Lyrics
Warren Zevon (1978)
I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain 1
He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fook's 2
Gonna get a big dish of beef chow mein
A-whoo, werewolves of London
A-whoo
A-whoo, werewolves of London
A-whoo
You hear him howling around your kitchen door
You better not let him in
Little old lady got mutilated late last night
Werewolves of London again
A-whoo, werewolves of London
A-whoo
A-whoo, werewolves of London
A-whoo
He's the hairy-handed gent who ran amok in Kent
Lately he's been overheard in Mayfair 3
You better stay away from him, he'll rip your lungs out, Jim
I'd like to meet his tailor
A-whoo, werewolves of London
A-whoo
A-whoo, werewolves of London
A-whoo
Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen 4
Doing the werewolves of London
I saw Lon Chaney Jr. walking with the Queen 5
Doing the werewolves of London
I saw a werewolf drinking a piña colada at Trader Vic's 6
And his hair was perfect
A-whoo, werewolves of London
Draw blood
A-whoo, werewolves of London
The Fall
Saw Lon Chaney walking down the street
A-whoo, werewolves of London
A-whoo
I saw Dracula walking down the fucking street
A-whoo, werewolves of London
I saw Graham walking down the street 7
[ ]
A-whoo, werewolves of London
A-whoo
Good evening we are The Fall 8
From the long, long days
[ ]
A-whoo, werewolves of London
[ ]
A-whoo, werewolves
A-whoo, werewolves
Because I am [ ]
Commentary
My rendition of The Fall’s version above is a brave effort, even if I say so myself, but there are several lines I’ve found to be indecipherable.
“Werewolves of London” is a cover of one of the better known songs of the otherwise relatively obscure American singer-songwriter Warren Zevon (1947 – 2003), written by Zevon, LeRoy Marinell and Waddy Wachtel. It is taken from Zevon’s album, Excitable Boy (January 1978). Released as a single in March 1978 (against Zevon’s wishes), it was the only Zevon song to make the U.S. Top 40 (reaching #21 according to Billboard). It didn’t initially chart in the U.K., but did reach #87 in 1987 when re-released off the back of its use in the Tom Cruise film, The Color of Money (1986). See the Official Charts entry.
The song title is borrowed from the film Werewolf of London (dir. Stuart Walker, 1935), at the suggestion of one of the Everly Brothers. It was performed live by Jackson Browne and T-Bone Burnett, and considered but rejected for Zevon’s second album, Warren Zevon (1976), before finally being included – at considerable expense and effort – on Excitable Boy. The musicians on the recording, other than Warren Zevon on piano and vocals, were Mick Fleetwood (drums), John McVie (bass) and Waddy Wachtel (guitars). I recommend reading the story on the Wikipedia entry for the song!
There is just one documented performance of “Werewolves of London” by The Fall: at the Stylus, Leeds, on 2 November 2011 – the first date of the November tour (and of course just a couple of days after Halloween, see also “Jack the Ripper“).
As was the case with The Fall’s live cover of “Blue Christmas” during the final gig of the year (the covers therefore bookending the tour), the group consisted of Keiron Melling, Eleni Poulou, Tim Presley, Mark E. Smith, and Dave Spurr. Tim Presley had temporarily returned to replace guitarist Peter Greenway, who was absent on paternity leave for the November 2011 tour. Greenway returned to the group in February 2012, when gigging resumed after Christmas/New Year. No studio recordings have seen the light of day and this sole live version has never been officially released, though it does circulate as a bootleg audience recording.
I wonder if the two covers were requested by Tim Presley, or requested of him by M.E.S.
Unlike “Blue Christmas”, “Werewolves in London” gets a generally positive write-up. Tommy Mackay (2018, p.237) describes it as an “oddity” that starts in “hesitant and plodding” fashion, but “soon flowers out to a fun-filled rendition” which is “hugely enjoyable in a completely unexpected way”.
Footnotes
- Soho is an area of London, part of the City of Westminster and notable for its entertainment/sex industry venues and night life. It become more gentrified over recent decades. ↩︎
- Lee Ho Fook was a Chinese restaurant originally located on Macclesfield Street in London’s Chinatown. A second restaurant opened on Gerrard Street; both locations were run simultaneously for decades. It was the first UK Chinese restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star. It closed in 2008. ↩︎
- Mayfair is a notably wealthy area of London, part of the City of Westminster. ↩︎
- Lon Chaney (1883 – 1930), AKA “the man of a thousand faces”, was an American actor best known for his roles in silent horror movies. ↩︎
- Lon Chaney Jr. (1906 – 1973) was Lon Chaney’s son. He played the lead in The Wolf Man (dir. George Waggner, 1941) and its sequels. ↩︎
- Trader Vic’s are a Polynesian-themed restaurant chain founded by Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr. A branch was located in the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane, London (in the City of Westminster), from 1963 to 2022. ↩︎
- Graham Duff, perhaps? ↩︎
- M.E.S.’s traditional gig-opening welcome. I’ve left it in here, but it’s not really part of the lyric. ↩︎
Sources / Links
- Mackay, Tommy (2018). 40 Odd Years of The Fall. Place of publication unknown: Greg Moodie.
- Pringle, Steve (2022). You Must Get Them All: The Fall on Record. [paperback edition]. Pontefract: Route Publishing Ltd. [Online store]
- The Track Record: “Werewolves of London”
- Wikipedia: Lee Ho Fook
- Wikipedia: Lon Chaney
- Wikipedia: Lon Chaney Jr.
- Wikipedia: Trader Vic’s
- Wikipedia: “Werewolves of London”
- Wikipedia: The Wolf Man (1941 film)