There Ain't No Sanity Clause

Last updated
"There Ain't No Sanity Clause"
The Damned - There Ain't No Sanity Clause.jpg
Single by the Damned
B-side
  • "Hit or Miss"
  • "Looking at You (Live)"
Released24 November 1980 (1980-11-24) [1]
Recorded1980
Genre Rock
Label Chiswick
CHIS 125
Songwriter(s)
  • Rat Scabies
  • Captain Sensible
  • Dave Vanian
  • Giovanni Dadamo
Producer(s) Hugh Jones
The Damned singles chronology
"The History of the World (Part 1)"
(1980)
"There Ain't No Sanity Clause"
(1980)
"Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde"
(1981)

"There Ain't No Sanity Clause" is a single by English rock band the Damned, released on 24 November 1980.

Contents

The song was a tongue-in-cheek rock song released with an eye on the lucrative UK Christmas singles market, but it failed to chart.

The single was the last new material to be released by the band on Chiswick Records. However, Chiswick would continue to reissue singles by the Damned, culled from existing material on their Big Beat imprint, including "Wait for the Blackout", "Lively Arts", reissues of "Love Song" and "Smash It Up", and a remixed version of "There Ain't No Sanity Clause" [2] with new lyrics, which reached No. 97 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1983. [3]

The title and chorus of the song were derived from a scene in the Marx Brothers' 1935 movie A Night at the Opera , in which Groucho Marx attempts to explain the intricacies of a business contract to Chico Marx. When Groucho mentions the "sanity clause", Chico responds, "You can't fool me. There ain't no sanity clause!"

"There Ain't No Sanity Clause" was written with Giovanni Dadamo of the Snivelling Shits, who also recorded a version of the song which was included on CD reissues of their I Can't Come album. [4]

Track listing

  1. "There Ain't No Sanity Clause" (Scabies, Sensible, Vanian, Dadamo)
  2. "Hit or Miss" (Scabies, Sensible, Vanian, Gray)
  3. "Looking at You (Live)" (MC5)

Track listing - 1983 Version

7" Version:

  1. "There Ain't No Sanity Clause (Remix)" (Scabies, Sensible, Vanian, Dadamo)
  2. "Looking at You (Live)" (MC5)

12" Version:

  1. "There Ain't No Sanity Clause (Remix)" (Scabies, Sensible, Vanian, Dadamo)
  2. "Looking at You (Live)" (MC5)
  3. "Anti-Pope (Fiddling About Version)" (Sensible, Vanian, Scabies, Ward)

Production credits

Producer
Musicians

Related Research Articles

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

The Damned are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1976 by lead vocalist Dave Vanian, guitarist Brian James, bassist Captain Sensible, and drummer Rat Scabies. They were the first punk band from the United Kingdom to release a single, "New Rose" (1976), release a studio album, Damned Damned Damned (1977), and tour the United States. They have nine singles that charted on the UK Singles Chart Top 40.

<i>Machine Gun Etiquette</i> 1979 studio album by the Damned

Machine Gun Etiquette is the third studio album by English punk rock band the Damned, released on 2 November 1979 by Chiswick Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Vanian</span> British singer

David Vanian is an English rock musician, and lead singer of the punk rock band the Damned. Formed in 1976 in London, the Damned were the first British punk band to release a single, release an album, have a record hit the UK charts, and tour the United States. With a fluid line-up since their founding, Vanian has been the only ever-present member. Vanian's baritone singing voice, dark lyrics and vampire-themed costumes, were a major influence on the goth subculture.

<i>Not of This Earth</i> (The Damned album) 1995 studio album by The Damned

Not of This Earth is the eighth studio album by The Damned. It is often called I'm Alright Jack & The Beanstalk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Rose</span> 1976 single by The Damned

"New Rose" by The Damned was the first single by a British punk rock group, released on 22 October 1976 on Stiff Records, and in 1977 in the Netherlands, Germany and France.

<i>The Black Album</i> (The Damned album) 1980 studio album with live tracks by the Damned

The Black Album is the fourth studio album by English punk rock band the Damned, and the first to feature Paul Gray on bass guitar. It was released on 3 November 1980 by Chiswick as a double album, with "Curtain Call" filling the whole of side 3, and a selection of live tracks recorded at Shepperton Studios at a special concert for Damned fan club members on side 4. The song "13th Floor Vendetta" paid tribute to the film The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), opening with the lyrics "...the organ plays to midnight on Maldine Square tonight".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smash It Up</span> Song by The Damned

"Smash It Up" is a song by English punk rock band the Damned, released as a single on 12 October 1979 by Chiswick Records. It is considered the band's unofficial anthem.

"Little Miss Disaster" is a song by punk rock band the Damned, released 1 December 2005 on their own Lively Arts label. It was the band's first single release since "Shut It" in 1996.

<i>Friday 13th</i> (EP) 1981 EP by The Damned

Friday 13th EP is a four-track EP by English rock band the Damned, issued as the result of a one-off deal with the NEMS Records label. It was released on 13 November 1981, which fell on a Friday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Song (The Damned song)</span> Song by The Damned

"Love Song" is a single by English punk rock band the Damned, released in April 1979. It was the first fruit of the reformed lineup's deal with Chiswick Records, boosted by four variant picture sleeves, each one featuring a member of the band, with an additional 20,000 copies pressed on red vinyl. It was the Damned's first top 40 hit, peaking at number 20 in the UK Singles Chart, and leading to the band's debut on Top of the Pops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Just Can't Be Happy Today</span> Song by The Damned

"I Just Can't Be Happy Today" is a song by English punk rock band the Damned from their 1979 album, Machine Gun Etiquette. Released as a single in November on Chiswick Records, it peaked at No. 46 in the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The History of the World (Part 1)</span> Song by The Damned

"The History of the World " is a single by English rock band the Damned, released in September 1980 by Chiswick Records. It was co-produced by the band with Hans Zimmer and was included on the band's The Black Album. The record was released in both 7" and 12" formats, and reached No. 51 in the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dozen Girls</span> 1982 single by the Damned

"Dozen Girls" is a single by English punk rock band the Damned, released on 17 September 1982 by Bronze Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Is It a Dream?</span> 1985 single by the Damned

"Is It a Dream?" is a single by English rock band the Damned, released on 9 September 1985 by MCA Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fun Factory (song)</span> Song by The Damned

"Fun Factory" is a single by English rock band the Damned, released in December 1990 on Deltic Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wait for the Blackout</span> Song by The Damned

"Wait for the Blackout" is a single by English punk rock band The Damned. Initially, Chiswick issued Wait for the Blackout instead of The History of the World as a single to promote The Black Album (1980) in Spain, with "Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde" as the B-side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lively Arts</span> Song by The Damned

"Lively Arts" is a single released by English rock band The Damned.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel is a double compilation album by the Damned, released by MCA in 1987 as a retrospective collection. The same name was also given to a concurrently released video cassette and an approved band biography by Carol Clerk.

<i>Live at Newcastle</i> 1983 live album by the Damned

"Live at Newcastle" is a live album by the Damned, released in 1983.

<i>Live Shepperton 1980</i> 1982 live album by The Damned

Live Shepperton 1980 is a 1982 album by The Damned, their first live album.

References

  1. "The Damned singles".
  2. "Damned Singles Discography Archived 2012-12-23 at archive.today ", Damned Discography, retrieved 2012-03-12
  3. "There Ain't No Sanity Clause", Chart Stats, retrieved 2010-09-21
  4. Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN   1-84195-335-0, p. 149