Political (song)

Last updated

"Political"
Spirit of the West Political.jpg
Single by Spirit of the West
from the album Labour Day
Released1988 (1988)
Recorded1988
Genre Folk rock
Length4:27
Label Stony Plain
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Spirit of the West singles chronology
"The Crawl"
(1986)
"Political"
(1988)
"Save This House"
(1990)

"Political" is a song written by John Mann and recorded by Canadian folk rock group Spirit of the West. One of the band's most famous songs, it originally released in 1988 as the lead single from their second studio album Labour Day . While it failed to chart as a single in 1988, it was re-recorded and released in October 1991 as the second single from their fifth studio album Go Figure , peaking at number 70 in Canada in November 1991.

Contents

In 1995, "Political" was included in the band's concert with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The version recorded at that show appears on their 1999 greatest hits compilation Hit Parade .

Background and writing

In a 1993 concert performance on Public Radio International's Mountain Stage series, Mann explained some of the song's backstory, stating that the song was written about a real relationship Mann had once had, which ended while the couple were travelling in New York City. This performance appears on the album Upfront! Canadians Live from Mountain Stage . It was later revealed in the book Have Not Been the Same: The Can-Rock Renaissance 1985-1995 that the song was written about Mann's relationship with Jean Smith of the band Mecca Normal. [1] In a later interview with CBC Radio, Mann revealed that Smith once attended one of the band's shows after the release of the song; although they did not directly interact, she passed a brief note to him through the bartender: "John, it wasn't that bad." [2]

Content

Despite the band's reputation for writing politically-themed songs, "Political" is in fact about the end of a personal romantic relationship. The verses detail the friction that led to the couple's breakup, and the chorus confirms that "Everything, every little thing, every little thing/With you and me had to be so political." Although the song was not a mainstream chart breakthrough for the band, it garnered them significant airplay on CBC Radio, CFNY and campus radio stations throughout Canada. This expansion of the band's audience led to a major label deal with Warner Music Canada, who released the band's next studio album, Save This House , in 1990.

1991 re-recording

In 1991, the band recorded a new rendition of the song. According to Geoffrey Kelly, the band's record company wanted the band to re-record and re-release the song because they felt it never had its chance to become a single. The band was against recording the song again because they liked the original version, and the band put off re-recording it until deciding to do so for their first rock album, Go Figure . Kelly stated that their first attempted re-recording of the song felt "so lifeless", so the band decided to re-record the song with a lot of new instruments. [3] Although the lyrics remained identical (except for the word "little" being dropped from the chorus), the melody was moderately different and the instrumentation was more electric and rhythm-heavy. Kelly stated that the new version of the song was "a lot more true to the relationship John had had with that particular individual." The 1991 version was released as a CD single, with the B-sides "Home for a Rest", "Sad But True" and "Again and Again and Again". However, the new version proved controversial: at a concert in London, Ontario during their tour to promote that album, fans presented the band with a petition demanding that they play the original version of the song. [1] As a result, on subsequent tours the band have always performed a third version of the song, which retained the rock instrumentation of the remake while reverting to the original melody.

Critical reception

In 1999, "Political" was named one of CFNY's "Top 1002 New Rock Songs of All Time", ranking 524th. It ranked immediately ahead of The Verve Pipe's "Photograph" in 525th place, and behind Sting's "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" in 523rd.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1991)Peak
position
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [4] 70

Covers

During Spirit of the West's 2009 live performances opening for Great Big Sea, the two bands frequently performed the song together, with Mann and Great Big Sea singer Alan Doyle alternating verses. [5]

On November 23, 2019, The Watchmen performed the song live at their concert in Toronto as a tribute to John Mann, who had died three days before.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Psychedelic Furs</span> British post punk band

The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band founded in London in February 1977. Led by lead vocalist Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFNY-FM</span> Radio station in Brampton-Toronto, Ontario

CFNY-FM is a radio station licensed to Brampton, Ontario. Owned by Corus Entertainment, the station broadcasts a modern rock format serving the Greater Toronto Area. Its studios are in Downtown Toronto at Corus Quay on Toronto's Harbourfront, and its transmitter is located atop the CN Tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spirit (band)</span> American rock band founded in 1967

Spirit was an American rock band founded in 1967 and based in Los Angeles. Their most commercially successful single in the United States was "I Got a Line on You". They were also known for their albums, including their self-titled debut album, The Family That Plays Together, Clear, and Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady Peace</span> Canadian rock band

Our Lady Peace is a Canadian alternative rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1992. Led by lead vocalist Raine Maida since its formation, the band currently also features Duncan Coutts on bass, Steve Mazur on guitars, and Jason Pierce on drums. The band has sold several million albums worldwide, won four Juno Awards, and won ten MuchMusic Video Awards—the most MMVAs ever awarded to a band. Nineteen of their singles have reached the Top Ten on one of Canada's singles charts. Between 1996 and 2016, Our Lady Peace was the third best-selling Canadian band and the ninth best-selling Canadian artist overall in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spirit of the West</span> Canadian rock band

Spirit of the West were a Canadian folk rock band from North Vancouver, active from 1983 to 2016. They were popular on the Canadian folk music scene in the 1980s before evolving a blend of hard rock, Britpop, and Celtic folk influences which made them one of Canada's most successful alternative rock acts in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manfred Mann's Earth Band</span> British rock group

