The Dark of the Matinée
Encyclopedia
"The Dark of the Matinée", also known simply as "Matinée" is a song by Scottish
rock band Franz Ferdinand
. It was released as the fourth track on the self-titled album Franz Ferdinand
on 9 February 2004. On 19 April 2004 it was released as a single
and reached number eight in the UK Singles Chart
.
In Australia, the song was ranked #50 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004
.
fantasizing about a better life in the future, telling Terry Wogan about it on UK national television, then being shaken from the fantasy as it's own ridiculousness shatters its very existence. The chorus and title started off from a mail conversation with Bob Hardy where he suggested the dark of an a matinée performance was a utopian environment.
's television play Blue Remembered Hills
(1979), which features adults playing children, and the lip-sync device Potter used in his 'serials with songs' Pennies from Heaven (1978) and The Singing Detective
(1986). The finale of the video also takes several visual cues from the "Dry Bones" sequence in Singing Detective. Kapranos wanted to shoot the video in the corridors of Bearsden Academy
and approached the school who, while initially receptive, ultimately rejected the idea, as the idea of schoolboys in their early 30s was too reminiscent of the recent scandal involving Brian MacKinnon.
album by the Buena Vista Social Club
.
's 2005 'Hooves' tour involved the comedian and a ventriloquist puppet ("Gary, the son from my first marriage") performing a dance routine to the song in reference to the video.
.
CD1
DVD
7"
12"
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
rock band Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
. It was released as the fourth track on the self-titled album Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (album)
Franz Ferdinand is the debut album by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand, released in early 2004. It entered the United Kingdom album charts at number three in February 2004 and contains three UK top ten singles: "Take Me Out", "This Fire" and "The Dark of the Matinée"...
on 9 February 2004. On 19 April 2004 it was released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and reached number eight in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
In Australia, the song was ranked #50 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004
Triple J Hottest 100, 2004
The 2004 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on 26 January 2005. It was the twelfth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J....
.
Background
The song is about walking home from Bearsden AcademyBearsden Academy
Bearsden Academy is a non-denominational, state secondary school in Bearsden, a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The school was founded in 1911, sharing a building at Bearsden Cross with Bearsden Primary School. This building is still in use as the current Bearsden Primary site. In 1958, the...
fantasizing about a better life in the future, telling Terry Wogan about it on UK national television, then being shaken from the fantasy as it's own ridiculousness shatters its very existence. The chorus and title started off from a mail conversation with Bob Hardy where he suggested the dark of an a matinée performance was a utopian environment.
Video
The video features the band dressed as schoolboys, dancing in an automatic, almost possessed, fashion and miming along to the main vocal track. It was inspired by Dennis PotterDennis Potter
Dennis Christopher George Potter was an English dramatist, best known for The Singing Detective. His widely acclaimed television dramas mixed fantasy and reality, the personal and the social. He was particularly fond of using themes and images from popular culture.-Biography:Dennis Potter was born...
's television play Blue Remembered Hills
Blue Remembered Hills
Blue Remembered Hills is a television play by Dennis Potter, originally broadcast on January 30, 1979 as part of the BBC's Play for Today series....
(1979), which features adults playing children, and the lip-sync device Potter used in his 'serials with songs' Pennies from Heaven (1978) and The Singing Detective
The Singing Detective
The Singing Detective is a BBC television miniseries written by Dennis Potter, which stars Michael Gambon, and was directed by Jon Amiel. The six episodes were "Skin", "Heat", "Lovely Days", "Clues", "Pitter Patter" and "Who Done It"....
(1986). The finale of the video also takes several visual cues from the "Dry Bones" sequence in Singing Detective. Kapranos wanted to shoot the video in the corridors of Bearsden Academy
Bearsden Academy
Bearsden Academy is a non-denominational, state secondary school in Bearsden, a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The school was founded in 1911, sharing a building at Bearsden Cross with Bearsden Primary School. This building is still in use as the current Bearsden Primary site. In 1958, the...
and approached the school who, while initially receptive, ultimately rejected the idea, as the idea of schoolboys in their early 30s was too reminiscent of the recent scandal involving Brian MacKinnon.
Notable cover versions
A Latin version of the song was featured on the Rhythms del MundoRhythms del Mundo
Rhythms del Mundo is a nonprofit collaborative album, which fuses an all-star cast of Cuban musicians including Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo of the Buena Vista Social Club with tracks from US, UK and Irish artists such as Dido, Arctic Monkeys, U2, Coldplay, Sting, Jack Johnson, Maroon 5,...
album by the Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club
The Buena Vista Social Club was a members club in Havana, Cuba that held dances and musical activities, becoming a popular location for musicians to meet and play during the 1940s...
.
Parodies
One routine in Harry HillHarry Hill
Harry Hill , is a Perrier Award–winning English comedian, author and television presenter. A former medical doctor , Hill began his career in comedy with the popular radio show Harry Hill's Fruit Corner.-Personal life:Hill was born in Woking,...
's 2005 'Hooves' tour involved the comedian and a ventriloquist puppet ("Gary, the son from my first marriage") performing a dance routine to the song in reference to the video.
UK track listings
All lead vocals performed by Alex KapranosAlex Kapranos
Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley , commonly known as Alex Kapranos, is a United Kingdom-based musician who is the lead singer and the guitarist of the Glasgow band Franz Ferdinand.-Early life:...
.
CD1
- "The Dark Of The Matinée" (Alex KapranosAlex KapranosAlexander Paul Kapranos Huntley , commonly known as Alex Kapranos, is a United Kingdom-based musician who is the lead singer and the guitarist of the Glasgow band Franz Ferdinand.-Early life:...
/Nick McCarthy/Bob Hardy) - "Better In Hoboken" (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy/Bob Hardy)
- "Forty Feet" (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
DVD
- "The Dark Of The Matinée" [Promo Video]
- "The Dark Of The Matinée" live at KCRW" [Video]
- Gallery with Cheating On You live audio
- Desktop Wallpaper
7"
- "The Dark Of The Matinée" (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy/Bob Hardy)
- "MichaelMichael (Franz Ferdinand song)"Michael" is a song by Franz Ferdinand and was the fourth single released from their debut self-titled album. The song was notable for its homoerotic lyrics such as "stubble on my sticky lips" and "beautiful boys on a beautiful dancefloor"....
" (live at KCRW) (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
12"
- "The Dark Of The Matinée" (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy/Bob Hardy)
- "Better In Hoboken" (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy/Bob Hardy)
- "Forty Feet" (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)