Lazy Sunday (Small Faces song)

"Lazy Sunday"
European picture sleeve
Single by Small Faces
from the album Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake
B-side	"Rollin' Over"
Released	5 April 1968
Recorded	February–March 1968 [1]
Studio	Olympic, London [1]
Genre	Pop [2] psychedelia [3] music hall [4]
Length	3:06
Label	EMI, Immediate
Songwriters	Steve Marriott Ronnie Lane
Producers	Steve Marriott Ronnie Lane
Small Faces singles chronology
"Tin Soldier" (1967) "Lazy Sunday" (1968) "The Universal" (1968)

"Lazy Sunday" is a song by the English band Small Faces, which reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, number one in the Netherlands, number five in Australia and number 42 in Canada. ^{[5] [6] [7]} It was written by the Small Faces songwriting duo Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane, and appeared on the band's 1968 concept album Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake . Against the band's wishes, it preceded the album as a single release.

Background

"Lazy Sunday" mixes pop with a traditional cockney East End of London music-hall sound. The song was inspired by Marriott's feuds with his neighbours ^[8] and is also noticeable for its distinct vocal changes. Marriott sings large parts of the song in a greatly exaggerated cockney accent, partly due to an argument he had with the Hollies, who said that Marriott had never sung in his own accent. ^{[9] [5]} In the final bridge and the last two choruses, he reverts to his usual transatlantic (singing) accent. John Lydon cited the Small Faces as one of his few influences as vocalist for the Sex Pistols, and evidence of Marriott's influence on him can be found in this song.

At 51 seconds, the vocal backing quotes the "Colonel Bogey March" by F. J. Ricketts ^{[ citation needed ]} and, at 1 minute 45 seconds, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones.^{[ citation needed ]} At the end of the song the tune dissolves into birdsong and church bells.

According to Small Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan, Lane's "rooty dooty di" vocal lines were in imitation of a member of the Who's road crew; the two bands had recently toured Australia together. ^[10]

Release

"Lazy Sunday" appears as track six on the album Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake , and is the last track on Side A of the vinyl release. Despite its success, the single was released against the band's wishes, and this contributed to Marriott's departure. ^[11]

The song was used in the 2009 British comedy film The Boat That Rocked . ^[12]

Music video

The low-budget promotional video for "Lazy Sunday" was filmed at various locations, including Kenney Jones's parents' home on Havering Street in Stepney, east London. ^[13]

Covers and inspiration

• The song was later covered by the Toy Dolls as on their 1995 album Orcastrated . ^[14]
• The London-based indie rock/garage revival band The Libertines covered the song in 2003 as part of the soundtrack to British film Blackball . It is also available as part of the Blackball OST album.
• Leeds-based indie rock band Kaiser Chiefs covered the song on French radio in 2008. ^[15]
• Hard rock band Thunder covered the song live, which was included on the 2009 remastered edition of their 1992 album Laughing on Judgement Day
• Jack Wild recorded a version of this song for his first studio album The Jack Wild Album.

Personnel

Personnel according to the 2014 box set Here Come the Nice: The Immediate Years Box Set 1967–1969. ^[1]

Small Faces

• Steve Marriott  –lead vocals, acoustic guitar, comb and paper
• Ronnie Lane  –bass guitar, comb and paper, vocals
• Kenney Jones  –drums, percussion
• Ian McLagan  – Wurlitzer electronic piano, Hammond organ, tubular bells, paper and comb, vocals

With

• Glyn Johns  – Musique concrète, sound effects, audio engineer

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1968) Peak position Austria (Disc Parade) [16] 1 Australia ( Go-Set ) [17] 4 Australia (Kent Music Report) [6] 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [18] 6 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [19] 34 Canada (RPM) [7] 42 Denmark (DR Top 20) [20] 5 France ( SNEP ) [21] 83 Ireland (RTÉ) [22] 5 Malaysia (Radio Malaysia) [23] 7 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [24] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [25] 1 New Zealand ( Listener ) [26] 1 Norway (VG-lista) [27] 7 Poland (Polish Pathfinders Station) [28] 4 Singapore (Radio Singapore) [23] 4 South Africa (Springbok Radio) [29] 10 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [30] 2 UK ( Melody Maker ) [31] 2 UK ( New Musical Express ) [32] 3 UK ( Record Retailer ) [33] 2 US (Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100) [34] 114 US (Cash Box Looking Ahead) [35] 119 US (Record World Singles Coming Up) [36] 102 West Germany (Media Control) [37] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1968) Peak position Austria (Disc Parade) [38] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [39] 16 UK ( Record Retailer ) [40] 38 West Germany (Media Control) [41] 16

