuff then. I have seen a set list for a show in August where we played ‘Blue Eyes’ and ‘Come Play With Me’, though.

What went in to deciding on ‘Blue Eyes’ being the first single released in 1992 as opposed to ‘Go Go Dancer’ or ‘Three’?

DLG: Well, I always wanted ‘Three’ to be the third single, for obvious reasons… and I think we probably felt ‘Blue Eyes’ was more of a ‘single’ than ‘Go Go Dancer’ – more of a pop song, I suppose – and, therefore, a more appropriate track with which to launch the series.

The single got to number 26 in the charts. Did chart placing matter to you and the band at this time?

DLG: The chart placing interested us but it wasn’t a major concern, no. It was kind of fun to look forward to the run down on the radio, I guess.

Was the limited ‘singles club’ nature of the project an attempt to get hype or sales or just for fun?

DLG: The whole idea of the series was to do something different from ‘just another album’ so, in that sense, the concept was purely artistically driven. I’ve always tried to steer The Wedding Present away from being an ‘album-tour-album-tour-album-tour’ type of band and this was just one of many projects we’ve come up with.

There’s a slightly unusual song structure to Blue Eyes. It’s just under three minutes long: the first two minutes start with a fantastic guitar riff that leads straight into verse/verse/chorus, verse/verse/chorus but there are no repeated lines; the final minute is one long, snarling, guitar-led instrumental coda that repeats the opening riff. Do you have any recollection about the how the music was constructed?

DLG: For me it’s a classic ‘E-guitar’ song. I remember writing the opening riff on my Stratocaster with its funny tuning and straight away thinking that it didn’t sound like me at all, which I saw as a good thing! It’s one of my favourite riffs, even though it’s difficult for me to play. There’s an interesting dynamic in that the choruses are the most laid-back bits of the song – which is quite unusual because you normally get ‘bigger’ for the chorus. That makes the move to the instrumental section starting at 1m 53s quite a leap. The E-guitar was fully exploited in that section, too… my part would sound totally different on a ‘normal’ guitar. Overall, I think all the guitar and bass parts complement each other particularly well.

What was the reason behind the (US) Radio Remix that showed up on Singles 1989-1991?

DLG: Although RCA had released Seamonsters in the USA they decided to license the Hit Parade to a company called First Warning because they were deemed to be more suitable for us. More alternative, I guess. First Warning said they wanted to do a ‘Blue Eyes’ remix for the radio. We were initially opposed to it, thinking they’d just want to turn the guitars down and the vocals up. But then they mentioned that they wanted to use Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade who had worked with some of our favourite bands… so we said: “Err… okay!” I can’t remember it sounding much different from the original, though… so maybe First Warning just wanted to add a production credit that would appeal to American radio people.

What was Chris Nagle like as a producer and why did you choose him?

DLG: Chris was suggested by our A&R person at RCA, so we met him to discuss the project. I don’t think we really knew then about his background of working with the legendary Joy Division producer, Martin Hannett, and lots of other iconic bands. He was the in-house engineer at Strawberry Studios, which is where we recorded those first three singles. He was great to work with, though… easy-going and definitely knew his stuff.

As confirmed in Tales From The Wedding Present Volume One, Alexandra was one of your former girlfriends. Did the name just fit the lyric or is there more meaning to using it here? Does she know she was name-checked?

DLG: I can’t remember if she knows she was name-checked but, yes, it definitely concerns her. The first half of the first verse has the narrator quoting an old love letter he remembers receiving (but not keeping) from a previous girlfriend – written after they’d been apart for a while. The rest of the song is essentially about regret following the end of that earlier relationship. People often misunderstand the first line, though. It’s supposed to mean “I couldn’t possibly love you any more (than I already do)” rather than “I couldn’t possibly love you anymore” – if you see what I mean? It’s an oddly constructed lyric, I guess, but, basically, the narrator yearns to have the previous girlfriend home again, even though he’s now, apparently, with Alexandra.

The Top Of The Pops appearance is a funny one. Not quite as surly as some of the others but this is from the time where the vocals were live and the rest was mimed. What was it like having to sing but pretend to play instruments? I assume that was your actual guitar as although you threaten to throw it in the air and smash it on the ground, you don’t.

DLG: It was one of my guitars, yes. I threw it into the bass drum at the end but those Stratocasters are pretty solid. The drum kit wasn’t ours, though, and I think I got charged for tearing the bass drumskin.

I didn’t take the live singing very seriously, which I kind of regret, now. It’s disrespectful to the lyric and the institution that is Top Of The Pops, even though the show was a bit naff, most of the time. I suppose I was trying to look a bit ‘rebellious’ but I just look a bit truculent.

