Stop the Cavalry

Last updated

"Stop the Cavalry"
Stop the Cavalry.jpg
Single by Jona Lewie
B-side "Laughing Tonight"
Released21 November 1980 (1980-11-21)
Studio Morgan Studios, London
Genre
Length2:55
Label Stiff
Songwriter(s) Jona Lewie
Producer(s)
Jona Lewie singles chronology
"Big Shot – Momentarily"
(1980)		"Stop the Cavalry"
(1980)		"Louise (We Get It Right)"
(1981)

"Stop the Cavalry" is an anti-war song and a Christmas song written and performed by English musician Jona Lewie, released in 1980. The song peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart in December 1980, [1] at one point being kept from number one by two re-issued songs by John Lennon, who had been murdered on 8 December that year. Initially a stand-alone single, the song was included on Lewie's album Heart Skips Beat which was released nearly two years later. [2]

Contents

Background and composition

Lewie wrote the song while living at home with his parents. [3] He told PRS for Music, "I was playing about on my grandmother's piano and came up with a particular refrain I liked and kept coming back to. A little germ of an idea had been planted in my head, but one that didn't come fully into fruition for about the next five months. The first lyrics I thought of were actually 'can you stop the gallantry', about the gallant soldiers of the Crimean War and especially the charge of the Light Brigade. [4] This later became Stop the Cavalry and I widened the perspective of the song to be about all wars and all soldiers." [5] He would later use an eight-track recorder to improve the song which was then taken up by Dave Robinson at Stiff Records. [4] After Lewie signed to Stiff Records, founder Dave Robinson dismissed the demo as "just another antiwar song", but after rearrangement – and Lewie playing the now iconic refrain on a kazoo – it proved a hit with Robinson. A Salvation Army brass band was then recruited to play the main melody. [3] "The song actually had nothing to do with Christmas when I wrote it," Lewie told the Daily Express in 2005. "There is one line about [the soldier] being on the front and missing his girlfriend: 'I wish I was at home for Christmas.' The record company picked up on that from a marketing perspective, and added a tubular bell." [6]

The lyrics of the song mention cavalry and Winston Churchill (who served as the First Lord of the Admiralty in the first year of the First World War, prior to serving in the trenches himself), but it breaks with the First World War theme with references to nuclear fallout and the line "I have had to fight, almost every night, down throughout these centuries". Lewie described the song's soldier as being "a bit like the eternal soldier at the Arc de Triomphe". [7] At the time of the song's release there was an increase in tension between the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc, with American-controlled nuclear cruise missiles being stationed in the UK and a renewed fear of nuclear war, which was referenced in the lyrical mention of the fallout zone.

Music video

The song's music video was filmed in Hampstead Heath in London. It is set in the trenches of the First World War, while also featuring Lewie and the Salvation Army brass band walking through the streets. [3]

Legacy

In an interview for Channel 4's 100 Greatest Christmas Moments, Lewie said that the song was never intended as a Christmas hit, and that it was a protest song. Indeed, some overseas releases (for example, in South Africa and New Zealand) were in the spring rather than at Christmas. The line "Wish I was at home for Christmas", [8] [9] as well as the brass band arrangements made it an appropriately styled song to play around Christmas time. Lewie had said that royalties received from the song account for 50 per cent of his income stream. [10]

According to a 2017 poll conducted by The Irish Times , "Stop the Cavalry" is the fourth most popular Christmas song in Ireland. [11]

In 2022, it was reported that the song was listed as the seventh highest royalty earning Christmas song. [12] According to analysis of PRS for Music figures, it was estimated that the song generates £120,000 of royalties per year. [13]

