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

Randy Houser

Randy HouserSongwriter Interviews

The "How Country Feels" singer talks Skynyrd and songwriting.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Subversive Songs Used To Sell

Subversive Songs Used To SellSong Writing

Songs about drugs, revolution and greed that have been used in commercials for sneakers, jeans, fast food, cruises and cars.

Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins

Tom Bailey of Thompson TwinsSongwriter Interviews

Tom stopped performing Thompson Twins songs in 1987, in part because of their personal nature: "Hold Me Now" came after an argument with his bandmate/girlfriend Alannah Currie.

Krishna Das

Krishna DasSongwriter Interviews

The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.