You asked for film-makers to help you make the promo videos for these singles. There are two for ‘Blue Eyes’. One is cartoony with lots of surreal imagery and features you in your pyjamas and later riding a bike into the sky like ET. The other is a straightforward ‘live’ performance which was the one favoured when the videos were collected on Dick York’s Wardrobe. What led to these two very different videos?

DLG: The first one was made by a video company who’d responded after we put out the call. It was meant to be dreamlike, I suppose – using film techniques inspired by a surrealist director whose name I can’t remember, now – but we weren’t completely enamoured with the resulting video. We thought it was okay for promotional use but on the Dick York’s Wardrobe compilation we decided we wanted to do something slightly less bizarre!

Official Lyrics:

“I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this before but I couldn’t possibly love you any more
Oh, it’s been ages
Let’s not do that again”

I think you said that when you wrote to me
I’m not as certain as I ought to be; I lost the pages
It didn’t seem to matter, then

There’s lots of things I should have kept but there was so much I could not accept

I watched some film round Alexandra’s place but I kept seeing your blue eyes in her face
I tried to call you but you must have left by then

And you know that stuff about your being here?
I changed my mind
No, I just want you near
I don’t have to own you; I just want you home again

There’s lots of things I used to say but that all changes from today

Written and published by Gedge. Gedge is self-published in Eire and the United Kingdom. Outside of Eire and the United Kingdom, the publishing of Gedge is administered by Sentric Music, except for in Canada and the United States of America, where it is administered by Superior Music.

Studio Version:

1 – Single / The Hit Parade 1   TIME: 2:56

First released: A-side of single Blue Eyes on 06/01/1992.
Recorded by : David Gedge (vocals, guitar); Paul Dorrington (guitar); Keith Gregory (bass) and Simon Smith (drums) Chris Nagle (producer)

2 – Radio Remix  TIME: 2:50

Performed by: David Gedge vocalist/guitarist), Paul Dorrington (guitarist), Keith Gregory (bassist), Simon Smith (drummer).
Remixed by: Paul Q. Kolderie and Sean Slade.

3 – BBC Radio Leeds Session TIME: 2:59

First broadcast: Groove Web session/BBC Radio Leeds on 31/01/1992.
Performed by: David Gedge vocalist/guitarist), Paul Dorrington (guitarist), Keith Gregory (bassist), Simon Smith (drummer).
Recorded by: Jerry Hibbard (producer), David Crickmore (engineer).

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ian Dickson/Shutterstock (8563827a) The Wedding Present at Riverside Studio, Leeds, Yorkshire – Simon Smith, Paul Dorrington, Dave Gedge and Keith GregoryGROUPED The Wedding Present at Riverside Studio, Leeds, Yorkshire, UK – 12 Oct 1992

Live:

Blue Eyes was first played live on the 28^th August 1991 at the Rooftop Gardens, Wakefield (a venue that still exists apparently). This was clearly several months before it was released. It was a regular staple of the live set through to the band’s hiatus in 1997. It was part of the setlist when the band returned in 2005 and featured heavily in 2008 and many years since. As of writing, it was last played in August 2023 at the Edge of the Sea festival.
There are many, many live versions of the song available on official releases.

Video: 

Here are several videos of the song. They are, respectively, the first promo video, the second promo (featured on Dick York’s Wardrobe), the Top of the Pops appearance (as recorded by me), the YTV feature from 2005 and the version on the 2021 Locked Down, Stripped Back performance.

Thanks: As always thanks to David Gedge for whom this site would not exist and thanks to Sally Murrell for being that first point of contact all those years ago.

#GedgeAnthology twitter poll 2023

01/03/23              George Best – 2                                                 1987       TWP
02/03/23             Tommy – 2                                                          1988       TWP
03/03/23              Ukrainian Peel Sessions – 1                         1989       TWP
04/03/23              Bizarro – 2                                                           1989       TWP
05/03/23              Seamonsters – 2                                               1991       TWP      
06/03/23              Hit Parade I – 2                                                  1992       TWP
07/03/23              Hit Parade II – 2                                                 1993       TWP
08/03/23              Watusi – 2                                                           1994       TWP
09/03/23              Mini – 1                                                                1996       TWP
10/03/23              Saturnalia – 2                                                     1996       TWP
11/03/23              Va Va Voom – 2                                                 1998       Cinerama
12/03/23              Singles 95-97 – 2                                               1999       TWP
13/03/23              Disco Volante – 2                                              2000       Cinerama
14/03/23              This Is Cinerama – 2                                        2000       Cinerama
15/03/23              Torino – 2                                                            2002       Cinerama
16/03/23              Cinerama Holiday – 2                                      2002       Cinerama
17/03/23              Take Fountain – 2                                             2005       TWP
18/03/23              Search For Paradise – 1                                 2006       TWP
19/03/23              Ye-Ye – 2                                                              2007       TWP
20/03/23              El Rey – 2                                                             2008       TWP
21/03/23              How The West Was Won – 1                        2008       TWP
22/03/23              Valentina – 2                                                      2012       TWP
23/03/23              Seven Wonders of the World -2                2014       Cinerama
24/03/23              Valentina – 2                                                      2015       Cinerama
25/03/23              Going Going – 4                                                2016       TWP
26/03/23              George Best 30 – 2                                          2017       TWP
27/03/23              Tommy 30 – 2                                                    2019       TWP
28/03/23              Locked Down, Stripped Back I -2             2021       TWP
29/03/23              Locked Down, Stripped Back II -2            2022       TWP
30/03/23              24 Songs (singles 1-6) – 2                             2022       TWP
31/03/23              24 Songs (singles 7-12) – 2                          2022       TWP

