Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus
Encyclopedia
"Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus" is a song by UK indie
band Half Man Half Biscuit
. It was on the 1985 album Back in the DHSS
, and the 1988 CD ACD
. The subject of the song was cricketer Fred Titmus
.
The band line-up for both the album track and the live recording was Paul Wright on drums, Neil Crossley on bass guitar and vocals, Nigel Blackwell on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Simon Blackwell on lead guitar and David Lloyd on keyboards.
. This was the second track on Side A of the album, following "God Gave Us Life" and preceding "Sealclubbing", "99% Of Gargoyles Look Like Bob Todd" and "Time Flies By (When You're A Driver Of A Train)". In 1988, the group produced their first compact disc, and a live version of "Fuckin' 'Ell" featured as track number 14, following "Architecture And Morality, Ted And Alice (live)" and preceding "Time Flies By (When Your The Driver Of A Train) (live)". The track was recorded at The Leadmill in Sheffield
.
The track is often performed as the opening live number, such as at The Point
, Cardiff
in 2007, and at Coronation Hall, Ulverston
, Cumbria
in 2008. The track has been described as one of the highlights of their "quintessentially British" live performance.
and pun
s. Reference is made to Lenor
, a brand of fabric conditioner, and a double entendre
concerns American singer Stevie Nicks
, and the British slang
term "nick", meaning to steal, in the sense of a kleptomania
c.
. Certainly more believable anyway, I think." In another interview, Blackwell explained the idea behind such songs. He said that, after leaving school at the age of 15, he "could either have become a heroin addict - de rigueur around here at that time - or amused myself in some other way. This, I suppose, was that 'other way' - writing songs that reflected my lifestyle." Blackwell said that he had too much time on his hands, and watched a lot of daytime television
. He would "think up stupid incidents with K-list personalities."
He went on to state that the described incident never occurred; "I have never met Fred Titmus, for example, let alone greeted him in such an overfamiliar way."
, the former Middlesex and England cricket player. It has been described as "The funniest song ever written about an England and Middlesex cricketer". Other modern tracks about the game include the Manic Street Preachers
B-side "Mr Carbohydrate", which is about Matthew Maynard
, and I-Roy
's tribute to Michael Holding
.
It has featured in several readers suggestion polls, such as The Guardian
newspaper's request for readers to suggest songs about famous people, and the BBC
's Test Match Special
, when listeners were invited to e-mail in their favourite 'cricketing songs'.
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band Half Man Half Biscuit
Half Man Half Biscuit
Half Man Half Biscuit, often "HMHB", are an English rock band from Birkenhead, Merseyside, active since the mid-1980s, known for satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs. The group comprises Nigel Blackwell , Neil Crossley , Ken Hancock , and Carl Henry...
. It was on the 1985 album Back in the DHSS
Back in the DHSS
-2003 Rerelease:# "Busy Little Market Town"# "God Gave Us Life"# "Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus"# "Sealclubbing"# "99% Of Gargoyles Look Like Bob Todd"# "Time Flies By "# "I Hate Nerys Hughes "...
, and the 1988 CD ACD
ACD (album)
ACD was the first CD from Half Man Half Biscuit. If featured some of the tracks from the previous vinyl album, Back Again in the DHSS.#"The Best Things In Life"#"D'Ye Ken Ted Moult?"#"Reasons To Be Miserable "...
. The subject of the song was cricketer Fred Titmus
Fred Titmus
Frederick John Titmus MBE was an English cricketer, whose first-class career spanned five decades. Although he was best known for his off spin , he was an accomplished lower-order batsman who deserved to be called an all-rounder, even opening the batting for England on six occasions...
.
The band line-up for both the album track and the live recording was Paul Wright on drums, Neil Crossley on bass guitar and vocals, Nigel Blackwell on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Simon Blackwell on lead guitar and David Lloyd on keyboards.
Release and performances
In 1985, the band released a 33RPM vinyl LP entitled Back in the DHSSBack in the DHSS
-2003 Rerelease:# "Busy Little Market Town"# "God Gave Us Life"# "Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus"# "Sealclubbing"# "99% Of Gargoyles Look Like Bob Todd"# "Time Flies By "# "I Hate Nerys Hughes "...
. This was the second track on Side A of the album, following "God Gave Us Life" and preceding "Sealclubbing", "99% Of Gargoyles Look Like Bob Todd" and "Time Flies By (When You're A Driver Of A Train)". In 1988, the group produced their first compact disc, and a live version of "Fuckin' 'Ell" featured as track number 14, following "Architecture And Morality, Ted And Alice (live)" and preceding "Time Flies By (When Your The Driver Of A Train) (live)". The track was recorded at The Leadmill in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
.
