(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)

Last updated

"(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)"
(Get A) Grip (On Yourself).jpg
Single by the Stranglers
from the album Rattus Norvegicus
A-side "London Lady"
Released28 January 1977
RecordedDecember 1976
Studio T.W. Studios, Fulham
Genre
Length3:55
Label United Artists
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Martin Rushent
The Stranglers singles chronology
"(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)" / "London Lady"
(1977)		"Peaches" / "Go Buddy Go"
(1977)

"Grip", or "(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)", is a single by the Stranglers from the album Rattus Norvegicus . It was the Stranglers' first single, released as a double A-side with "London Lady" in January 1977, and reached number 44 on the UK Singles Chart. [1]

Contents

Background

"Grip" was written by Hugh Cornwell whilst the Stranglers were renting a house in Chiddingfold, where they had been based since 1975. He later said he was "very proud of it because it was my song completely. I was constantly writing songs by myself and this was the first one where I felt I'd really cracked it". [2] In the first line of the lyrics, there is reference to a "Morry Thou", a slang term for a Morris Minor 1000.

In 1976, "Grip" was sent as a three-track demo, along with "Bitching" and "Go Buddy Go", to various record companies in an attempt to sign a record deal. [2] Martin Rushent, who had been working as an engineer for a number of years, took the role of assistant to the head of A&R at United Artists Records, Andrew Lauder. On his first day in the role, he was played the demo of "Grip", and was asked for his opinion on whether United Artists should sign the Stranglers. Rushent's response was "well on the strength of that song I would sign them tomorrow". After then seeing the Stranglers perform at the Red Cow in Hammersmith, Rushent also offered to produce the band. [3] The Stranglers signed for United Artists at the beginning of December 1976 and then immediately went into the studio to record "Grip" and "London Lady". [4] [2] The single was later that month announced for release on 28 January 1977. [5]

"Grip" features a saxophone by Welsh coal miner Eric Clark, who was a friend of the Stranglers co-manager Dai Davies. [2]

Release

Following its release, "Grip" was moderately successful, spending four weeks in the UK top-fifty, peaking at number 44. Apparently, there was an error by the chart compilers, BMRB, where sales for "Grip" were accidentally assigned to Silver Convention's "Everybody's Talking 'Bout Love" which peaked at number 25 during the first week of February. However, by the time the error was noticed it was too late to rectify. Despite having sold 15,000 copies by its second week, "Grip" only entered the chart that second week, reaching its peak two weeks later with the single unable to improve on the initial sales it had received. [6] [7]

Reviewing for New Music Express , Tony Parsons described the record as "a stunning double-sided single of distinctive, intelligent, contemporary rock'n'roll that sounds like Roxy Music would have if that old capped-tooth smoothie Ferry had been influenced by The Doors". [8]

In January 1989, a remixed version of "Grip" was released as a single. It was remixed by Barry Cooder and Taff B. Dylan was released with the B-side "Waltzinblack", taken from the Stranglers' 1981 album The Gospel According to the Meninblack . [9] This version charted more highly than the original, peaking at number 33 in the UK. [1]

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1977)Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) [10] 44
Chart (1989)Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) [10] 33

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Brown</span> 1982 single by the Stranglers

"Golden Brown" is a song by English rock band the Stranglers, released as a 7-inch single on EMI's Liberty label in 1982. Noted for its distinctive harpsichord instrumentation, it was the second single released from the band's sixth studio album La Folie (1981). The single peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the band's highest-charting single in the country. It has also been recorded by many other artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peaches (The Stranglers song)</span> 1977 single by the Stranglers

"Peaches" is the second single by the Stranglers, taken from their debut studio album Rattus Norvegicus (1977). Notable for its distinctive bassline, the track peaked at No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart.

<i>The Raven</i> (The Stranglers album) Album by The Stranglers

The Raven is the fourth studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers, released on 15 September 1979, through record label United Artists.

<i>Rattus Norvegicus</i> (album) 1977 album by The Stranglers

Rattus Norvegicus is the debut studio album by English punk rock band the Stranglers, released on 15 April 1977.

<i>Black and White</i> (The Stranglers album) 1978 studio album by the Stranglers

Black and White is the third studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers. It was released on 12 May 1978, through record label United Artists in most of the world and A&M in America.

<i>Live</i> (X Cert) 1979 live album by the Stranglers

Live (X Cert) is the first live album by the Stranglers, released in February 1979 by United Artists. It contains tracks recorded at The Roundhouse in June and November 1977 and at Battersea Park in September 1978.

<i>The Gospel According to the Meninblack</i> 1981 studio album by the Stranglers

The Gospel According to the Meninblack is the fifth album by English rock band the Stranglers, an esoteric concept album released 9 February 1981 on the Liberty label. The album deals with conspiratorial ideas surrounding alien visitations to Earth, the sinister governmental men in black, and the involvement of these elements in well-known biblical narratives. This was not the first time the Stranglers had used this concept; "Meninblack" on the earlier The Raven album and subsequent 1980 single-release "Who Wants the World?" had also explored it.

