The Dean and I
Encyclopedia
"The Dean and I" is a song by the art rock
/pop
band 10cc
, from their 1973 eponymous debut album
, written by Kevin Godley
and Lol Creme
. The song was released as the third single from the album in August 1973 and peaked at #10 on the UK Singles Chart
, making it the lowest of the singles from the album which charted in their own right. The single reached the top of the Irish Singles Chart
on 20 September 1973.
The album version of the song is slightly longer than the single version. Most of the material cut for the single release is from the introduction where the lyric on the album "Humdrum days and a humdrum ways" is sung repeatedly. The single version of the song can be found on the compilation
Greatest Hits ... And More
(2006)
The song is written from the perspective of an American
father telling his children about how he met and fell in love with their mother, with the first real line of the song being "Hey, kids, let me tell you how I met your mom. We were dancing and romancing at the senior prom". The epic poem Paradise Lost
by John Milton
is mentioned in the lyrics. The later part of the lyric tackles the grim realities of middle-aged married life "...when the paint is peeling, and all the chips are down..."
The song is a parody of 1960s commercial pop music, notably of the Beach Boys where the line "And then I kissed her" is sung in a style similar to the band's 1967 hit single "Then I Kissed Her". High School Confidential by Jerry Lee Lewis was said to be an inspiration for part of this song.
A notable 1974 performance of the song appears on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
.
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
/pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band 10cc
10cc
10cc are an English art rock band who achieved their greatest commercial success in the 1970s. The band initially consisted of four musicians -- Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, and Lol Creme -- who had written and recorded together for some three years, before assuming the "10cc" name...
, from their 1973 eponymous debut album
10cc (album)
10cc is the debut album by British rock band 10cc. It was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, which was part-owned by guitarist and engineer Eric Stewart, and released on Jonathan King's UK Records label. The album reached No.36 in the UK....
, written by Kevin Godley
Kevin Godley
Kevin Godley is a British musician and music video director.He was born in a family of Jewish descent, and went to North Cestrian Grammar School in Altrincham....
and Lol Creme
Lol Crème
Lol Creme is an English musician and music video director, best known for his work in 10cc. He sings, plays guitar and keyboards.-Biography:...
. The song was released as the third single from the album in August 1973 and peaked at #10 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 ...
, making it the lowest of the singles from the album which charted in their own right. The single reached the top of the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
on 20 September 1973.
The album version of the song is slightly longer than the single version. Most of the material cut for the single release is from the introduction where the lyric on the album "Humdrum days and a humdrum ways" is sung repeatedly. The single version of the song can be found on the compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Greatest Hits ... And More
Greatest Hits ... And More
Greatest Hits ... And More is the name of a 2006 compilation of songs by English pop group 10cc as well as pre-10cc and post-10cc work by its founding members, Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart and Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, performing as Godley & Creme...
(2006)
The song is written from the perspective of an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
father telling his children about how he met and fell in love with their mother, with the first real line of the song being "Hey, kids, let me tell you how I met your mom. We were dancing and romancing at the senior prom". The epic poem Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
by John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
is mentioned in the lyrics. The later part of the lyric tackles the grim realities of middle-aged married life "...when the paint is peeling, and all the chips are down..."
The song is a parody of 1960s commercial pop music, notably of the Beach Boys where the line "And then I kissed her" is sung in a style similar to the band's 1967 hit single "Then I Kissed Her". High School Confidential by Jerry Lee Lewis was said to be an inspiration for part of this song.
A notable 1974 performance of the song appears on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
Don Kirshner's Rock Concert is a television music variety show that ran during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Don Kirshner and syndicated to television stations...
.