Streets of your town
Encyclopedia
"Streets Of Your Town" was a single by Australia
n indie group The Go-Betweens
, from their 1988 album, 16 Lovers Lane
. Featuring polished production, a prominent backing vocal by Amanda Brown
and a guitar solo by bassist John Willsteed, "Streets of Your Town" is one of the band's most recognised songs and is arguably the closest the group had to a mainstream hit. It was released in July 1988 in the UK on Beggars Banquet
, where it reached #80 on the singles charts and in Australia in August 1988 on Mushroom
, where it reached #70. In New Zealand, the song was issued in November 1988, and was a top 40 hit, peaking at #30 -- the band's highest-ever placing on any national chart.
The single was re-released in the UK in 1989, in an attempt by Beggars Banquet to encourage the band’s commercial momentum. However, it only peaked at No. 82.
Written by Grant McLennan
, the sunny, upbeat music is contrasted with darker lyrics: "Don't the sun look good today but the rain is on its way, watch the butcher shine his knives, and this town is full of battered wives". The often played videoclip mixes evocative images of Brisbane
, Sydney
and Melbourne
, but there is also a second clip, filmed in black-and-white and included on the CD remaster, featuring footage of the band performing the song.
McLennan said of writing the song, "I was listening to "Under the Milky Way
" and I was just working it out - cause I'm a big fan of The Church
. And that afternoon I came up with a chord progression and a chorus."
This song was used as the theme song for Prime Television
in Australia in 2001-2002 and for television advertisements for The Courier Mail in 2006/2007, though in both cases the song was edited so that the darker lyrics were omitted.
Lines from the song were included by U2
when they played "Elevation" and "With or Without You
" on the opening of the Pacific leg of their Vertigo World Tour
in Brisbane
, in dedication to McLennan. The song was also played after the band's second encore.
The song was covered by Ivy
, appearing on their 2003 album, Guestroom. It has also been covered by the band Vetiver
in their 2011 tour.
The opening guitar chords from the song are sampled on "Just the Way You Are
" by Italian dance production group Milky
. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard
Hot Dance Airplay
chart in October, 2003.
The song was also featured in the 2008 Australian
/British
AFI award
-winning drama-based feature film
The Black Balloon
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n indie group The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...
, from their 1988 album, 16 Lovers Lane
16 Lovers Lane
16 Lovers Lane was the sixth album by Australian indie pop group The Go-Betweens, released in 1988 by Beggars Banquet Records. Prior to the recording of the album, longtime bassist Robert Vickers left the band when the other group members decided to return to Australia after having spent several...
. Featuring polished production, a prominent backing vocal by Amanda Brown
Amanda Brown (musician)
Amanda Gabrielle Brown is an Australian composer, classically trained musician, singer and songwriter, renowned for her role as the violinist of the band The Go-Betweens and more recently a session musician and soundtrack composer....
and a guitar solo by bassist John Willsteed, "Streets of Your Town" is one of the band's most recognised songs and is arguably the closest the group had to a mainstream hit. It was released in July 1988 in the UK on Beggars Banquet
Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
, where it reached #80 on the singles charts and in Australia in August 1988 on Mushroom
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
, where it reached #70. In New Zealand, the song was issued in November 1988, and was a top 40 hit, peaking at #30 -- the band's highest-ever placing on any national chart.
The single was re-released in the UK in 1989, in an attempt by Beggars Banquet to encourage the band’s commercial momentum. However, it only peaked at No. 82.
Written by Grant McLennan
Grant McLennan
Grant William McLennan was an Australian singer-songwriter with the alternative rock band The Go-Betweens, which he co-founded with Robert Forster in Brisbane, Australia in 1977...
, the sunny, upbeat music is contrasted with darker lyrics: "Don't the sun look good today but the rain is on its way, watch the butcher shine his knives, and this town is full of battered wives". The often played videoclip mixes evocative images of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, but there is also a second clip, filmed in black-and-white and included on the CD remaster, featuring footage of the band performing the song.
McLennan said of writing the song, "I was listening to "Under the Milky Way
Under the Milky Way
"Under the Milky Way" is a single by Australian alternative rock band The Church released in February 1988 with their album, Starfish. The song was written by bass guitarist and vocalist Steve Kilbey and his then-girlfriend, Karin Jansson...
" and I was just working it out - cause I'm a big fan of The Church
The Church (band)
The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
. And that afternoon I came up with a chord progression and a chorus."
