The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death was the second and last studio album by The Housemartins

The Housemartins

The Housemartins were an English indie pop band that was active in the 1980s. Many of the Housemartins' lyrics were a mixture of Marxist politics and Christianity, reflecting singer Paul Heaton's beliefs at the time .-Formation:The band was formed in late 1983 by Paul Heaton and...

. It was released in 1987. The songs "Five Get Over Excited", "Me and the Farmer" and "Build" were released as singles. The title song is about the British Royal Family

Royal family

A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...

, which found them gaining controversy in the tabloid papers similar to that of other bands such as the Sex Pistols

Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...

, The Smiths

The Smiths

The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...

 and The Stone Roses

The Stone Roses

The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...

.

Track listing

All tracks written by Heaton

Paul Heaton

Paul David Heaton is an English singer-songwriter. He was a member of The Housemartins, who disbanded in 1988, and a member of The Beautiful South, who disbanded in 2007. He is currently pursuing a solo career....

/Cullimore

Stan Cullimore

Stan Cullimore played guitar, between 1983 and 1988, for the Hull based indie rock band called The Housemartins.-Biography:Cullimore studied maths at the University of Hull, graduating in 1984....

.

1. "The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death" – 3:33
2. "I Can't Put My Finger on It" – 2:28
3. "The Light Is Always Green" – 3:59
4. "The World's on Fire" – 3:20
5. "Pirate Aggro" – 1:52
6. "We're Not Going Back" – 2:53
7. "Me and the Farmer
   Me and the Farmer
   "Me and the Farmer" is a single by The Housemartins from the album The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death. It reached #15 in the UK singles chart the week of September 12, 1987.It featured Sandy Blair on the tuba....
   
   " – 2:54
8. "Five Get Over Excited
   Five Get Over Excited
   Five Get Over Excited is a song by The Housemartins released as a single from their album The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death.The followup to their #1 UK hit "Caravan of Love" , it peaked at #11 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1987.Although it was the first single without drummer Hugh...
   
   " – 2:44
9. "Johannesburg" – 3:55
10. "Bow Down" – 3:04
11. "You Better Be Doubtful" – 2:32
12. "Build
    Build (song)
    "Build" is a song released from the album The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death by The Housemartins. It follows the softer template of the group's later material and reached #15 in the UK Singles Chart.-Charts:-External links:...
    
    " – 4:45

The Housemartins

• Norman Cook – bass
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  , vocals
  Singing
  Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
  
  
• Dave Hemingway
  Dave Hemingway
  Dave Hemingway , is a British musician and songwriter, and was a lead vocalist for the Hull-based band The Beautiful South until they disbanded in 2007...
  
   – drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  , vocals
• P.D. Heaton
  Paul Heaton
  Paul David Heaton is an English singer-songwriter. He was a member of The Housemartins, who disbanded in 1988, and a member of The Beautiful South, who disbanded in 2007. He is currently pursuing a solo career....
  
   – vocals, guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  , trombone
  Trombone
  The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
  
  
• Stan Cullimore
  Stan Cullimore
  Stan Cullimore played guitar, between 1983 and 1988, for the Hull based indie rock band called The Housemartins.-Biography:Cullimore studied maths at the University of Hull, graduating in 1984....
  
   – guitar, vocals

Additional musicians

• Guy Barker
  Guy Barker
  Guy Barker is an English jazz trumpeter and composer. Barker was born in Chiswick, London, the son of an actress and a stuntman. He started playing the trumpet at the age of twelve, and within a year had joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra...
  
   – trumpet
  Trumpet
  The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
  
  
• Sandy Blair – tuba
  Tuba
  The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
  
  
• St. Winifred's School Choir – backing vocals
• Pete Wingfield
  Pete Wingfield
  Pete Wingfield is an English record producer, keyboard player, songwriter, singer and music journalist.-Career:...
  
   – piano
  Piano
  The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
  
  , keyboards
  Keyboard instrument
  A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
  
  

Technical personnel

• John Williams – producer
• The Housemartins – producer
• Phil Bodger – engineer
• David Storey
  David Storey (artist)
  David Storey is a British artist and graphic designer, known for his stark 'Moholy Nagy' inspired album covers and particularly his work for the 2-Tone record label , and for the British group, The Housemartins.- Biography :Storey spent his childhood in the dramatic landscape of the English Lake...
  
   – sleeve design
• John Sims – sleeve design
• Phil Rainey – front cover photography
  Photography
  Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
  
  
• Derek Ridgers – band photography