Lyrics
Steve Bent
I've sold my car, thrown in my job, I'm twenty-four years old
I think it's time that I saw the world
And I hate it, yes I hate the cold, and
I'm going to Spain
Cousin Norman had a real fine time last year
I hear it doesn't rain
I hope I can quickly learn the language
The factory floor presented me with some tapes of Elton John
That should keep me company
And I hate them, yes I hate the goodbyes, and 1
I'm going to Spain
Cousin Norman had a real fine time last year
I hear it doesn't rain
I hope I can quickly learn the language
My mother cried on Friday night
Told me to take good care
And wrapped me up some sandwiches 2
And I hate them, yes I hate the cheese and pickle 3
And I'm going to Spain
Cousin Norman had a real fine time last year
I hear it doesn't rain
I hope I can quickly learn the language, yeah
I hope I can quickly learn the language
[ ] 4
The Fall
I've sold my car, thrown in my job, I'm thirty-four years old 5
I think it's time I saw the world, and not Australia
I've sold my car, thrown in my job, I'm thirty-four years old
I think it's time I saw the world
Cos I hate the cold and rain and grey
I'm going to Spain
Cousin Norman had a real fine time last year
They say it doesn't rain
I hope I can quickly learn the language, yeah
I hope I can quickly learn the language
And the factory floor presented me with some tapes of Elton John
I hope it might keep me company, but I hate the goodbyes
Cos I'm going to Spain
Cousin Norman had a real fine time last year
I hear it doesn't rain
I hope I can quickly learn the language, yeah
I hope I can quickly learn the language, yeah
My mother cried last Friday night, when I said that I'll be gone
She packed it up, and then cashed in her Premium Bonds 6
And I'm going to Spain
Cousin Norman had a real fine time last year
They say it doesn't rain
I hope I can quickly learn the language, yeah
I hope I can quickly learn the language
I'm going to Spain
Cos I hate the cold and grey
And I'm going to Spain
Better rate culture there boy
I'm going to Spain
Cousin Norman had a real fine time last year
They say it doesn't rain
I hope I can quickly learn the language, yeah
Commentary
< Post in progress >
Steve Bent, New Faces, Kenny Everett
Actor and musician Steve Bent appeared on the TV talent show New Faces on Saturday 6 March 1976, in order to promote the song, which was released as a single the same month. Some sites date Bent’s New Faces appearance to 1974, which is definitely incorrect – see Durbridge, 1976.
Footnotes
- Bent may perhaps be tipping his hat to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John’s 1973 album. When released as a single, the title song became one of his biggest hits. I may be misreading this, but the way Bent goes on to sing “And I hate them…” builds a little ambiguity here. Note that he states outright his distaste for cheese and pickle sandwiches in a later line, but backs away from overt dislike of Elton John here. Elton John was a powerful man, of course. ↩︎
- How long are these sandwiches expected to last? Has our protagonist actually set off for Spain at this point? Are the lyrics perhaps their internal monologue on the flight (assuming they are flying)? Because unless they are travelling on the following Saturday, those sandwiches are going to be a bit dry. ↩︎
- Bent, or the character in the song, is prepared to unambiguously state that he dislikes the sandwiches his mother has made, but was not prepared to be so clear in relation to the tapes of Elton John. ↩︎
- This sounds like it’s in Spanish: “mucho…” something or other. I can’t hear it clearly enough to transcribe or translate it. ↩︎
- M.E.S. adds a decade on to the age of the protagonist so that it’s closer to his own age when the song was recorded (when he would have been 35 years old). ↩︎
- M.E.S. version of the lyrics introduces a near-rhyme (gone / bond) where there isn’t one in the original, but also eliminates the anti-cheese and pickle sentiment. I find this interesting, since it removes the one clearly discordant line from the song. Also, note that The Fall’s version has the narrator’s mum provide money to her son, thereby avoiding the problem of stale sandwiches. ↩︎
Sources / Links
- Durbridge, Jan (1976). “New Face at the Park.” Bracknell and Ascot Times, 12 February. p.9. [Available online via newspapers.com]
- Smith, Mark E. (2008). Renegade: The Lives and Tales of Mark E. Smith. London: Penguin.
- The Track Record: “I’m Going To Spain”
- Wolstencroft, Simon (2014). You Can Drum But You Can’t Hide. London: Strata Books.
Views: 57