Charts

Chart (1980–1981)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [14] 2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [15] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [16] 5
France (IFOP) [17] 1
Germany (GfK) [18] 2
Ireland (IRMA) [19] 5
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [20] 9
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [21] 6
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [22] 3
South Africa (Springbok Radio) [23] 4
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [24] 13
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [25] 4
UK Singles (OCC) [26] 3
Chart (2006)Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) [27] 130
Chart (2007)Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) [26] 48
Chart (2008)Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) [27] 118
Chart (2009)Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) [27] 119
Chart (2010)Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) [27] 159
Chart (2011)Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) [26] 86
Chart (2012)Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) [28] 158
Chart (2013)Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) [29] 186
Chart (2015)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) [30] 86
UK Singles (OCC) [26] 82
Chart (2016–2017)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) [31] 69
UK Singles (OCC) [26] 58
Chart (2017–2018)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) [32] 44
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [21] 77
UK Singles (OCC) [26] 61
Chart (2018–2019)Peak
position
Germany (GfK) [18] 95
Ireland (IRMA) [33] 87
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [21] 70
UK Singles (OCC) [26] 85
Chart (2019–2020)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) [34] 93
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [21] 81
UK Singles (OCC) [26] 56
Chart (2020–2021)Peak
position
Germany (GfK) [18] 91
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [21] 88
UK Singles (OCC) [26] 77
Chart (2021)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) [35] 60
UK Singles (OCC) [26] 43

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [36] Platinum600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christmas music</span> Music associated with Christmas

Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of carols, may employ lyrics about the nativity of Jesus Christ, traditions such as gift-giving and merrymaking, cultural figures such as Santa Claus, or other topics. Many songs simply have a winter or seasonal theme, or have been adopted into the canon for other reasons.

The Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) is a non-profit association set up in 1999 to promote certain interests of the music industry in Ireland. It is particularly active in addressing copyright issues, and it compiles the official music charts for Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jona Lewie</span> English singer-songwriter

Jona Lewie is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his 1980 UK hits "You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties" and "Stop the Cavalry".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairytale of New York</span> 1987 single by the Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl

"Fairytale of New York" is a song written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and recorded by their London-based band the Pogues, featuring English singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl on vocals. The song is an Irish folk-style ballad and was written as a duet, with the Pogues' singer MacGowan taking the role of the male character and MacColl playing the female character. It was originally released as a single on 23 November 1987 and later featured on the Pogues' 1988 album If I Should Fall from Grace with God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiquitita</span> 1979 ABBA song

"Chiquitita" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in January 1979 as the first single from Voulez-Vous (1979), the group's sixth album. Agnetha Fältskog performs the lead vocals. Originally, the track "If It Wasn't for the Nights" was going to be the album's lead single, but after "Chiquitita" was completed these plans were abandoned, and it remained an album track.

The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically each day from retailers' EPOS systems. All major record shops, digital retailers and streaming services contribute to the chart, accounting for over 95% of the market. A new chart is compiled and released to the public by the Irish Recorded Music Association on Friday at noon. Each chart is dated with the "week-ending" date of the previous Thursday. The singles chart was first published on 1 October 1962, and covered the top ten singles of the previous week by record label shipments.

Terry Dactyl and the Dinosaurs were an English novelty band that issued a few recordings in the early 1970s. The band was an alias adopted by Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts but signed to a different record label.

Nigel Dick is an English music video and film director, writer and musician from Catterick, North Yorkshire, now based in Los Angeles, California. He has directed many pop videos, for singers who include Britney Spears, Toto and Band Aid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mistletoe and Wine</span> 1988 single by Cliff Richard

"Mistletoe and Wine" is a Christmas song made famous as a chart-topping single by Cliff Richard in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merry Xmas Everybody</span> 1973 single by Slade

"Merry Xmas Everybody" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released as a non-album single in 1973. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and it was produced by Chas Chandler. It was the band's sixth and final number-one single in the UK. Earning the UK Christmas number one slot in December 1973, the song beat another Christmas-themed song, Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday", which reached fourth place. It remained in the charts for nine weeks until February 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">There's No One Quite Like Grandma</span> 1980 single by St Winifreds School Choir

