THE FALL : 458489 A SIDES (Part 11)

All those wonderful original compositions hadn't brought chart success. Only the cover of There's A Ghost In My House had cracked the Top 40.  The main man must have felt like hitting his head off a brick wall when yet another cover brought success:-

mp3 : The Fall - Victoria

Released in January 1988, this reached #35 in the singles charts which meant it did a lot better than The Kinks original effort in 1969 which stalled at #62.  It's a cracking lyric, one that Mark would have been proud to have called his own - especially when the divide between the haves and have nots was so wide after years of Thatcherite economic polices - which I'm guessing is the reason for the cover:-

Long ago life was clean 
Sex was bad and obscene
And the rich were so mean 
Stately homes for the lords 
Croquet lawns, village greens 
Victoria was my queen 
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria 

I was born, lucky me 
In a land that I love 
Though I am poor, I am free 
When I grow I shall fight 
For this land I shall die 
Let her sun never set 
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria 
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria 

Land of hope and gloria 
Land of my victoria 
Land of hope and gloria 
Land of my victoria 
Victoria, toria 
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria 

Canada to India 
Australia to Cornwall 
Singapore to Hong Kong 
From the west to the east 
From the rich to the poor 
Victoria loved them all 
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria 
Victoria, victoria, victoria 

BEG 206, produced by Simon Rogers.  Featuring contributions from Mark E Smith, Craig Scanlon, Stephen Hanley, Brix Smith, Simon Wolstencroft and Marcia Schofield.

Another record by The Fall that you can dance to.