The track is often performed as the opening live number, such as at The Point
The Point, Cardiff
The Point was a church-turned-popular music venue in Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales.The Point was situated in the old merchant's quarter of Mount Stuart Square. The square was named after Lord Mount Stuart, who represented Wales in Parliament during the Napoleonic period...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
in 2007, and at Coronation Hall, Ulverston
Ulverston
Ulverston is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria in north-west England. Historically part of Lancashire, the town is located in the Furness area, close to the Lake District, and just north of Morecambe Bay....
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
in 2008. The track has been described as one of the highlights of their "quintessentially British" live performance.
| Year | Format | Title | Track details | Notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | (12" Vinyl Gramophone record A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove... , 33RPM) |
Back in the DHSS Back in the DHSS -2003 Rerelease:# "Busy Little Market Town"# "God Gave Us Life"# "Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus"# "Sealclubbing"# "99% Of Gargoyles Look Like Bob Todd"# "Time Flies By "# "I Hate Nerys Hughes "... |
Track 3 of 12 | Gracenote CDDB | |
| 1988 | CD Album | ACD ACD (album) ACD was the first CD from Half Man Half Biscuit. If featured some of the tracks from the previous vinyl album, Back Again in the DHSS.#"The Best Things In Life"#"D'Ye Ken Ted Moult?"#"Reasons To Be Miserable "... |
Track 14 of 17 | Live version | Gracenote CDDB |
Contents and style
The song describes the singer's surprise at encountering the famous cricketer in three everyday situations - at a supermarket, in a park, and at a railway station. As with other songs by Half Man Half Biscuit, it includes elements of British popular culturePopular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
and pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s. Reference is made to Lenor
Downy
Downy is a brand name of fabric softener produced by Procter & Gamble and sold in the United States. It entered the U.S. test market in August 1960 and went nationwide in December 1961...
, a brand of fabric conditioner, and a double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
concerns American singer Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
, and the British slang
British slang
British slang is English language slang used in the UK. Slang is informal language sometimes peculiar to a particular social class or group and its use in Britain dates back to before the 16th century...
term "nick", meaning to steal, in the sense of a kleptomania
Kleptomania
Kleptomania is an irresistible urge to steal items of trivial value. People with this disorder are compelled to steal things, generally, but not limited to, objects of little or no significant value, such as pens, paper clips, paper and tape...
c.
Origin
Lead singer Nigel Blackwell said of the song, "To be honest, when I started writing songs one of my fantasies ... perhaps too strong a term that but y'know ... was to have a load of folk shouting something ridiculous like 'Fucking Hell, it's Fred Titmus!' back at the stage as a counterblast to all those rock acts whose audience would hold their lighters aloft during some Godforsaken dross concerning 'a girl no longer with us due to flagrant disregard of the speed limit by persons unknown'. Much more fun thought I to have 'em shouting the name of a Middlesex spin bowlerSpin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
. Certainly more believable anyway, I think." In another interview, Blackwell explained the idea behind such songs. He said that, after leaving school at the age of 15, he "could either have become a heroin addict - de rigueur around here at that time - or amused myself in some other way. This, I suppose, was that 'other way' - writing songs that reflected my lifestyle." Blackwell said that he had too much time on his hands, and watched a lot of daytime television
Daytime television
Daytime television is the general term for television shows produced that are intended to air during the daytime hours on weekdays. This article is about American daytime television, for information about international daytime television see Daytime television....
. He would "think up stupid incidents with K-list personalities."
He went on to state that the described incident never occurred; "I have never met Fred Titmus, for example, let alone greeted him in such an overfamiliar way."
Cultural impact
The subject of the song was Fred TitmusFred Titmus
Frederick John Titmus MBE was an English cricketer, whose first-class career spanned five decades. Although he was best known for his off spin , he was an accomplished lower-order batsman who deserved to be called an all-rounder, even opening the batting for England on six occasions...
, the former Middlesex and England cricket player. It has been described as "The funniest song ever written about an England and Middlesex cricketer". Other modern tracks about the game include the Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
B-side "Mr Carbohydrate", which is about Matthew Maynard
Matthew Maynard
Matthew Maynard is an English former cricketer. He played in four Tests and fourteen ODIs for England....
, and I-Roy
I-Roy
Roy Samuel Reid better known as I-Roy was a Jamaican DJ who had a very prolific career during the 1970s.-Biography:...
's tribute to Michael Holding
Michael Holding
Michael Anthony Holding is a former West Indian cricketer. One of the fastest bowlers ever to play Test cricket, he was nicknamed 'Whispering Death' by umpires due to his quiet approach to the bowling crease...
.
It has featured in several readers suggestion polls, such as The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper's request for readers to suggest songs about famous people, and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Test Match Special
Test Match Special
Test Match Special is a British radio programme covering professional cricket, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 , Five Live Sports Extra and the internet to the United Kingdom and the rest of the world...
, when listeners were invited to e-mail in their favourite 'cricketing songs'.