Hit the North

Last updated
"Hit the North"
The Fall Hit the North.jpg
7" vinyl picture disc
Single by The Fall
A-side "Hit the North (Part 1)"
B-side "Hit the North (Part 2)"
ReleasedOctober 1987
Genre Post-punk
Length4:00(A-side)
3:40(B-side)
Label Beggars Banquet
Songwriter(s) Mark E. Smith, Brix Smith, Simon Rogers
Producer(s) Simon Rogers
The Fall singles chronology
"There's a Ghost in My House"
(1987)		"Hit the North"
(1987)		"Big New Prinz"
(1988)

"Hit the North" is a 1987 song by British post-punk band the Fall. The lyrics are by vocalist Mark E. Smith accompanied with music written by Simon Rogers and Brix Smith. It was released as a single in October 1987 and reached number 57 on the UK singles chart.

Contents

Recording

The record was part of a conscious approach by Brix Smith and Simon Rogers, both of whom had recently joined the band, in increasing the Fall's popularity and accessibility. Brix said: "It was definitely a conscious thing on my part because they were so, so underground and so unappreciated and unknown. I just thought they were such an important band and it needed to be broadcast all over the world." Her husband at the time, Mark E. Smith, disagreed: "...it wasn’t a conscious effort. It was just trying to get it a bit more punchy. I always like it very clean and simple. A lot of groups are swamped with sound." [1]

The music was written by Rogers and Brix Smith, [2] and recorded by Rogers on his newly-acquired Sequential Circuits Studio 440 sequencer-sampler. Rogers said "literally the first thing I put into it was a bass and a snare just on two pads, a little tiny Indian bell ... and a sax note and a bass note from a Gentle Giant record." When Rogers demonstrated the instrument to Mark E. Smith, Smith said: "What’s that music? I’ll have that, just do me a tape." Smith recorded a demo, with the original programmed drums removed; on the final recording they are replaced by samples of Simon Wolstencroft's drumming. The song was recorded in Abbey Road Studios in July 1987, during the sessions for the band's album The Frenz Experiment , with Rogers as producer and Ian Grimble as recording engineer. Guitar and vocal distortions and other effects were added in the studio. [1]

The lyrics were improvised by Smith, based on the double meaning of "hit" — either "go to", or "punish". He said: 'Hit The North' has a dual meaning; punish it, or go there. When we did the video in Blackpool we were in a Yates' Wine Lodge and all these rugby teams were going 'Hit the North? What's that mean then?' And this girl behind the bar was great; she said 'In America they say "Let's hit L.A.", and they just mean "Let's go there".' Eventually all the old dears joined in and everyone was having a big rap about what it meant. My basic attitude is that I'd rather live here than in the South and it always has been. I don't really care where anybody lives, though, and I think this North/South divide is nonsense. I don't envy anyone who lives in Reading, Swindon, or Northampton; they're horrible new towns and the people are spiritually dead down there. [3]

Video and reception

Scenes in the official video for the single were shot in an old bingo hall in Blackpool, with the regulars being used as extras. [4] Some shots feature Kid Congo Powers (of The Cramps and The Gun Club) dancing along with the other group members, although he was never a member of The Fall. The video also features such Blackpool landmarks as the trams, the Central Pier and the Pleasure Beach.

"Hit the North" is described by Ned Raggett at AllMusic as "one of the most musically conventional numbers the group had ever recorded, but it still contained enough driving bite and sass to rank as a worthy listen....[with its] endlessly chanted chorus ... becoming a catch phrase of its own.... Smith's various chantings and semi-ravings, if buried in the mix at many points, still make everything sound uniquely and distinctly Fall." [5] Jason Heller of Rolling Stone said of the track: "Infectious, spliced with electronics and tailored to the dance floor, the song took breaks from its singalong chorus to let Smith mumble warningly about 'the reflected mirror of delirium.'" [6] Mark E. Smith considered the record to have been a commercial failure, saying: "We lost half our fan base with that, 'cause everybody thought it was disco. Everybody was like, fucking hell, they’ve sold out." [1]

