World Party (song)

Last updated
"World Party"
Song by The Waterboys
from the album Fisherman's Blues
Released1988
Length4:01
Label Chrysalis
Ensign
Songwriter(s) Mike Scott
Trevor Hutchinson
Karl Wallinger
Producer(s) Mike Scott

"World Party" is a song by the Scottish-Irish folk rock band The Waterboys, released in 1988 as a track on their fourth studio album Fisherman's Blues . It was written by Mike Scott, Trevor Hutchinson and Karl Wallinger, and produced by Scott. [1] In the United States, the song reached No. 19 on Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and remained on the chart for six weeks. [2] It also peaked at No. 48 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart. [3]

Contents

"World Party" was written in Summer 1985, shortly after the completion of the band's third studio album This Is The Sea . The lyrics were inspired by Live Aid. [4] The song was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, Ireland on 25 March 1987. [5]

Reception

In a review of Fisherman's Blues, Lise Hand of the Sunday Independent described the song as "uplifting". [6] The Post-Star wrote: "The jarring figures on "We Will Not Be Lovers" and "World Party" mirror the urgency of Scott's lyrics far better than a standard rock backing would do." [7] Jim Bohen of the Daily Record considered the song's "pounding piano" to be "reminiscent of the Beatles' White Album ". [8]

Gene Armstrong of the Arizona Daily Star commented: "The title song, "We Will Not Be Lovers" and "World Party" nail me every play because they sound like rock 'n' roll but "feel" like centuries-old traditionals." [9] The Palm Beach Post noted the "bouncy title cut" but the reviewer was "more impressed" with the "folk-rockers" "World Party" and "We Will Not Be Lovers", which they described as being "propelled along by locomotive-like fiddles and vocal chants." [10]

Kenneth Johnson of The Star Democrat wrote: "The band does a good job with "World Party". The fiddle shines through and the tune breathes life thanks to it and Scott's piano playing." [11] Steve Terrell of The Santa Fe New Mexican commented: "Steve Wickham's maniacal fiddle distinguishes several cuts on the first side, including "World Party" - which has the same bass line as Michael Jackson's "Beat It"." [12] Mark Lepage of the Montreal Gazette wrote: ""World Party", with its funky R&B piano and caustic riff on the fuzz mandolin, manages to sound completely unlike Hothouse Flowers' upbeat brand of rock 'n' roll." [13]

Personnel

The Waterboys

Additional personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (1989)Peak
position
US Billboard Album Rock Tracks [3] 48
US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks [2] 19

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References

  1. ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Fisherman's Blues - The Waterboys | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
  2. 1 2 Billboard. "The Waterboys World Party Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
  3. 1 2 Billboard (1989-03-04). "The Waterboys World Party Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
  4. ↑ "Musician - Google Books". 2010-05-26. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
  5. ↑ "The Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues (CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered)". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
  6. ↑ Hand, Lise (16 October 1988). "News from the Waterboys". Sunday Independent.
  7. ↑ Curtin, Mike (11 December 1988). "Goodbye, Roy; Hello, Ireland". The Post-Star.
  8. ↑ Bohen, Jim (22 January 1989). "Brown's hits signal new wave of R&B". Daily Record.
  9. ↑ Armstrong, Gene (1 December 1988). "'Fisherman's Blues' one of '88's best". Arizona Daily Star.
  10. ↑ "Y-NOT closes gender gap by showcasing men of '88". The Palm Beach Post. 8 January 1989.
  11. ↑ Johnson, Kenneth (9 December 1988). "Waterboys flirt with folk forms". The Star Democrat.
  12. ↑ Terrell, Steve (6 January 1989). "A band worth watching". The Santa Fe New Mexican.
  13. ↑ Lepage, Mark (15 December 1988). "Waterboys' new album justifies all the hype". Montreal Gazette.
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