Stand and Deliver

Album: Prince Charming (1981)
Charted: 1
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In the book 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, Adam Ant said: "It's just stealing people's attention. I'm a very big history fan of certainly the Georgian era and I like the flamboyance and sexuality and bawdiness of the time. I've seen films like Tom Jones and I grew up going to Saturday morning pictures and seeing all these other influences. I put them all together and Stand And Deliver was just purely grabbing people's attention and using the whole sort of classical English highwayman feel as a theme."
  • The extravagant video was directed by Mike Mansfield and helped sell the song. It contained a hanging sequence that was considered too violent by some music program producers, so an edited version was issued which excluded the scene altogether. In Kutner and Leigh's book, Ant said: "The idea of the Stand And Deliver video was to create a Hollywood movie in 3 minutes."
  • This was Adam and the Ants' best selling single in the UK, selling 985,000 copies.
  • Ant's look in the video was based on the costume David Hemmings' character wore in the 1968 film The Charge of the Light Brigade. It was a 19th century British military look that Ant adapted. The video was a huge part of the song's success, as it gave an image to Ant's "dandy highwayman" character.

Comments: 3

  • *rainbowshoes* from LeicesterAdam Ant got me into music with his energetic sexy swagger, and his songs are still fantastic now in 2023...the kids programme Horrible Histories does a great version of this video, look it up!
  • Chris from Germany great song. But the best is the video. childhood memories.
  • Nathalie from Vlissingen, NetherlandsI really love this song, I am a big fan of Adam and the Ants. Adam Ant's book is called Stand and Deliver as well.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Art Alexakis of Everclear

Art Alexakis of EverclearSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer of Everclear, Art is also their primary songwriter.

La La Brooks of The Crystals

La La Brooks of The CrystalsSong Writing

The lead singer on "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me," La La explains how and why Phil Spector replaced The Crystals with Darlene Love on "He's A Rebel."

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About Transgenderism

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About TransgenderismSong Writing

A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.

Lajon Witherspoon of Sevendust

Lajon Witherspoon of SevendustSongwriter Interviews

The Sevendust frontman talks about the group's songwriting process, and how trips to the Murder Bar helped forge their latest album.

Jon Anderson of Yes

Jon Anderson of YesSongwriter Interviews

From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.