Momento Mori

(First played live in April 2022, released as the b-side of Single Twelve of 24 Songs in December 2022)
Written by David Gedge / Jon Stewart / Melanie Howard / Nicholas Wellauer

Official Lyrics:

You drift through life and say: “I’ll do it another day” because you do what you always do
And, yes, you’re going to scoff, but you always put things off
Surely the goal is to take control

And you would see what I mean if you could just stop being so nonchalant

And look how all the trees have already lost their leaves
This year’s going to disappear
And you know that it’s true, the world won’t wait for you
You’ve got to make a move

You can’t ignore that there’s a door that is just waiting for you to unlock
It’s not just about you; it affects me, too
We’re all running against the clock

I can see the mountains from here and they don’t look too high
I can see the mountains from here and they don’t look too high

The Loneliest Time of Year

(Never played live, released as the a-side of Single Twelve of 24 Songs in December 2022)
Written by David Gedge / Jon Stewart / Melanie Howard / Nicholas Wellauer

Official Lyrics:

And can you hear the waves?
This is where I gave my promise to always be here, at your side
So, will you be better off without me?
Well, that is something that only you can decide

I don’t want to pull on your heartstrings but I’ve given you everything; every single thing that you’ve asked me for
I’ve always tried to show concern without asking for anything in return and that’s because I learnt to love you more and more

And so, I’m asking, then, if you could think again before you disappear into thin air because I can’t believe that this just might be the final Christmas that we share

And the weather’s appalling; how can you think of leaving now?
And, look, the snow’s just started falling; this is what Christmas is about

And I know you’d like to spend this time with your wonderful new friend but could we maybe just pretend that you are staying here for another day?
Oh, does it have to end this way?
Let’s not make Christmas Day the loneliest time of year

And the weather’s appalling; how can you think of leaving now?
And, look, the snow’s just started falling; this is what Christmas is about

The weather’s appalling; how can you think of leaving now?
The snow’s just started falling; this is what Christmas is about
The weather’s appalling; how can you think of leaving now?
The snow’s just started falling; this is what Christmas is about

Plot Twist

(First played live in April 2022, released as the b-side of Single Eleven of 24 Songs in November 2022)
Written by David Gedge / Jon Stewart / Melanie Howard / Nicholas Wellauer

Official Lyrics:

There was a girl that he used to know
He really does miss her
Yeah, he’s that joker in the photo
The one who tried to kiss her

Life always just gets in the way
Were they ever meant to be together?
There was a plot twist and then they never even found out whether

She cared as much as he did
He was too scared to ask her
You can’t decide who you fall in love with
It’s risking disaster

Life always just gets in the way
Were they ever meant to be together?
And, until they met again today, he’d been trying his best to just forget her

And it all happened so quickly
The final scene’s impending
The clock keeps on ticking
Looks like we’ve reached the ending
Two, three, four

They used to send each other Fall songs
She tried to teach him Spanish
But then he waited for much too long
She just seemed to vanish

Life always just gets in the way
Were they ever meant to be together?
And, until they met again today, he’d been trying his best to just forget her

And it all happened so quickly
The final scene’s impending
The clock keeps on ticking
Looks like we’ve reached the ending
Two, three, four

Science Fiction

(First played live in April 2022, released as the a-side of Single Eleven of 24 Songs in November 2022)
Written by David Gedge / Jon Stewart / Melanie Howard / Nicholas Wellauer

Official Lyrics:

Aliens have landed
I don’t know what they’ve demanded but the Earth will never be the same again
They said: “Take us to your leader,” you know, the usual procedure
They demolished all our barricades
And then I woke up and the world was just the same as it was yesterday
We broke up but I still call your name, like I do every day

And, in the not-so-distant future, the world’s run by a computer that takes care of every single thing we need but, if you’ve seen any movie, you’ll know things never go smoothly and we’ll face a huge disaster, guaranteed
And then I woke up and the world was just the same as it was yesterday
We broke up but I still call your name, like I do every day

