The song tells of Nostradamus' predictions on the French town of Toulouse, with the song acting as a 'goodbye' to the town. Cornwell refers to the song as 'very unpunk'.[citation needed]
Writing and composition
The music was written by Cornwell and the lyrics were later written by Burnel. Initially, Burnel wanted to sing, but because his bass line was so frenetic that Hugh agreed to sing. At the time, this was an oddity, as the pair usually sang their own individual lyrics. Burnel's lyrics were inspired by Nostradamus' predictions that there was going to be a cataclysmic event on Toulouse, and he wrote the song as a 'goodbye' to the town. The song begins with Dave Greenfield's signature organ effect, shifting up and down in tone until the drums, bass, guitar, and keyboards all eventually come in throughout the song. The song's guitar solo features heavy amounts of delay and multitracking, giving the effect of two guitar solos in unison. The explosion sound effect at the end is meant to represent an atomic meltdown of the town.[citation needed]
The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have originated in the UK punk scene.
"Peaches" is a single by the Stranglers, from their debut studio album Rattus Norvegicus (1977). Notable for its distinctive bassline, the track peaked at No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart.
The Raven is the fourth studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers, released on 15 September 1979, through record label United Artists.
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.
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.
Nosferatu is an album by Hugh Cornwell of the Stranglers and Robert Williams, drummer in Captain Beefheart's Magic Band. It was released on 16 November 1979 by United Artists.
Feline is the seventh studio album by the Stranglers and was released on 14 January 1983 on the Epic record label, their first for the label. The first edition came with a free one-sided 7" single "Aural Sculpture Manifesto". Feline drew heavily on two of the dominant musical influences in Europe of the time, by using primarily acoustic guitars and electronic drums as well as Dave Greenfield's synthesizers. The American edition of the album included the British hit single "Golden Brown" as the closing track on side one of the original vinyl.
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.
All Live and All of the Night is the second live album by English rock band the Stranglers, released on 8 February 1988 by Epic Records. The release peaked at No. 12 in the UK Albums Chart in March 1988.
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.
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.
Friday the Thirteenth is a live album by the English rock band the Stranglers, released in 1997 by Eagle Records.
Saturday Night, Sunday Morning is a live album by the Stranglers, released in 1993 by Castle Communications.
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.
Jean-Jacques Burnel is an English musician, producer and songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist and co-lead vocalist with the English rock band The Stranglers. He is the last founding member to remain in the band.
David Paul Greenfield was an English keyboardist, singer and songwriter who was a member of rock band The Stranglers. He joined the band in 1975, within a year of its formation, and played with them for 45 years until his death.
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.
IV is a compilation album by the Stranglers, released on 24 September 1980 on I.R.S. Records and only available in the US and Canada.
"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.
"Sometimes" is a song by The Stranglers, appearing as the first song on their debut album Rattus Norvegicus (1977). The song was written and sung by Hugh Cornwell, and credited to the band as a whole.
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.
