According to the allmusicguide, The Waves (songwriter Kimberley Rew's band) originally recorded "Going Down To Liverpool" in 1983. It was an indie record which caught the ear of the Bangles. In 1984, the Bangles did a cover for their album, "All Over The Place." The Bangles version, which was a single, got airplay on the radio. Record execs at Capitol heard it and wanted the band, which was Katrina and the Waves by then. The song was recorded again and put on their 1985 album, "Katrina and the Waves."
The Katrina and the Waves version reviewed here is the 1983 original recording, not the 1985 version.
Katrina Leskanich fights for to keep her individualism in the bold "Going Down To Liverpool."
Audacious guitars open the single, setting a rebellious tone. Katrina Leskanich snarls to her friend, who is looking for a job, that he's missing out on enjoying the beauty of England.
Hey now/Where you going with that load of nothing in your hand/I said: Hey now/All through this green and pleasant land.
In the chorus, she touts that she's going to absorb the art and culture in Liverpool. She will go the Walker Art Gallery every day and write her Beatles-influenced pop music.
I'm going down to Liverpool to do nothing/I'm going down to Liverpool to do nothing/I'm going down to Liverpool to do nothing/All the days of my life/All the days of my life.
In the second verse, she asks her friend why he's not taking advantage of his unemployment. His UB40 form can be filled out later. There is much to be discovered in their country.
Hey there/ Where you going with that UB40 in your hand/I said: Hey there/All through this green and pleasant land.
The chorus is sung again.
A hard-edged guitar solo follows.
The second verse is sung again.
The chorus is sung again.
Another guitar solo ends the single.
"Going Down To Liverpool" is a protest against conformity. Leskanich is not going to be an underling, working in an office. She doesn't want that life. She wants to be an artist and create something of merit.
Article comments
1 - Vern Halen
First, thanx for making the distinction between K&W's first version & their subsequent remake, which paled in comparison.
Second, I like your analysis of the the Bangles' remake, but I would suggest it's not an improvement, just different.
Third, did the ever reissue those first two K&W albums on CD? 'D love to have 'em, if they'd only make 'em.
2 - Pam Avoledo
Vern Halen,
I think you are in luck. At Amazon, they show a two album set of Katrina and the Waves & the Waves. It was released in 2002.
3 - Vern Halen
Thanx, Pam! That's not it, but there's another one listed on Amazon that IS the original recordings.