And I’d do anything, anything, anything, anything to stop myself from thinking about you
Yes, I’d do anything, anything, anything, anything to stop myself from thinking about you

And I really need to shake off this addiction but, instead, I’m sat here watching science fiction
I took this retro spaceship for an interstellar day trip and I went as fast as Einstein would allow
It belongs to some mad scientist; I don’t know how he acquired it but a time machine would suit me better now
So I could wake up and have the world be just the same as it was yesterday
We didn’t break up and you still call my name, you never went away

And I’d do anything, anything, anything, anything to stop myself from thinking about you
Yes, I’d do anything, anything, anything, anything to stop myself from thinking about you
Yes, I’d do anything, anything, anything, anything to stop myself from thinking about you
Yes, I’d do anything, anything, anything, anything to stop myself from thinking about you
Oh

Whodunnit

(Never played live, released as the b-side of Single Ten of 24 Songs in October 2022)
Written by David Gedge / Jon Stewart / Melanie Howard / Nicholas Wellauer

Official Lyrics:

You’re living for the moment but I’ll give it a miss because it really, really wasn’t meant to end like this
And for you I went further than I have been before
You got away with murder which I’ll regret for evermore

So, let me ask you, let me ask you, let me ask you how you thought you get away with doing something like that
Well, it transpires you’re a liar and I think it’s time to call it a day
And, darling, that’s where we’re at

Because you have stolen something from me that I can never replace and you have caused catastrophe
You’re a complete disgrace

You’re living for the moment but I’ll give it a miss because it really, really wasn’t meant to end like this

So, let me ask you, let me ask you, let me ask you how you thought you get away with doing something like that
Well, it transpires you’re a liar and I think it’s time to call it a day
And, darling, that’s where we’re at

Because you have stolen something from me that I can never replace and you have caused catastrophe
You’re a complete disgrace
Yeah, you have stolen something from me that I can never replace

Astronomic

(Never played live, released as the a-side of Single Ten of 24 Songs in October 2022)
Written by David Gedge / Jon Stewart / Melanie Howard / Nicholas Wellauer

Official Lyrics:

This is one amazing fantasy
Faster than the speed of sound
I’m unreservedly spellbound
This is exactly where I want to be
Faster than the speed of light
Lying in your arms tonight

Stand back, this is an emergency because you’re atomic
And now we’re flying; it’s death defying
And you can see further than I can see; you’re astronomic
Well, first you save me then you enslave me

I was in a spaceship hurtling through the void
I was hiding away on an asteroid
So, am I feeling good?
No, I’m overjoyed!
I thought there’s no way someone that looks like you could ever be with someone like me but do the stars all align when you need them to?

This is one amazing fantasy
Faster than the speed of sound
I’m unreservedly spellbound
This is exactly where I want to be
Faster than the speed of light
Lying in your arms tonight

I’m moving five times quicker since you called me; I’m hypersonic
Because, when my phone rang, that was a big bang!

I was in a spaceship hurtling through the void
I was hiding away on an asteroid
So, am I feeling good?
No, I’m overjoyed!
I thought there’s no way someone that looks like you could ever be with someone like me but do the stars all align when you need them to?

Summer

(First played live in August 2022, released as the b-side on Single Nine of 24 Songs in September 2022)
Written by David Gedge / Jon Stewart / Melanie Howard / Nicholas Wellauer

Official Lyrics:

That colour looks great on you but, come to think, well, didn’t it always?
I never stopped loving you; no, it’s true
I just went and found even more ways

I’ve been waiting for the summer to return
Feeling number and number, until I learn

That you’ve been back for a while
So, are you really home for good, now?
And, oh, I’ve missed that smile and I just need to say this, somehow

 I’ve been waiting for the summer to return and now the world’s back in colour as far as I’m concerned

 So, just hold on, this is dynamite
We still have time to get it right and, if you don’t care, well, don’t sweat it
Just don’t you dare tell me to forget it because I love you now like I loved you then
Could you ever see yourself back with me again?
I hope you don’t think that I’m pushing too hard but I’ve got to say that I’m ready when you are

Don’t you just love this summer breeze and days that last forever?
The sound of bumble bees
I’ll be here for you whenever

I’ve been waiting for the summer to return and now the world’s back in colour as far as I’m concerned

So, just hold on, this is dynamite
We still have time to get it right and, if you don’t care, well, don’t sweat it
Just don’t you dare tell me to forget it
I love you now like I loved you then
Could you ever see yourself back with me again?
I hope you don’t think that I’m pushing too hard but I’ve got to say that I’m ready when you are

I’ve been waiting for the summer to return
I’ve been waiting for the summer to return
I’ve been waiting for the summer to return
I’ve been waiting for the summer to return