Maidenhead

Album: Under Color of Official Right (2014)
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Songfacts®:

  • Maidenhead is a town that lies just south of the River Thames, 25 miles from London. Its riverside location has drawn many celebrities to live there. So why did Detroit punk band Protomartyr record a song about the English place?

    Vocalist Joe Casey told NME the track was inspired by writer Patrick Hamilton's book Hangover Square about a London-based drunk who wishes he could live in Maidenhead but after finally getting there he finds it to be as depressing as everywhere else he's ever been. He explained: "I like the way he describes the periods of dead moods this guy has, and I kind of latched onto that in a good way. I think in Detroit a lot of people think, 'If I didn't live in Detroit my whole life would be so much better', and after traveling around a little bit I can see that no matter where I am I'm still the same guy – so there's no Maidenhead out there for me."

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