| "Living Next Door to Alice" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by New World | ||||
| B-side | "Something to Say" | |||
| Released | November 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1972 | |||
| Genre | Pop, folk | |||
| Label | RAK | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman | |||
| New World singles chronology | ||||
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"Living Next Door to Alice" is a song co-written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. Originally released by Australian pop band New World in 1972, [1] the song charted at No. 35 on the Australian chart. The song later became a worldwide hit for British band Smokie.
The song is about a man's long-standing unrequited and unadmitted love toward Alice, his next-door neighbour of 24 years. The protagonist learned through mutual friend Sally that Alice is moving away, and begins to reflect on childhood memories and his friendship with Alice, and becomes heartbroken as he sees Alice drive away in a limousine. In the final verse, Sally reveals that all the time she has "been waiting 24 years" for her opportunity with him ("Alice is gone, but I'm still here"). At the end of the song, he concludes that he will "never get used to not living next door to Alice".
Later versions of the song insert an interjection during a pause in the chorus (from the audience during live performances or from a guest separate from the lead singer): "Alice! Who the fuck is Alice?" (guests will sometimes say "hell" or "heck"). These performances may also change a line in the chorus so that the singer's affections are as much sexual as they are romantic, and that the singer had hoped to "get inside her pants" instead of "get a second glance."
On the American Top 40 broadcast of 26 May 1979, Casey Kasem reported that Chapman stated that his source of inspiration for "Living Next Door to Alice" was "Sylvia's Mother" by Dr. Hook.
| "Living Next Door to Alice" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Smokie | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 12 November 1976 | |||
| Recorded | 1976 | |||
| Genre | Soft rock, [2] pop rock | |||
| Length | 3:27 | |||
| Label | RAK (UK) RSO (US & Canada) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman | |||
| Producer(s) | Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman | |||
| Smokie singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Living Next Door to Alice" on YouTube | ||||
In November 1976, the British band Smokie released their version of "Living Next Door to Alice". The single peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart [3] and, in March 1977, reached 25 in the United States. It was a number one hit in Austria, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland and a number 2 hit in Australia staying in the charts for 23 weeks.
| Chart (1976–1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) [4] | 2 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [5] | 1 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [6] | 1 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [7] | 11 |
| Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [8] | 17 |
| Ireland (IRMA) [9] | 1 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [10] | 1 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) [11] | 1 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [12] | 7 |
| Norway (VG-lista) [13] | 1 |
| South Africa (EMA) [14] | 2 [15] |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [16] | 3 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [17] | 1 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [18] | 5 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 [19] | 25 |
| West Germany (GfK) [20] | 1 |
| Chart (1977) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) [21] | 5 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [22] | 1 |
| Belgium (Ultratop Flanders) [23] | 12 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [24] | 9 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) [25] | 11 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [26] | 1 |
| West Germany (Official German Charts) [27] | 4 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Germany (BVMI) [28] | Gold | 700,000 [29] |
| "Living Next Door to Alice (Who the F**k is Alice?)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Smokie featuring Roy Chubby Brown | ||||
| B-side | "Living Next Door to Alice" (Unbleeped) | |||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock, parody | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman | |||
| Smokie singles chronology | ||||
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| Roy Chubby Brown singles chronology | ||||
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Smokie collaborated on a novelty re-recording in 1995 with comedian Roy Chubby Brown, with the song interspersed with Roy Chubby Brown saying "Who the fuck is Alice?". [30] In March 1995, Smokie's singer Alan Barton died following an accident in Germany, and the version with Brown was released with all proceeds going to the family of Barton. [30] The song peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart in October 1995, selling almost half a million copies. [31]
Weekly charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [32] | 14 |
| Germany (GfK) [33] | 18 |
| Ireland (IRMA) [34] | 26 |
| Scotland (OCC) [35] | 2 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [36] | 22 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [37] | 3 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1995) | Position |
|---|---|
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [38] | 78 |
| Germany (Official German Charts) [39] | 69 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [40] | 18 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) [41] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "Alice, Who the X is Alice?" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Gompie | ||||
| from the album Who the X Is Gompie! | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | February 1995 | |||
| Length | 3:58 | |||
| Label | RPC Entertainment | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| Gompie singles chronology | ||||
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A more risqué version of "Living Next Door to Alice" was released by the Dutch novelty act Gompie in 1995, titled "Alice, Who the X Is Alice?". Their version topped the charts in Flanders and the Netherlands, and reached the top 10 in Austria, Germany, Norway, and Switzerland. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number 17.