The single reached No. 57 in the UK Singles Chart, [7] one of several Fall singles to make the national chart. Interviewed in 1993, however, Smith explained "Those [chart placings] were accidents... Any idiot can get on the pop charts in Britain." [8]

Legacy

Tom Doyle of Sound on Sound described it as a "rousing groove–based anthem which is now regarded by many as both their ultimate statement and best single". The song title was used by former Fall member Marc Riley and Mark Radcliffe for their 1990 BBC Radio 5 series, primarily a showcase for new bands from the north of England. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fall (band)</span> English post-punk band

The Fall were an English post-punk group, formed in 1976 in Prestwich, Greater Manchester. They had many line-up changes, with vocalist and founder Mark E. Smith being the only constant member. The Fall's long-term musicians included drummers Paul Hanley, Simon Wolstencroft and Karl Burns; guitarists Craig Scanlon, Marc Riley, and Brix Smith; and bassist Steve Hanley, whose melodic, circular bass lines are widely credited with shaping the band's sound from early 1980s albums such as Hex Enduction Hour to the late 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark E. Smith</span> English singer (1957–2018)

Mark Edward Smith was an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group The Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistols gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester and was its leader until his death. During their 42-year existence, the Fall's line-up included some sixty musicians, with whom Smith released 32 studio albums and numerous singles and EPs.

<i>This Nations Saving Grace</i> 1985 studio album by the Fall

This Nation's Saving Grace is the eighth studio album by the English post-punk band the Fall, released in 1985 by Beggars Banquet. In contrast to the band's earlier albums, This Nation's... is noted for its pop sensibilities and guitar hooks, and John Leckie's accessible production. This Nation's... was recorded in London between June and July 1985, and is the second of the three consecutive Fall albums produced by John Leckie. The album was accompanied by the singles "Couldn't Get Ahead" and "Cruiser's Creek", and tours of Europe and America.

<i>Grotesque</i> (After the Gramme) 1980 studio album by The Fall

Grotesque (After the Gramme) is the third studio album by English band the Fall. Released on 17 November 1980, it was the band's first studio album on Rough Trade.

<i>Dragnet</i> (album) 1979 studio album by the Fall

Dragnet is the second studio album by English post-punk band the Fall, released on 26 October 1979 through Step-Forward Records. Appearing less than eight months after its predecessor, Live at the Witch Trials,Dragnet established at an early stage two key patterns characteristic of the group's future: that of high productivity and that of a regular turnover of group members.

<i>Perverted by Language</i> 1983 studio album by The Fall

Perverted by Language is the sixth studio album by English post-punk group The Fall, released in December 1983 on Rough Trade Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brix Smith</span> American singer and guitarist (born 1962)

Brix Smith is an American singer and guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist and a major songwriter for the English post-punk band the Fall during two stints in the band.

<i>The Wonderful and Frightening World Of...</i> 1984 studio album by the Fall

The Wonderful and Frightening World Of... is the seventh studio album by English musical group the Fall, released in October 1984. It was the band's first album after signing to the Beggars Banquet label. Newcomer Brix Smith co-wrote three of the tracks, ushering in a relatively pop-oriented sound for the group. Paul Hanley left the band immediately after the accompanying UK tour, ending the group's distinctive "twin drummers" period.

<i>The Frenz Experiment</i> 1988 studio album by The Fall

The Frenz Experiment is the tenth studio album by English post-punk band The Fall. It was released on 29 February 1988 through record label Beggars Banquet. In October 2020, an expanded remastered edition was produced, containing singles, b-sides and other tracks recorded in the same era.

<i>Cerebral Caustic</i> 1995 studio album by The Fall

Cerebral Caustic is the seventeenth full-length studio album by English post-punk group The Fall, released in 1995 on Permanent Records. It spent one week on the UK Albums Chart at number 67, 19 places lower than its predecessor Middle Class Revolt, marking the end of one of the group's relatively more successful periods.