"There's No One Quite Like Grandma" is a song by the Stockport-based primary school choir St Winifred's School Choir, released as a single in November 1980. It was number-one on the UK Singles Chart from 21 December 1980 to 3 January 1981. The song was written by Gordon Lorenz, recorded at 10cc's Strawberry Studios in Stockport and features Rick Wakeman on keyboards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Miles</span> 1983 single by Pretenders

"2000 Miles" is a song by British-American rock band Pretenders. Written by lead vocalist Chrissie Hynde and produced by Chris Thomas, it was released on 18 November 1983 as the second single from their third studio album, Learning to Crawl (1984). It was most popular in the UK, where it peaked at No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1983. In the US, it was released as the B-side of both the 7-inch single and 12-inch single remix of the band's hit "Middle of the Road".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leona Lewis discography</span>

English singer Leona Lewis has released five studio albums, twenty-eight singles, one live video album, one extended play and twenty-six music videos. After winning the third series of British television talent show, The X Factor in 2006, Lewis released "A Moment Like This" in the United Kingdom and Ireland, which became the fastest selling single ever by a female artist in the UK. Her follow-up single, "Bleeding Love" reached number one in 35 countries, and was the biggest-selling single of 2008 worldwide. The song has had over two billion streams. Lewis's first studio album, Spirit was released to follow the single; it became the fastest-selling debut album of all time in the UK and Ireland, and the first debut album by a British solo artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. As of April 2012, Spirit is the 20th biggest-selling album of all time in the UK. The next single, "Better in Time", was also successful worldwide, reaching the top ten in many countries. Subsequent singles "Forgive Me" and "Run" were released across Europe and Australia; "Forgive Me" went on to moderate success, while "Run" became Lewis's third number one in the UK, and also reached the top spot in Austria and Ireland. "I Will Be" was released as the final single in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonas Brothers discography</span>

The discography of American group Jonas Brothers consists of six studio albums, three live albums, three soundtrack albums, one compilation album, one video album, three extended plays, and 30 singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Andrews (keyboardist)</span> Musical artist

Robert Charles Andrews is an English keyboardist and record producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year</span> 1963 song by Andy Williams

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is a popular Christmas song written in 1963 by Edward Pola and George Wyle. It was recorded and released that year by pop singer Andy Williams for his first Christmas album, The Andy Williams Christmas Album. However, the song was not released as a promotional single by Williams' record label that year, as they instead opted to promote his cover of "White Christmas" as the official promo single from the album. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" has consistently made it onto pop singles charts around the world in the 2010s and 2020s. It peaked at No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 2020 and at No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olly Murs discography</span>

English recording artist Olly Murs has released seven studio albums, twenty-five singles and twenty one music videos on recording labels Epic and Sony subsidiary Syco. Olly rose to prominence in the United Kingdom after being a contestant on The X Factor during its sixth series, ultimately finishing in second place on 12 December 2009. During his time on the show, Murs appeared on the number-one charity single "You Are Not Alone" alongside the other finalists. His debut single, "Please Don't Let Me Go" was released on 27 August 2010—where it became his second number-one single and first as a solo artist. The accompanying album, Olly Murs was released on 26 November, where it debuted at number two, and was preceded by the number four single "Thinking of Me" on 19 November. The singles "Heart on My Sleeve" and "Busy" were also released from the album on 27 March and 27 May 2011—peaking at number twenty and forty-five in the UK respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Jonas discography</span>

American singer Nick Jonas has released four studio albums, one extended play (EP), and 27 singles. In September 2005, Jonas released his eponymous debut studio album Nicholas Jonas. After serving as a member of the bands the Jonas Brothers and Nick Jonas & the Administration, Jonas returned to his solo career in 2012. On May 8, he released Songs from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, an EP containing songs performed on stage during his Broadway musical of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties</span> 1980 single by Jona Lewie

"You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties" is a song by English singer-songwriter Jona Lewie. It was written by Lewie and Keef Trouble, and was released as a single in 1980. The song entered the UK Singles Chart in May, reaching number 16 and staying for 11 weeks on the chart. The song experienced the greatest success in New Zealand, where it reached No. 3 in October for two weeks, remaining in the top 40 for 17 weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Cardle discography</span>

The discography of the English singer Matt Cardle consists of four studio albums, one live album, seventeen singles, one EP and eleven music videos.