Gompie is a project of Peter Koelewijn and Rob Peters. Peters, while visiting a bar called Gompie in Nijmegen, heard "Living Next Door to Alice" by Smokie. After the name Alice in the song, the disc jockey Onno Pelser turned down the volume and the crowd sang "Alice, who the fuck is Alice?". Peters realized it could become a hit record, contacted Koelewijn and a day later the song was recorded and released under the name Gompie. [42]
The success of this version resulted in various similar versions, including a new recording by Smokie with blue comedian Roy 'Chubby' Brown. A dance version of the cover was released by the Steppers, titled "Alice, Who the F..k Is Alice?", and reached No. 2 on the Australian Singles Chart in September 1995. [43] Actor Alan Fletcher, who plays doctor Karl Kennedy in the soap opera Neighbours , took up the song as "Who the Fuck Is Susan?" at fan events, in reference to his erstwhile fictional wife.[ citation needed ]
Alan Jones from Music Week wrote, "In the finest tradition of Dutch compatriots Stars On 45, Gompie perform a very accurate imitation of Smokie's 1976 Top Five hit, Living Next Door To Alice. Their template only slips after they sing the title refrain, where upon an ensemble pipes up, "Alice, Who The Fuck Is Alice?", at least on the unedited version. It's a one-joke song, and the irony is that it may succeed as much on the strength of the original song as the imitation. However, competing versions by Smokie themselves (with Roy Chubby Brown) and Paddy Goes To Holyhead will be in there fighting too." [44]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium (BEA) [66] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Germany (BVMI) [67] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Netherlands (NVPI) [68] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway) [69] | Gold | |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [70] | Gold | 25,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "Living Next Door to Alice" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Johnny Carver | ||||
| from the album The Best of Johnny Carver | ||||
| Released | February 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1976 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | ABC | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman | |||
| Producer(s) | Ron Chancey | |||
| Johnny Carver singles chronology | ||||
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Concurrent with Smokie's American success with the song, country music singer Johnny Carver released his own version of "Living Next Door to Alice" in 1977. Carver's version peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in April 1977. [71]
In 1973, the American band Gallery recorded the song and included it on the second album, "Gallery featuring Jim Gold". It was released as a single in 1974 but failed to chart.
In 1982, British punk band Chron Gen included a live, sexually explicit version of "Living Next Door to Alice" on the cassette "Apocalypse Live Tour June '81 (Live at Leicester)" and released a studio version of the song on the debut album "Chronic Generation".
In 1985, Australian comedian Kevin Bloody Wilson released "Living Next Door to Alan", a parody of "Living Next Door to Alice" imagining an Aboriginal family living next door to Alan Bond, a famous Australian entrepreneur. [72]
In 1996, Jimmy Sturr recorded the song under the title "Alice" on his album Polka! All Night Long. [73]
The 1996 album The Smurfs Go Pop! by The Smurfs included a song to the same tune, titled "Smurfland". [74]
Ex-Smokie vocalist Chris Norman included his solo cover of the song on his 2000 studio album Full Circle. [75]
Danish singer Flemming "Bamse" Jørgensen covered the song as "Alice" on his 1977 solo debut Din Sang . [76]
In 1981, South Korean band Oxen 80 (옥슨80) recorded cover of the song with title "In a Lonely Night" (그대 떠난 이 밤에).
