Razzmatazz (song)
Encyclopedia
"Razzmatazz" is a song by British rock group Pulp
. It was their final single for Gift Records and received much critical acclaim. It was released independently of an album, although it appeared as a bonus track at the end of the US version of His 'n' Hers
.
All the tracks on the single were re-released within eight months by Island Records
on their Intro compilation.
", clear signs of depression which gets so bad that her mother wants to have her committed. By the time the narrator bumps into her at the doctors waiting for "a test", she is going to parties and leaving alone. The song's chorus points out that everything has changed for the girl; she is no longer desirable to men, and her old tricks don't work anymore.
, its chorus warning that there are much better ways to spend her time that hanging around and going with boys. In "Inside Susan" she is in her later teens, and the song is a spoken-word account of her thoughts as she travels on a bus (including recollections of a party where she got drunk on cider). Finally "59 Lyndhurst Grove" finds Susan the second wife of an architect "somewhere in South London
," cheating on him with a lover and living a monotonous conventional life. It also recalls a party, though one much more reserved with friends and children.
Pulp (band)
Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
. It was their final single for Gift Records and received much critical acclaim. It was released independently of an album, although it appeared as a bonus track at the end of the US version of His 'n' Hers
His 'n' Hers
His 'n' Hers is the fourth studio album by Pulp and is commonly cited as the band's breakthrough album, reaching #9 in the UK charts. In 1998, Q magazine readers voted it the 70th greatest album of all time. A "deluxe edition" of His 'n' Hers was released on 11 September 2006. It contained a second...
.
All the tracks on the single were re-released within eight months by Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
on their Intro compilation.
Razzmatazz
The lyrics of "Razzmatazz" are written from the perspective of an angry narrator who has been dumped by his very cocksure girlfriend. The girl believes that all that's needed is a "little bit of razzmatazz" in the months after the song's narrator leaves her. However, the narrator relates that within three weeks she has put on weight and started to date a man who looks like "some bad comedian". She has stopped going out all the time, instead preferring to sit in and watch television eating "boxes of Milk TrayMilk Tray
Milk Tray is brand of boxed chocolates currently manufactured by Cadbury. Introduced by Cadbury UK in 1915, it is one of the longest running brands in the confectioner's portfolio. Milk Tray is sold in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom.The name 'Tray' derived from...
", clear signs of depression which gets so bad that her mother wants to have her committed. By the time the narrator bumps into her at the doctors waiting for "a test", she is going to parties and leaving alone. The song's chorus points out that everything has changed for the girl; she is no longer desirable to men, and her old tricks don't work anymore.
B-sides
The single's three B-sides are a three-part storytelling the life of a woman named Susan. "Stacks" deals with her early adolescence in RotherhamRotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, its chorus warning that there are much better ways to spend her time that hanging around and going with boys. In "Inside Susan" she is in her later teens, and the song is a spoken-word account of her thoughts as she travels on a bus (including recollections of a party where she got drunk on cider). Finally "59 Lyndhurst Grove" finds Susan the second wife of an architect "somewhere in South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
," cheating on him with a lover and living a monotonous conventional life. It also recalls a party, though one much more reserved with friends and children.
Track listing
- "Razzmatazz" - 3:39
- "Stacks" - 2:42
- "Inside Susan" - 5:35
- "59 Lyndhurst Grove" - 3:33
- "Stacks" did not appear on the 7" release.
Sleeve notes
- "I played these songs to Susan the other day - she just laughed and said I was being spiteful because she wouldn't sleep with me when we first met. She also said to tell you that she's perfectly happy where she is at the moment, thank you very much."