<i>La folie</i> (album) 1981 studio album by the Stranglers

La folie is the sixth studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers. It was released on 9 November 1981, through the EMI record label Liberty.

<i>Greatest Hits 1977–1990</i> 1990 greatest hits album by the Stranglers

Greatest Hits 1977–1990 is a compilation album by the Stranglers, released in November 1990 by Epic Records. It contains hit singles selected from their back catalogue from both EMI and Epic Records.

<i>Dreamtime</i> (The Stranglers album) 1986 studio album by the Stranglers

Dreamtime is the ninth studio album by the Stranglers, released in 1986 by Epic Records. The title track was inspired by a belief of the aboriginal peoples of Australia called Dreamtime.

<i>10</i> (The Stranglers album) 1990 studio album by the Stranglers

10 is the tenth studio album by English rock band the Stranglers, released in March 1990 by Epic Records. It was the last to feature guitarist/lead singer Hugh Cornwell. 10 peaked at No. 15 and spent four weeks in the UK Albums Chart.

<i>The Collection 1977–1982</i> 1982 compilation album by The Stranglers

The Collection 1977–1982 is a compilation album by The Stranglers. It was released to complete their contract with EMI, who had acquired the band's back catalogue on the United Artists and Liberty labels. It peaked at No. 12 in the UK Albums Chart in 1982.

<i>Aural Sculpture</i> 1984 studio album by The Stranglers

Aural Sculpture is the eighth studio album by the Stranglers, released in November 1984 by Epic Records. It was also the name given to a one-sided 7-inch single given free with a limited number of copies of their Feline album in 1983. The "Aural Sculpture Manifesto" on the 7" single was played before the Stranglers appeared on stage during concerts during both the 1983 "Feline" tour and the 1985 "Aural Sculpture" tour.

<i>Peaches: The Very Best of The Stranglers</i> 2002 greatest hits album by the Stranglers

Peaches: The Very Best of The Stranglers is a compilation album by The Stranglers, released in 2002 by EMI. It reached No. 21 in the UK Albums Chart in June 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Always the Sun</span> 1986 song by the Stranglers

"Always the Sun" is a song by English rock band the Stranglers, first released as a single on 6 October 1986, the second single from the band's ninth studio album Dreamtime (1986). A remixed version was released as a single on 24 December 1990. Both versions were Top 30 hits in the United Kingdom. "Always the Sun" was released in October 1986 in four different formats: a seven-inch single, shaped seven-inch picture disc, twelve-inch single, and as a double seven-inch single pack.

"Hanging Around" is a song by English rock band the Stranglers, released on their 1977 debut album Rattus Norvegicus. The song was written by the band's guitarist, Hugh Cornwell, and is notable for its driving bassline and its lyrics about urban alienation.

"Something Better Change", is a single by the Stranglers from the band's second album No More Heroes. It was released as a double A-side with "Straighten Out" in July 1977, and reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No More Heroes (The Stranglers song)</span> 1977 single by the Stranglers

"No More Heroes" is a song by English rock band the Stranglers, released as a single from their studio album of the same name. It is one of the group's most successful singles, having peaked at No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart.

"Let Me Introduce You to the Family" is a 1981 song by English rock band The Stranglers. The first single released from La Folie, it peaked at number 42 in the UK Singles Chart.

"La folie" is a 1981 song by The Stranglers. The title track from La folie, it was released as the follow-up to "Golden Brown" in April 1982, and peaked at number 47 in the UK Singles Chart. Sung in French by bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel, it was Burnel who convinced his bandmates of the song's potential as a single, despite Hugh Cornwell feeling that "Tramp" was the better choice. The song makes allusions to Japanese necrophiliac murderer and cannibal Issei Sagawa.

References

  1. 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 535. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Cornwell, Hugh; Drury, Jim (1 August 2011). The Stranglers: Song by Song. Bobcat Books. pp. 33–35, 372. ISBN   978-0-85712-444-9.
  3. ↑ Wade, Chris. Interview with the Hound Dawg: Rik Mayall,The Velvet Underground, The Kinks And More... Lulu.com. p. 16. ISBN   978-1-4716-3286-0.
  4. ↑ "Stranglers sign" (PDF). Record Mirror . 4 December 1976. p. 5. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  5. ↑ "Punks recover" (PDF). Record Mirror . 25 December 1976. p. 4. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  6. ↑ Endeacott, Robert (1 July 2014). Peaches: A Chronicle Of The Stranglers 1974-1990. Soundcheck Books. p. 21. ISBN   978-0-9575700-4-7.
  7. ↑ Larkin, Colin (1993). The Guinness Who's who of Seventies Music. Guinness. p. 395. ISBN   978-0-85112-727-9.
  8. ↑ "Singles". New Musical Express . 5 February 1977.
  9. ↑ "The Stranglers – Grip '89 (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)". Discogs. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  10. 1 2 "Stranglers: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.