In Finnish, the song was recorded in 1977 by Kari Tapio, with the title "Viisitoista kesää" ("Fifteen Summers"). [77] The arrangement is by Veikko Samuli and the Finnish lyrics by Juha Vainio.
In Norwegian, there is a translation, "I 24 år har jeg bodd i samme gård som Anne". There are also other songs to the same tune. "Storholt, Stensen, Stenshjemmet, Sjøbrend åsså'n Hjallis" deals with the famous Norwegian speed skating team known as The Four Aces. The single was released in 1977 by Stein Ingebrigtsen & Store Stå and peaked at No. 3 on the Norwegian VG-lista. [78]
A German version of the song, titled "Tür an Tür mit Alice", was a hit for Howard Carpendale in 1977. The single peaked at No. 8 in Germany [79] and Switzerland [80] and at No. 11 in Austria. [81]
In Czechoslovakia, the song was released on 21 February 1973 under the title "Alenka v říši divů" ("Alice in Wonderland"), performed by Karel Zich. There is also a parody version recorded under the name Denis, from the Czech Republic. [82]
A Hungarian version was performed by István Torontáli with the title "Drága Alice" ("Dear Alice"), [83] including lyrics translated by Tibor Bornai. [84]
In former Yugoslavia, Toni Montano made a song based on the original tune, titled "10 godina" ("10 Years").[ citation needed ]
A Russian version of the song, titled "Элис" ("Alice") was released by Конец фильма (Movie End) rock band in 2001 as the closing song of their studio album Soundtracks (Goodbye, Innocence). [85] Its lyrics are by Mikhail Bashakov. The humorous lyrics are driven by the "А кто такая Элис?" ("But who is actually Alice?") interjection (thus, no profanity in the Russian version) and are about some company considering crashing at Alice's place, indeed answering to the ever repeated question in form of a long list of her virtues ("she is well dressed, she speaks beautifully, she is fluent in English and Hebrew" etc.). There is also an animated cartoon by Dmitry Rezchikov based on this version. [86]
"A Little Less Conversation" is a 1968 song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley, written by Mac Davis and Billy Strange and published by Gladys Music, Inc., originally performed in the film Live a Little, Love a Little. The song became a minor hit in the United States when released as a single with "Almost in Love" as the A-side. A 2002 remix by Dutch musician Junkie XL of a later re-recording of the song by Presley became a worldwide hit, topping the singles charts in nine countries and was awarded certifications in ten countries by 2003.
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, written for the soundtrack of the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Released as a single two months after the film's premiere, it became a worldwide hit, reaching the Top 10 in several countries. The song became one of Dylan's most popular and most covered post-1960s compositions, spawning covers from Eric Clapton, Guns N' Roses, Randy Crawford, and more.
Smokie are an English rock band from Bradford, Yorkshire. The band found success at home and abroad after teaming up with Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. They have had a number of lineup changes and were still actively touring in 2024. Their most popular hit single, "Living Next Door to Alice", peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart and, in March 1977, reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as going to No. 1 on the Australian singles chart. Other hit singles include "If You Think You Know How to Love Me", "Oh Carol", "Lay Back in the Arms of Someone", and "I'll Meet You at Midnight".
"The Green Door" is a 1956 popular song, with music composed by Bob "Hutch" Davie and lyrics by Marvin J. Moore. It was first recorded by Jim Lowe, which reached number one on the US chart in 1956. The song has been covered by a number of artists, including a version by Shakin' Stevens in 1981.
"Macarena" is a song by Spanish pop duo Los del Río, originally recorded for their 1993 album A mí me gusta. A dance remix by the electropop group Fangoria was a success in Spain, and a soundalike cover version by Los del Mar became popular in Canada. Another remix by Miami-based producers the Bayside Boys, who added a section with English lyrics and expanded its popularity, initially peaked at No. 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in late 1995.
"Behind Blue Eyes" is a song by English rock band the Who. It is the second single from the band's fifth album, Who's Next (1971), and was originally written by Pete Townshend for his Lifehouse project. The song is one of the Who's best-known recordings and has been covered by many artists, including Limp Bizkit. The single entered the US Billboard Charts on 6 November 1971, reaching No. 34.