<i>Live in London 1980</i> 1982 live album by The Fall

Live in London 1980 is a live album by the Fall, released in 1982 on cassette on the Chaos Tapes label. Initially a limited edition of 4,000 copies, the album has since been reissued several times as The Legendary Chaos Tape.

The Adult Net were a British indie pop band formed by British-based American singer and guitarist Brix Smith in 1984, while she was a member of The Fall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ride a White Swan</span> 1970 single by T. Rex

"Ride a White Swan" is a song by English band T. Rex. It was released as a stand-alone single on 9 October 1970 by record label Fly, and was the first single credited under the band's new, shorter name. Like all of the band's songs, it was written by the group's singer, guitarist and founder Marc Bolan. The song was included on the US version of the 1970 album, T. Rex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)</span> 1978 single by Buzzcocks

"Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" is a 1978 song written by Pete Shelley and performed by his group Buzzcocks. It was a number 12 hit on the UK Singles Chart and was included on the album Love Bites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hey! Luciani</span> 1986 single by The Fall

"Hey! Luciani" is a song by British post-punk band the Fall, written by Mark E. Smith with his then-wife Brix Smith and longstanding band member Steve Hanley. Released in December 1986, the record reached number 59 on the UK singles chart, the band's first original song to make the top 75 of the chart. The song was written as part of Smith's play, Hey! Luciani: The Life and Codex of John Paul I, concerning conspiracy theories about the 1978 death of the Pope, which was performed for two weeks in London and starred Leigh Bowery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Range (song)</span> 1992 single by The Fall

"Free Range" is a song by British post-punk band the Fall, written by vocalist Mark E. Smith with the band's drummer Simon Wolstencroft. It was released on the band's 1992 album Code: Selfish, and as a single, reaching number 40 on the UK singles chart and becoming the highest-charting single of any of the Fall's original songs. The single and album versions differ as the album version includes part of a different take.

"I Am Damo Suzuki" is a song by the English post-punk band The Fall released on their 1985 album This Nation's Saving Grace. It was written in tribute to the Japanese expat vocalist Damo Suzuki of the Krautrock group Can, whom Fall vocalist Mark E. Smith consistently described as a major influence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cruiser's Creek</span> 1985 single by The Fall

"Cruiser's Creek" is a 1985 single by the English Post-punk band The Fall. The music and lyrics were written by guitarist Brix Smith and lead vocalist Mark E. Smith during sessions in the lead up to recording their 8th album This Nation's Saving Grace, and it was released as single just after the album came out. The b-side of the single was album track "L.A." while the twelve-inch single version contains the song "Vixen", written and sung by Brix.

"Paint Work" is a 1985 song by the English Post-punk band The Fall that first appeared on their album This Nation's Saving Grace. Widely considered the high-point of the album, the track was described in 2019 as "absolutely sublime" by Vulture, and as "mildly psychedelic" in 2011 by critic Mick Middles.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tom Doyle, "Classic Tracks - The Fall ‘Hit The North’", Sound On Sound, March 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2018
  2. ↑ Mark E. Smith Interview, Debris, 1988. Retrieved 26 January 2018
  3. ↑ Dave Haslam, "The Fall", Debris #16, 1988, pp. 22-23
  4. ↑ Start, Brix Smith (3 May 2016). The Rise, The Fall, and The Rise. Faber & Faber. ISBN   9780571325078 . Retrieved 27 January 2018– via Google Books.
  5. ↑ Ned Raggett, song review, Allmusic. Retrieved 26 January 2018
  6. ↑ Jason Heller, "The Fall: 10 Essential Songs", Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 January 2018
  7. ↑ "hit the north - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company" . Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  8. ↑ "Pop/Jazz; The Fall Is Heading for a Rise, With a New Album". The New York Times. 20 August 1993. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  9. ↑ "Hit the North", Scrawn and Lard. Retrieved 26 January 2018

Sources

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.