The Hammerhead Bar

Album: Out of All This Blue (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is about John Entwistle's mansion in Gloucestershire, England, known as Quarwood. Inside, he had a bar he called "The Hammerhead," as he had at least one cast of a hammerhead shark. Waterboys frontman Mike Scott, who wrote the song, was never there, but a friend of his who went there told him all about it, which is how Scott formed the lyric. The first verse is nearly a word-for-word description, and the rest of the song is what Scott calls "my invention, between rock-Babylonian-gods-of-excess type lines."
  • Some of the characters who belly up to this bar include Vivian Stanshall of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Ringo Starr's son, four Uriah Heep roadies, and some groupies from Lithuania.
  • Mike Scott co-opted David Hood, the legendary bass player in the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, for the band's Out of All This Blue album. The groove of this song is based on a 1967 Etta James song called "Watchdog," on which Hood played.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.