English Tongue

Album: Danger In The Club (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Danger In The Club had been mixed and mastered when the band went into the studio for a couple of weeks to rehearse. Frontmen Samuel Fryer and Chilli Jesson decided to jam some ideas they had been working on individually, and instantly sparked something. "It was a freak occurrence," Fryer explained to NME, "because we both came in with the same idea. Different lyrics but the exact same melody and chords."

    The pair decided they wanted the song on the album despite only having one day to get it recorded, mixed and mastered before the deadline for the record. "I was on one side of London doing the artwork and they were on the other side is doing the mastering," Fryer said. "It all had to be done by 6 p.m. We were on the phone shouting at each other going, 'What the f--k are doing? It was an exciting way to finish it. A twist in the tail."
  • Sam Fryer explained to NME that the song is, "kind of about paranoia and getting old, and watching other people."
  • The song's music video was directed by filmmaker and frequent Clash collaborator Don Letts and mainly shot on Portobello Road and in west London's St. John's church.

    The clip stars Paul Kaye as the eccentric preacher. He is best known for or his '90s comic creation Dennis Pennis and more recently for playing Thoros of Myr in Game Of Thrones. "We thought it sounded like an American country folk song with English lyrics and emotion," Fryer explained. "Then the name and character of Hugh Diver appeared, a man tied down by the pressures of fame and religion."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.

Jeff Trott

Jeff TrottSongwriter Interviews

Sheryl Crow's longtime songwriting partner/guitarist Jeff Trott reveals the stories behind many of the singer's hits, and what its like to be a producer for Leighton Meester and Max Gomez.

Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets

Curt Kirkwood of Meat PuppetsSongwriter Interviews

The (Meat)puppetmaster takes us through songs like "Lake Of Fire" and "Backwater," and talks about performing with Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged.

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.