This song was used as the theme song for Prime Television
Prime Television
PRIME7 is an Australian television network owned by Prime Media Group Limited. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as CBN/CWN in Orange and Dubbo, New South Wales, and has since expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory as a Seven Network...
in Australia in 2001-2002 and for television advertisements for The Courier Mail in 2006/2007, though in both cases the song was edited so that the darker lyrics were omitted.
Lines from the song were included by U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
when they played "Elevation" and "With or Without You
With or Without You
"With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, and was released as the album's first single on 21 March 1987...
" on the opening of the Pacific leg of their Vertigo World Tour
Vertigo Tour
The Vertigo Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the band visited arenas and stadiums from 2005 through 2006. The Vertigo Tour consisted of five legs that alternated between indoor arena shows in...
in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, in dedication to McLennan. The song was also played after the band's second encore.
The song was covered by Ivy
Ivy (band)
Ivy is a New York City band composed of a trio of musicians, Adam Schlesinger, Dominique Durand, and Andy Chase.-Lately and Realistic:...
, appearing on their 2003 album, Guestroom. It has also been covered by the band Vetiver
Vetiver
Chrysopogon zizanioides, commonly known as vetiver , is a perennial grass of the Poaceae family, native to India. In western and northern India, it is popularly known as khus. Vetiver can grow up to 1.5 metres high and form clumps as wide. The stems are tall and the leaves are long, thin, and...
in their 2011 tour.
The opening guitar chords from the song are sampled on "Just the Way You Are
Just The Way You Are (Milky song)
"Just the Way You Are" is a 2002 dance pop song that was recorded by the Italian group Milky. The single was also the first song to make its official debut at number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart in its October 17, 2003, issue, even though it reached number one in the September 28...
" by Italian dance production group Milky
Milky
Milky is a dance production group based in Italy. The act consists of producers Giordano Trivellato and Giuliano Sacchetto, with Italian singer Giuditta serving as their lead singer on their album, Star. Although Giuditta was the singer on the recordings, a model, the Egyptian born and German...
. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Dance Airplay
Hot Dance Airplay
Dance/Mix Show Airplay is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is featured weekly in Billboard magazine. The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic dance music on the radio in the United States and the stations that program it...
chart in October, 2003.
The song was also featured in the 2008 Australian
Cinema of Australia
Cinema of Australia, more commonly referred to as the Australian film industry, refers to the system of production, distribution, and exhibition of films in Australia. Film production commenced in Australia in 1906 with the production of The Story of the Kelly Gang, the earliest feature film made...
/British
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
AFI award
Australian Film Institute Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
-winning drama-based feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
The Black Balloon
The Black Balloon (film)
The Black Balloon is a 2008 Australian|British AFI award-winning dramedy feature film which stars Toni Collette, Rhys Wakefield, Luke Ford, Erik Thomson, Gemma Ward as well as a cast of newcomers. It is directed by first time feature film director, Elissa Down.The film was released in Australian...
.
Original 12" Vinyl release
- "Streets of Your Town" - 3:34
- "Quiet Heart" - 5:20
- "Bow Down" - 3:45
- "The House that Jack Kerouac Built" - 4:46
Original CD single release
- "Streets of Your Town" - 3:34
- "Spring Rain" - 3:06
- "Right Here" - 3:53
- "Wait Until June" - 3:05
Charts
| Chart (1988) 1 | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 70 |
| UK Singles Chart | 80 |
| Chart (1989) 1 | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 82 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | July 1988 | Beggars Banquet Beggars Banquet - Personnel :The Rolling Stones* Mick Jagger – lead and backing vocals, harmonica on "Parachute Woman"* Keith Richards – acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar on "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Street Fighting Man", backing vocals, lead vocals on opening of "Salt of the Earth"* Brian... |
7" vinyl | BEG 218 |
| 12" vinyl | BEG 218T | |||
| CD single | BEG 218CD | |||
| May 1989 | 7" vinyl | BEG 232 | ||
| 12" vinyl | BEG 232T | |||
| CD single | BEG 232CD | |||
| Australia | August 1988 | Mushroom Mushroom Records Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros... |
7" vinyl | K607 |
| Spain | 1988 | Victoria | 12" vinyl | VIC 349 |
| Germany | 1988 | Rebel | CD single | SPV 55-3017 |
| United States | 1989 | Capitol Capitol Records Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine... |
12" vinyl | SPRO-79547 |
External links
- [ "Streets of Your Town"] @ AllMusic
- "Streets of Your Town" @ MusicBrainzMusicBrainzMusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an open content music database. Similar to the freedb project, it was founded in response to the restrictions placed on the CDDB...
- "Streets of Your Town" @ DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
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