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I Don't Want To Go To Parties Anymore (Single, 2008)
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1. I Don’t Want To Go To Parties Anymore |
An anxious anthem for all those opposed to fascist fun, this long-time live favourite weighs in at an epic 5 minutes when the band play it at gigs. In making a single out of it, Luke condensed it into a snappy 3 and a half minute slice of radio-ready angst.
The A side is Luke’s only foray into working with a co-producer, and as such this is the most hi-fi produced thing Luke’s ever released. As work drew to a close on this in mid 2008, the big time could actually be heard quaking in its boots. Luke was now officially part of the singles scene, in more ways than one.
Review from Beatmag, Autumn 2008:-
While Beatmag’s editorial cannot concur with Luke Smith’s attitude to parties – he’s not at all keen on our beloved repetitive beats - this song has a wonderful English miserablism, like Eeyore fronting The Kinks circa 1972. He embraces a jaunty piano-led music hall stomp that Madness would be proud of and his lyrics are eminently poetic: “These people here aren’t really my friends/When daylight dawns and the music ends/This bloke that calls me mate, he won’t even know me… Must I pretend all this is real/This blur of booze and sex appeal.” A lovely young cousin to Pulp’s classic ‘Sorted For Es And Whizz’. Anyone in the region of Kent, UK, should check out his regular Wednesday night at Canterbury’s Orange Street Music Venue.
I Don’t Want To Go To Parties Anymore (single version)
Verse 1
Have you heard the word?
There’s something great
That’s going on tonight ’til late –
You know we’ve got to go.
We mustn’t miss it!
Oh there’s nothing like it anywhere in town.
No, we’ve said you’ll be there now.
Don’t let us down.
That’s what they say, but I wish they’d go away.
Oh I just can’t bear the thought of what’s in store…
Chorus
I don’t want to go to parties anymore
I don’t want to go to parties anymore
Verse 2
Find a place to stand with beer in hand,
Don’t think, just drink, it’s all been planned,
Look self-assured and don’t act bored – enjoy it.
Oh, the music’s loud so there’s no need to speak,
But if you must, don’t let things get too deep.
‘It’s brilliant here!’ they all scream in my ear,
But it’s too late now I’m trying to find the door.
CHORUS
I don’t want to go to parties anymore
I don’t want to go to parties anymore
SPOKEN WORD SECTION
No, I don’t want to dance.
No, really I don’t want to dance.
Oh god, if only you knew how much I really don’t want to dance.
No, I don’t want a pill.
No thanks I don’t want a pill.
Have you any idea what they must put in those things?
Aren’t you scared you might get ill?
No, I don’t like that tune.
It’s not a tune anyway - it’s just a beat,
And must it really be so loud?
I could hear it half way down the street.
Yes, of course I like having fun.
Yes, of course I want to meet someone,
But look at them - they’re all off their face,
What kind of person am I gonna meet?
BRIDGE
These people here aren’t really my friends.
When daylight dawns and the music ends,
This bloke that calls me mate, he won’t even know me.
This girl who holds my hand won’t so much as ‘hello’ me.
Must I pretend all this is real? – This blur of booze and sex-appeal;
Wasted brains and bodies used up just like play-things.
Oh, am I the only one who doesn’t find this fun?
Who just can’t wait to get right back to everyday things?...
Verse 3
Oh, it’s probably me, I’m probably wrong,
But still these feelings come on strong,
’Cos something in me’s proud to like what I like.
I want to hear a song tonight, not just a fat bass line.
And if that makes me a boring git, well, fine.
And I want my bed –street cred or no street cred,
And I don’t want to sleep on someone else’s floor.
Chorus
And I don’t want to go to parties anymore.
I don’t want to go to parties anymore.
Luke’s National Anthem (brass band version)
Verse 1
England, what can I say?
You’re part of me in such a big way.
Here’s where I’ll stay, where the sky’s grey.
In the wind and rain.
It’s a bit mundane,
But it’s my domain, in a strange way, I can’t explain.
I’ll never leave. I’m caught in the clutch
Of this old, tiny island where nothing changes much.
Verse 2
England, it’s so disheartening
How when I say I love you, they think I’m right wing.
Why must national pride have an ugly side?
You alone are my true home,
So is it wrong for me now to sing this song?
You’re not perfect, but when all’s said and done
I love you for your charms, more than for the wars you’ve won.
Verse 3
England, my world is small.
It begins and ends with you – there’s nowhere else at all.
It’s not hot here, but I know what’s what here.
In foreign climbs, there’s a lot to see,
Oh, but I don’t mind, ‘cos what they’ve got – it’s not for me.
I can’t help adoring you, dear old motherland.
People who you’re boring to, I just don’t understand!
BRIDGE
In England we know how to make tea, don’t we?
We don’t share feelings.
We hate shooting from the hip.
And we deal with frustration and depression here in England,
By keeping a stiff upper-lip.
Verse 3
England, in summing up now, I feel I’ve got to mention the monarchy somehow.
Between me and you – Just what is it they do?
What’s the queen there for? She’s not what I care for.
It’s you I revere – not a palace, and a posh old dear.
You’re where I belong to, and you belong to me.
Everybody’s welcome though (I hope we all agree)
God bless this place, which I embrace, from sea to murky sea.
England, my England - You’re where I’ve got to be. (Return to top)
Verse 1
It’s just the little things in life that get to me
It’s just the little things, that no one else can see
It’s just the little things that matter to me so
I can’t get them out of my head now
I just can’t let them go
Verse 2
It’s just the minor points, like what was said and how
They’re always on my mind. They’re even there right now
I’m so troubled everyday
I can’t get them out of my head now; they just won’t go away.
Verse 3
It’s just the subtle shades; the stuff that’s hard to place
The things the world at large has no desire to trace
But I can’t help it – I can’t leave them be
Or come to that in fact, perhaps it’s them that won’t leave me
BRIDGE
I must’ve had some fun today, I’m sure it was great...
If I could just recall more clearly what occurred!
But all that I can see is that weird look she gave to me
And the way she laughed at that joke, and the way she used that word,
Oh there’s no let up. I can’t relax.
Once you let these details in you can’t ignore them
Oh and everyday I find they take up more space in mind
And I’m making more and more time for them
’Til they’re everywhere…
Verse 4
These little things which activate my brain
They make me laugh sometimes, but they cause me so much pain
It’s just those tiny snags with which each day I’m faced,
And just when I get rid of one, it’s instantly replaced.
Verse 5
It’s just the little things to which my world belongs
Those same old little things that make me sing these songs
It’s just the little things that make me lose my cool;
That keep my heart in thrall…They’re with me through it all…
So vital yet so small, and round my mind’s a blinding fog
And round my eyes are big dark rings
’Cos I’m up so late and I can’t think straight
And it’s all about the little things.