References

  1. ↑ "stop the cavalry | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  2. ↑ "Heart Skips a Beat - Jona Lewie | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Crae, Ross (18 December 2019). "Story behind the Christmas song: Stop the Cavalry by Jona Lewie". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  4. 1 2 Balls, Richard (2014). Be Stiff. The Stiff Records Story. Soundcheck Books LLP. p. 229. ISBN   9780957570061.
  5. ↑ Awbi, Anita (19 December 2011). "Stop the Cavalry". PRS for Music. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  6. ↑ Crossan, Fionn (1 December 2021). "Best Christmas Songs: 60 Classic Tracks For The Holiday Season". Dig!. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  7. ↑ "Stop The Cavalry by Jona Lewie Songfacts". Songfacts.com. 12 March 2005. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  8. ↑ Wilson, Ross J. (22 April 2016). Cultural Heritage of the Great War in Britain. Routledge. p. 35. ISBN   9781317156468 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ Whiteley, Sheila (26 April 2008). Christmas, Ideology and Popular Culture. Edinburgh University Press. p. 3. ISBN   9780748631872 – via Google Books.
  10. ↑ "How much money do pop stars make from Christmas hits? - BBC Music". bbc.co.uk. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  11. ↑ Pope, Conor (1 December 2017). "What's Ireland's favourite Christmas song, we wondered. So we asked you . . ". The Irish Times . Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  12. ↑ "The highest royalty earning Christmas songs". Teesside Gazette. 18 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  13. ↑ "From Wham to Slade... just how much do these classic Christmas songs earn each festive season?". Radio X . 21 December 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  14. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 176. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  15. ↑ "Jona Lewie – Stop the Cavalry" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  16. ↑ "Jona Lewie – Stop the Cavalry" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  17. ↑ "InfoDisc : Les Tubes de chaque artiste commençant par L". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  18. 1 2 3 "Jona Lewie – Stop the Cavalry" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  19. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Stop the Cavalry". Irish Singles Chart.
  20. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Jona Lewie" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jona Lewie – Stop the Cavalry" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  22. ↑ "Jona Lewie – Stop the Cavalry". Top 40 Singles.
  23. ↑ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989" . Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  24. ↑ "Jona Lewie – Stop the Cavalry". Singles Top 100.
  25. ↑ "Jona Lewie – Stop the Cavalry". Swiss Singles Chart.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Jona Lewie: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  27. 1 2 3 4 "Chart Log UK: DJ Steve L. - LZ Love". www.zobbel.de. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  28. ↑ "Chart Log UK – 2012 + Weekly Updates + Sales 2012". www.zobbel.de. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  29. ↑ "Chart Log UK – 2013 + Weekly Updates + Sales 2013". www.zobbel.de. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  30. ↑ "IRMA – Irish Recorded Music Association". www.irma.ie. Select singles chart, then go to 25 December 2015 from drop-down boxes. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  31. ↑ "IRMA – Irish Recorded Music Association". www.irma.ie. Select singles chart, then go to 30 December 2016 from drop-down boxes. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  32. ↑ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
  33. ↑ "IRMA – Irish Recorded Music Association". www.irma.ie. Select singles chart, then go to 28 December 2018 from drop-down boxes. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  34. ↑ "IRMA – Irish Recorded Music Association". www.irma.ie. Select singles chart, then go to 27 December 2019 from drop-down boxes. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  35. ↑ "IRMA – Irish Recorded Music Association". www.irma.ie. Select singles chart, then go to 17 December 2021 from drop-down boxes. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  36. ↑ "British single certifications – Jona Lewie – Stop the Cavalry". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 7 January 2022.
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.