See also

• Small Faces discography

References

1. Caiger & Flood 2014, p. 53.
2. Hewitt 2015, chap. 16. sfn error: no target: CITEREFHewitt2015 (help)
3. Unterberger, Richie. "Lazy Sunday by Small Faces – Track Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
4. Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "1966: The London Look". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 206. ISBN   978-0-571-28198-5.
5. "The Small Faces – the Band". BBC. Retrieved 12 September 2007.
6. Kent 2005, p. 365.
7. Anon. (1 June 1968). "The RPM 100" (PDF). RPM . p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2025– via WorldRadioHistory.
8. "Music - Review of The Small Faces - Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake". BBC. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
9. Marriott, Steve (2004). Steve Marriott: All Too Beautiful... p. 168. ISBN   1-900924-44-7.
10. "The Small Faces". Rockportraits. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
11. Buckley (2003). The rough guide to rock. Rough Guides. p. 959. ISBN   9781572308268.
12. "The Boat That Rocked — Soundtracks (2009)". IMDb. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
13. "Video - Lazy Sunday Afternoon | Video". Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
14. "Toy Dollz* - Orcastrated (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. February 1995. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
15. "Kaiser Chiefs – Lazy Sunday". YouTube. 28 January 2009. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
16. "Small Faces – Lazy Sunday" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Archived from the original on 17 March 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
17. Nimmervoll, Ed (19 June 1968). "Go Set National Top 40". Go-Set . Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
18. "Small Faces – Lazy Sunday" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
19. "Small Faces – Lazy Sunday" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
20. "Lazy Sunday - The Small Faces". Danske Hitlister (in Danish). Danmarks Radio. Archived from the original on 18 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
21. "Accès direct à ces Artistes: Michel Sardou - Sheila" [Access directly to Artists: Michel Sardou - Sheila]. Infodisc. SNEP. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
22. Gogan, Larry. "Lazy Sunday". Irish Singles Chart. Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
23. Anon. (20 July 1968). "Hits Of The World" (PDF). Billboard . p. 75. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 September 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025– via WorldRadioHistory.
24. "Lazy Sunday - Small Faces" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on 9 July 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
25. "Small Faces - Lazy Sunday" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
26. Kohler, Steve (28 June 1968). "The N.Z. Hit Parade". Flavour of New Zealand. New Zealand Listener. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
27. "Small Faces - Lazy (song)" (in Norwegian). VG-Lista. Archived from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
28. Anon. (3 August 1968). "Hits Of The World" (PDF). Billboard . p. 39. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 August 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025– via WorldRadioHistory.
29. "SA Charts 1965 – 1989: Acts L". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Springbok Radio. 2000. Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
30. "Small Faces – Lazy Sunday" (PDF) (in German). Schweizer Hitparade. Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
31. Anon. (11 May 1968). "Pop 30" (PDF). Melody Maker . p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2025– via WorldRadioHistory.
32. Anon. (3 May 1968). "NME Top Thirty". New Musical Express . p. 7.
33. "Lazy Sunday by Small Faces". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
34. Anon. (4 May 1968). "Bubbling Under The Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard . p. 61. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2025– via WorldRadioHistory.
35. Anon. (25 May 1968). "Looking Ahead" (PDF). Cash Box . p. 24. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2025– via WorldRadioHistory.
36. Anon. (25 May 1968). "Singles Coming Up" (PDF). Record World . p. 20. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2025– via WorldRadioHistory.
37. "Lazy Sunday" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
38. "Jahreshitparade Singles 1968" [Year-end hit parade singles 1968] (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
39. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1968" [Top 100 Annual Review of 1968] (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on 26 August 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
40. Anon. (5 January 1969). "Top 100 best-selling singles of 1968". Record Retailer . p. 7.
41. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts 1968" [Top 100 Singles Year Charts 1968] (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.

Sources

• Caiger, Rob; Flood, Tosh (2014). Here Come the Nice: The Immediate Years Box Set 1967–1969 (CD). United States: Charly. CHARLY 110 BX. Archived from the original on 18 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025– via MusicBrainz.
• Hellier, John; Hewitt, Paolo (2004). Steve Marriott: All Too Beautiful (1st ed.). United Kingdom: Helter Skelter. ISBN   1-900924-44-7. OCLC   936670338 . Retrieved 20 October 2025– via Internet Archive.
• Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. Australia: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-44439-5. OCLC   62561852.

External links

• " Lazy Sunday " at Discogs (list of releases)