The Pope is a Dope by The Living Legends

Album: The Living Legends (1982)

License This Song

Songfacts®:

This song was released by The Living Legends to commemorate the Pope's visit to London in 1982. Classic Pop nonsense, lyrics include "the Vatican has a painted ceiling in my house the walls are peeling."
The Living Legends were formed in South Wales by singer and songwriter Ian Bone. The band, who preferred to be known as the Living Leg Ends, featured two teenage school girls on vocals who, it is rumored, went to London on weekends to work in a brothel. Ian Bone went on to form Class War and became a political irritant, leading many marches and demonstrations and publishing many papers and books against Margaret Thatcher's government.

Comments: 1

Roland Cleaver from SwanseaHilariously non-factual: 1) Confusion of The Living Legends of Swansea, Cardiff, London then Bristol in the UK with the Californian hip-hop group that stole.our.name. 2) 'Classic Pop nonsense' . ROFLMAO! Ian would ask for the plodding bass lines as a parody of bad 70's cabaret. 3) Why would anyone compare the opulence of the Vatican with cruddy social housing? Hmmm... meaningless. Actually, the cops were so afraid Bone would cause trouble during the pope's visit that they lifted him, took him to some godforsaken pub, miles up the South Wales Valleys and force-fed him beer, poor lad.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Candle In The WindElton John

Marilyn Monroe is the subject of Elton John's "Candle In The Wind," but the song is really a look at how we react to celebrities who die young.

Twilight ZoneGolden Earring

"Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring was inspired by the Robert Ludlum novel The Bourne Identity, not by the TV show.

Livin' La Vida LocaRicky Martin

"Livin' La Vida Loca" is a Latin pop landmark, but "la vida loca" are the only Spanish words in the lyric - "mocha" is English.

SummertimeDJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

"Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince is built on a sample of a Kool & The Gang instrumental from 1974 called "Summer Madness," which gets a shout in the line, "This is the Fresh Prince's new definition of summer madness."