Swings & Waterslides

Album: Viola Beach (2015)
Charted: 11
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Viola Beach were a British rock group formed in Warrington, Cheshire, in 2013. On February 13, 2016 the band, comprising vocalist Kris Leonard, guitarist River Reeves, bassist Tomas Lowe and drummer Jack Dakin plus their manager Craig Tarry, all died in a car crash in Södertälje, Sweden. The quartet had just played Sweden's Where Is The Music? Festival and were traveling back to the airport when their car plunged 80 feet off a bridge in Stockholm.
  • This was the group's first single. Running to 3 minutes 36 seconds, it was released on August 28, 2015, and was uploaded to SoundCloud the following month. The song entered the UK singles chart the following February after the tragic death of the Viola Beach members. The group's record label Communion said that the proceeds from its sale would go to the families of the band and manager.
  • The song entered the UK singles chart at #11. Its sales were helped by Liam Gallagher and Stone Roses, who both tweeted their fans and urged them to download the track.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary MachineSong Writing

Fiona's highly-anticipated third album almost didn't make it. Here's how it finally came together after two years and a leak.

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The Remasters

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The RemastersSong Writing

Brian has unearthed outtakes by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other artists for reissues. Here's how he does it.

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet SprocketSongwriter Interviews

The "All I Want" singer went through a long depression, playing some shows when he didn't want to be alive.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?