Lazy Sunday (song)
Encyclopedia
"Lazy Sunday" is a song by English
beat band
Small Faces, reaching number two on the UK singles chart
in 1968 (see 1968 in music
). It was written by the Small Faces songwriting duo Steve Marriott
and Ronnie Lane
, and appeared on the band's 1968 concept album
Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake
and preceded the album as a successful single in spite of being released against the band's wishes.
East End of London
music-hall sound and Marriott wanted the band to be taken seriously. The song was inspired by Marriott’s feuds with his neighbours
and is also noticeable for its distinct vocal changes. Marriott sings large parts of the song in a greatly exaggerated cockney
accent; he did this partly due to an argument he had with The Hollies
, who said that Marriott had never sung in his own accent.
"Lazy Sunday" appears as track six on the album, Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake
, and is the last track on Side A of the vinyl release.
The song was featured in the movie The Boat That Rocked
.
' parents' home on Havering Street in Stepney
, east London and features his next door neighbour pretending to strangle Marriott.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
beat band
Beat music
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...
Small Faces, reaching number two on the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1968 (see 1968 in music
1968 in music
-Events:*January 4 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is jailed by Stockholm police, after trashing a hotel room during a drunken fist fight with bassist Noel Redding.*January 6 – Gibson Guitar Corporation patents its Gibson Flying V electric guitar design....
). It was written by the Small Faces songwriting duo Steve Marriott
Steve Marriott
Stephen Peter Marriott , popularly known as Steve Marriott, was an English musician, songwriter, and frontman of several notable rock and roll bands, spanning over two decades...
and Ronnie Lane
Ronnie Lane
Ronald Frederick "Ronnie" Lane was an English musician, songwriter, and producer who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of two prominent English rock and roll bands; the Small Faces where he was nicknamed "Plonk", – and, after losing the band's frontman, Faces, with two new...
, and appeared on the band's 1968 concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake
Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake
Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake was a successful concept album by the English rock band Small Faces. Released on 24 May 1968 the LP became a number one hit in the UK Album Charts on 29 June where it remained for a total of six weeks....
and preceded the album as a successful single in spite of being released against the band's wishes.
Song information
"Lazy Sunday" has a novel, traditional cockneyCockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
music-hall sound and Marriott wanted the band to be taken seriously. The song was inspired by Marriott’s feuds with his neighbours
Neighbourhood
A neighbourhood or neighborhood is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town or suburb. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members. "Researchers have not agreed on an exact definition...
and is also noticeable for its distinct vocal changes. Marriott sings large parts of the song in a greatly exaggerated cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
accent; he did this partly due to an argument he had with The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
, who said that Marriott had never sung in his own accent.
"Lazy Sunday" appears as track six on the album, Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake
Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake
Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake was a successful concept album by the English rock band Small Faces. Released on 24 May 1968 the LP became a number one hit in the UK Album Charts on 29 June where it remained for a total of six weeks....
, and is the last track on Side A of the vinyl release.
The song was featured in the movie The Boat That Rocked
The Boat That Rocked
The Boat That Rocked is a 2009 British comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis, with pirate radio in the United Kingdom during the 1960s as its setting. The film has an ensemble cast featuring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, and Kenneth Branagh...
.
Music video
The low-budget promotional video for "Lazy Sunday" was filmed at Kenney JonesKenney Jones
Kenneth Thomas "Kenney" Jones is a veteran English rock drummer best known for his work in Small Faces, Faces, and The Who.-Small Faces to the Faces:...
' parents' home on Havering Street in Stepney
Stepney
Stepney is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in London's East End that grew out of a medieval village around St Dunstan's church and the 15th century ribbon development of Mile End Road...
, east London and features his next door neighbour pretending to strangle Marriott.
Covers and inspiration
- It inspired BlurBlur (band)Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
's hit song "ParklifeParklife (song)"Parklife" is the title track from Blur's 1994 album Parklife. When released as the album's third single, "Parklife" reached #10 in the UK singles chart...
" in 1994, which uses the London accent of actor Phil DanielsPhil DanielsPhilip W. "Phil" Daniels is an English actor, most noted for film and television roles as "cockneys" such as Jimmy in Quadrophenia, Richards in Scum, Stewart in The Class of Miss MacMichael, Mark in Meantime, Kevin Wicks in EastEnders, DCS Frank Patterson in New Tricks and Edward Kitchener "Ted"...
narrating throughout the song. - The song was later covered by the Toy DollsToy DollsThe Toy Dolls are an English punk rock band formed in 1979. Departing from the angry lyrics and music often associated with punk rock, The Toy Dolls worked within the aesthetics of punk to express a sense of fun, with songs such as "Yul Brynner Was a Skinhead", "My Girlfriend's Dad's a Vicar" and...
as on their 1995 album OrcastratedOrcastratedOrcastrated is a studio album by the English Punk rock band Toy Dolls, recorded in 1995.-Track listing:All compositions by Michael Algar.# Orcastrated 1:15# Poltergeist In The Pantry 2:46# Please Release Me 3:55...
. - The London based indie rock/garage revival band The LibertinesThe LibertinesThe Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
covered the song in 2003 as part of the soundtrack to British film BlackballBlackball (film)Blackball is a 2003 British comedy sports film, borrowed from the Australian film, Crackerjack about Cliff Starkey , a fictional rebellious young bowls player. His dream is to play for his country, but always preferred to play by his own rules, much to the disapproval of the local bowls club...
. It is also available as part of the Blackball OST album. - LeedsLeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
based indie rock band Kaiser ChiefsKaiser ChiefsKaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....
covered the song on French Radio in 2008 - Jack WildJack WildJack Wild was a British actor who is best remembered for his performances in both stage and screen productions of the Lionel Bart musical Oliver! with Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, and Oliver Reed. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the age of 16 for the role of the...
recorded a version of this song for his first studio album "The Jack Wild Album".