In the second of our directional posts we tackle the subject of ‘down’. This should be relatively easy as not only is it a direction but also a state of mind. Songwriters are notorious for having the blues and feeling down, so let’s see what a rifle through the archive can produce.
“Downtown” is a song written and produced by Tony Hatch which, as recorded by Petula Clark in 1964, became an international hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart. Hatch received the 1981 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. The song has been covered by many singers, including Dolly Parton and Emma Bunton.
“Down Down” is a song by Status Quo. Written by Francis Rossi and Bob Young and produced by Status Quo, “Down Down” was Status Quo’s only No. 1 in the UK. The single spent a week at the top of the chart in January 1975. It was released on 29 November 1974 on Vertigo, paired with the b-side song “Nightride”. Both songs came from the album On the Level, which had yet to be released. The album version lasts 5 minutes and 24 seconds, whilst the single version is 3 minutes and 49 seconds.
“Down Under” is a song recorded by Australian band Man at Work. It was originally released in 1980 as the b-side to their first local single titled “Keypunch Operator”, released before the band signed with Columbia. Both early songs were written by the group’s co-founders, Colin Hay and Ron Strykert. The early version of “Down Under” has a slightly different tempo and arrangement from the later Columbia release. The most well known version was then released on Columbia in 1981 as the second single from their debut album Business as Usual (1981). In the UK, the song topped the charts in January and February 1983. In the United States, the song debuted on the Billboard in November 1982 at No. 79, and reached No. 1 in January 1983 where it spent four non-consecutive weeks. It eventually sold over two million copies in the US alone.
“Burning Down the House” is a song by new wave band Talking Head, released in July 1983 as the first single from their fifth studio album Speaking in Tongues. “This song started from a jam,” says bassist Tina Weymouth. “Chris Frantz (drummer) ad just been to see Parliament-Funkadelic in its full glory at Madison Square Garden, and he was really hyped. During the jam, he kept yelling ‘Burn down the house!’ which was a P-Funk audience chant, and David Byrne dug the line, changing it to the finished version, ‘Burning down the house’.
“I Won’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” is a song written and performed by the English singer-songwriter Nik Kershaw. It was his first single, released in 1983 to little success, but was re-released in 1984 and became his highest charting hit in the UK, peaking at no. 2 there. The song was included on Kershaw’s debut album Human Racing.
“Sit Down” is a song by English band James, originally released in June 1989 by Rough Trade. The song’s lyrics were written in late 1988 as a homage to author Doris Lessing and singer Patti Smith, who had inspired the lead singer of James, Tim Booth. In its eight-and-a-half-minute original form, the song only reached number 77 in the UK (although it did make number eight in John Peel’s Festive Fifty of that year). After experiencing success as part of the Manchester music scene, a new version was released in March 1991 that was shorter and with new lyrics. Released via Fontana Records, it reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, spending three weeks there.
“Falling Down” is a song by Oasis, from their seventh studio album Dig Out Your Soul (2008). Written and sung by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher, it was released in March 2009 as the third single from the album with the digital release occurring a day earlier. It was the final single released by the band before their breakup just over five months later in August 2009. It would remain the last new release from the band for more than eleven years until April 2020.