The Mayor Of Simpleton Options

[Jeff Truzzi]

An old music friend - unfamiliar with XTC - comment on my Facebook posting of this song:
"Reminds me of Elvis Costello!"
(I can visualize Andy doing a full body cringe!)

Hey, I LIKE Elvis C, but I don't see many similarities - other than being excellent uptempo British pop.
I certainly can't recall any Elvis C remotely hinting at polytonality, which is what immediately caught my ear.
(The verse chords inferring C lydian & D major, with the bass line in G major.)
Also loved the tambourines hard panned left & right, one emphasizing beats 1 & 3 while the other does 2 & 4.

Not to mention the 'luddite' lyric.
And the cool polyrhythm 'round' at the end.

And even though I know Andy created the verse bass line, Colin sure does a helluva job in the chorus, bridge & tag!

Why this song wasn't a #1 worldwide hit, I'll never know.
In an alternate universe, it would have been.

I was really hoping this would be the song played on their live "David Letterman" appearance,
and was disappointed it was "King For A Day" instead.
But I subsequently heard that the live appearance wouldn't have happened at all unless it was a Colin song.
"One Of The Millions" would have blown people away...but I know, it wasn't a single.

Still, every time I hear the "Mayor" it gives me goosebumps, and a jolt of energy.
And it makes me smile.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Spastic Minnow]

Why this song wasn't a #1 worldwide hit, I'll never know.
In an alternate universe, it would have been.

In High School I dated a very sweet and good looking girl who had absolutely no taste in music. She listened to the crappiest of the most popular music and even years after they fell out of favor she still had her bedroom decorated with New Kids on the Block posters, articles, and merchandise. Of course I tried to introduce her to XTC. She told me she had never heard of them but when I played Mayor of Simpleton, she remembered, she had heard the song, it had been featured on the local Top 40 station's "like it or hate it" call in show (I think they called it "Smash it or Trash it" or something like that- I remember that the name didn't make sense as both options seemed to infer it was crap)-- she hated it, she called in to say so, told me it was trashed... then she tried to say she could see it wasn't so bad now...

That relationship didn't last.

But it gave me some insight on the mindset of the masses. Melody and lyrics be damned, give us Paula Abdul. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

[donavan]

.........and even years after they fell out of favor she still had her bedroom decorated with New Kids on the Block posters, articles, and merchandise.

Hankering after bands that fell out of favour years ago. What a loser. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)