Manfred Mann's Earth Band are an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's "For You", "Blinded by the Light" and "Spirit in the Night". After forming in 1971 and with a short hiatus in the late 1980s/early 1990s, the Earth Band continues to perform and tour, as of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Mann (musician)</span> Canadian musician (1962–2019)

John Fraser Mann was a Canadian rock musician, songwriter and actor. He was best known as the frontman of the folk rock band Spirit of the West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Spirit of Radio</span> 1979 single by Rush

"The Spirit of Radio" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush, released from their 1980 album Permanent Waves. The song's name was inspired by Toronto-based radio station CFNY-FM's slogan. It was significant in the growing popularity of the band, becoming their first top 30 single in Canada and reaching number 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Go Figure</i> (album) 1991 studio album by Spirit of the West

Go Figure is the fifth studio album by Canadian folk rock group Spirit of the West, released on June 25, 1991 by Warner Music Canada. It was the band's first rock album, and their first with drummer Vince Ditrich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waltons (band)</span> Canadian folk rock band

Waltons were a Canadian folk rock band, active primarily in the 1990s. The band released three studio albums during their career, and won a Juno Award for Best New Group at the Juno Awards of 1994.

<i>Hallucigenia</i> (album) 1994 studio album by The Lowest of the Low

Hallucigenia is an album by Canadian band The Lowest of the Low, released in 1994. It was the band's first release distributed by a major record label until 2018, when the band signed with Warner Music Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aneurysm (song)</span> Nirvana song

"Aneurysm" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic, and drummer Dave Grohl. It first appeared as a B-side on the band's breakthrough "Smells Like Teen Spirit" single in September 1991. A second studio version was released on the rarities compilation Incesticide in December 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One (U2 song)</span> 1992 single by U2

"One" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their seventh album, Achtung Baby (1991), and it was released as the record's third single on 24 February 1992. During the album's recording sessions at Hansa Studios in Berlin, conflict arose between the band members over the direction of U2's sound and the quality of their material. Tensions almost prompted the band to break up until they achieved a breakthrough with the improvisation of "One"; the song was written after the band members were inspired by a chord progression that guitarist the Edge was playing in the studio. The lyrics, written by lead singer Bono, were inspired by the band members' fractured relationships and the German reunification. Although the lyrics ostensibly describe "disunity", they have been interpreted in other ways.

"Home for a Rest" is a song by Canadian folk rock band Spirit of the West from their fourth studio album Save This House, released in 1990. It is the band's signature song and is considered a classic of Canadian music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock and Roll All Nite</span> 1975 single by Kiss

"Rock and Roll All Nite" is a song by American rock band Kiss, originally released on their 1975 album Dressed to Kill. It was released as the A-side of their fifth single, with the album track "Getaway". The studio version of the song peaked at No. 68 on the Billboard singles chart, besting the band's previous charting single, "Kissin' Time" (#89). A subsequent live version, released as a single in October 1975, eventually reached No. 12 in early 1976, the first of six Top 20 songs for Kiss in the 1970s. "Rock and Roll All Nite" became Kiss's signature song and has served as the group's closing concert number in almost every concert since 1976. In 2008, it was named the 16th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.

"Better Man" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. It is the eleventh track on the band's third studio album, Vitalogy (1994). The song was written by vocalist Eddie Vedder. Despite the lack of a commercial single release, "Better Man" reached the top of the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and spent a total of eight weeks at number one. The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror .

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Good in Everyone</span> 1996 single by Sloan

"The Good in Everyone" is a song by Canadian rock band, Sloan. It was released as the lead single from the band's third studio album, One Chord to Another. The song peaked at #9 on Canada's Singles Chart, and continues to be one of the band's most popular songs. The song is featured on the first edition of MuchMusic's Big Shiny Tunes compilation series. The song was also the theme for the CBC television program George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorelei (Styx song)</span> 1976 single by Styx

"Lorelei" is a song from rock band Styx. It is on their 1975 album Equinox, and was released as a single in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm an Adult Now</span> 1986 single by The Pursuit of Happiness

"I'm an Adult Now" is a song by Canadian band The Pursuit of Happiness (TPOH). It was written in 1985, produced independently, and first released in 1986 as a 12-inch single. Later that year, the band released a self-produced music video. As a result of the video viewership, all copies of the 12-inch single the band had pressed sold out. The song was nominated for "Single of the Year" at the 1987 CASBY Awards. The band became an "independent success story" because of the song and video, and owing to this popularity was signed by Chrysalis Records in 1988. In 1988, a rerecorded version of the song was released.

The Cardboard Brains was a Toronto punk rock band from the first wave of punk rock and New Wave in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It helped define Toronto's 'Queen Street Circuit', playing clubs like The Edge and The Horseshoe Tavern.

References

  1. 1 2 Michael Barclay, Ian A.D. Jack and Jason Schneider, Have Not Been the Same: The Can-Rock Renaissance 1985-1995 . ECW Press. ISBN   978-1-55022-992-9.
  2. "Remembering John Mann: Grant Lawrence and Alan Doyle pay tribute to the Spirit of the West singer". Q , November 21, 2019.
  3. "Spirit of the West toe electric, theatric" . Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  4. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 8388." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  5. "A great Great Big farewell; Ottawa favourites, fans in high spirits at final show before band breaks for a while". Ottawa Citizen , March 23, 2009.