59 Lyndhurst Grove
by Pulp

Album: Razzmatazz Single (1993)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is the third and final part of the "Inside Susan: A story in Three Songs" trilogy (not including "The Babysitter", written and released later on as a B-side). Having detailed the main character Susan's early adolescence in "Stacks" and her teenage years in "Inside Susan," we find her here in "59 Lyndhurst Grove" having now grown up, married an estate agent, and moved to "somewhere in South London." Clearly domestic bliss is not to her taking, as she appears to be in an illicit fling with another man in an attempt to bring some excitement to proceedings.
  • Jarvis Cocker explained briefly about the "Inside Susan" trilogy when discussing the "Razzmatazz" single in the 1994 Record Collector interview, where he elaborated on "59 Lyndhurst Grove." Said Cocker: "You follow this character from early adolescence through to early thirties and married to an architect somewhere in South London. The last part, '59 Lyndhurst Grove,' was inspired by a party I'd been to the weekend before. We were thrown out by an architect but I got my own back by writing a song about the event. It was a really crap 'right on' party - there were children there. You don't take your children to a party in my book. I sent a copy of the CD to 59 Lyndhurst Grove, the lady of the house, because she was in a bad situation married to this prick, but she never wrote back. A Japanese fan went there and stood outside and asked if she was Susan!"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

James Williamson of Iggy & the Stooges

James Williamson of Iggy & the StoogesSongwriter Interviews

The Stooges guitarist (and producer of the Kill City album) talks about those early recordings and what really happened with David Bowie.

Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.

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.

Bob Dylan Lyric Quiz

Bob Dylan Lyric QuizMusic Quiz

Think you know your Bob Dylan lyrics? Take this quiz to find out.