"Needles and Pins" is a rock song credited to American writers Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono. Jackie DeShannon recorded it in 1963 and other versions followed. The most successful ones were by the Searchers, whose version reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart in 1964, and Smokie, who had a worldwide hit in 1977. Others who recorded the song include the Ramones, Gene Clark, Petula Clark, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Stevie Nicks.
"Hyper Hyper" is a song by German band Scooter, released in May 1994 as the first single from their debut album, ... and the Beat Goes On! (1995). It was sold in three versions: two of the versions had the same track listings, but different covers. The song was one of the most successful dance hits of 1994. The original "Hyper Hyper" quotes were taken from Ultra-Sonic's 1993 track "Annihilating Rhythm ", licensed to Low Spirit Records/Polydor. Ultra-Sonic receive a "big shout" in the lyrics of the song, as do a further thirty DJs who were popular in Germany in the mid-1990s.
"Moi... Lolita" is the debut single by French singer Alizée, released in July 2000 from her debut studio album, Gourmandises (2000). The single topped the charts in Italy and Spain, while reaching the top five in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Moldova and the Netherlands.
Gompie was a Dutch band from Nijmegen, which in 1995 edited the Smokie hit "Living Next Door to Alice", adding the words "Alice, who the fuck is Alice!?". The song reached number 1 in the Netherlands and number 17 in the UK. Who the X Is Gompie! is the name of the album they released in 1995.
"The Twist" is an American pop song written and originally released in 1958 by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters as a B-side to "Teardrops on Your Letter". It was inspired by the twist dance craze. Ballard's version was a moderate hit, peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. On the US Billboard Hot R&B Sides chart, the original version of "The Twist" first peaked at number 16 in 1959 and at number six in 1960. By 1962, the record sold in excess of one million copies, becoming Ballard's fourth million seller.
"I Swear" is a song written by Gary Baker and Frank J. Myers that became a hit for American country music artist John Michael Montgomery in 1993, and for American R&B group All-4-One in 1994.
"Don't Leave Me This Way" is a song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert. It was originally released in 1975 by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass, an act signed to Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International label. "Don't Leave Me This Way" was subsequently covered by American singer Thelma Houston in 1976 and British duo the Communards in 1986, with both versions achieving commercial success.
Alan Leslie Barton was a British singer and member of the hit-making duo Black Lace. Their hits included "Agadoo", "Superman" and their United Kingdom Eurovision Song Contest 1979 seventh-place finisher "Mary Ann" in Jerusalem.
"Darlin'" is a song written in 1970 by English sax player Oscar Stewart Blandamer. It was first released under the title "Darling" by the British country band Poacher in 1978. It was later a chart hit for Frankie Miller and David Rogers. The track was subsequently recorded by numerous artists including Tom Jones, Barbara Mandrell, Smokie and Johnny Reid.
"If You Think You Know How to Love Me" is a song by British rock band Smokie. It was first released in June 1975 as a single and appeared later on the album Changing All the Time. Like the band's first single "Pass It Around", the song was composed by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman.
"I'll Meet You at Midnight" is a song by the British rock band Smokie from their 1976 studio album Midnight Café. In September of the same year it was released as a single. It was the third and final single from the album, after "Something's Been Making Me Blue" and "Wild Wild Angels".
"It's Your Life" is a song by the British rock band Smokie from their 1977 studio album Bright Lights & Back Alleys. It first came out in June 1977 as a single and later appeared on the album, which was released in late September.
"Oh Carol" is a song by the British rock band Smokie from their 1978 studio album The Montreux Album. It was the album's second single. The song first came out in May 1978 as a single and later appeared on the album, which was released in October.
"Mexican Girl" is a song by the British rock band Smokie from their 1978 studio album The Montreux Album. It was the album's third and final single. The song first came out in September 1978 as a single and later appeared on the album, which was released in October.
