Harman Patil (Editor)

There She Goes

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Format
  
7" single, CD single

Length
  
2:31

Genre
  
Jangle pop

B-side
  
"Come In, Come Out" "Who Knows" "Man I'm Only Human" "All by Myself"

Released
  
31 October 1988 22 October 1990 (re-issue) 20 September 1999 (2nd re-issue) 31 March 2008 (3rd re-issue)

Recorded
  
1988 Woodcray Studios, Wokingham

"There She Goes" is a song by English rock band The La's and written by the band's frontman Lee Mavers.

Contents

In May 2007, the NME magazine placed the song at number 45 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.

Lyrics and meaning

Structurally, the song is very simple and contains no verses, only a single chorus repeated four times and a bridge.

"There She Goes" has gained a reputation for being about the use of heroin, possibly as a result of the lines: "There she goes again... racing through my brain... pulsing through my vein... no one else can heal my pain". Several newspapers ran articles about The La's and their apparent ode to heroin. When asked about the rumour in 1995, the group's bassist John Power replied: "I don't know. Truth is, I don't wanna know. Drugs and madness go hand in hand. People who you've known all your life... they're steady, then they're not. But you can't ponder, 'cause it kills you, la." However, in the book In Search of The La's: A Secret Liverpool (2003) by MW Macefield, ex-La's guitarist Paul Hemmings denied the rumour and added: "Jeremy Fisher, you don't know what you are talking about."

Release and reception

The first version of the song, produced by Bob Andrews, was released by The La's in 1988, and again on 2 January 1989, but failed to chart. Andrews' production of the song was remixed by Steve Lillywhite in 1990 for inclusion on their debut album The La's. This remixed version was issued as a single on 22 October 1990 and hit number 13 in the UK Singles Chart (and later hit number 49 in the US). It was the biggest success The La's were ever to enjoy.

In May 2007, NME magazine placed "There She Goes" at number 45 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever. In 2008, it was also re-released as a vinyl single for its 20th anniversary.

Music video

There are two music videos for this song. The video, released in 1988 and directed by Jeff Baynes, was recorded on a camcorder, shot in the English countryside and in the band's home town of Liverpool. It shows the band performing in an alleyway and on a hill, as well as footage from their concerts. The band are also seen in a park. The video ends with a shot of the drum logo.

The second music video, released in 1990, was shot in Los Angeles, California, it shows the band performing in a street and a town with footage of a young woman in the video. They are also shown performing with city buildings behind them: one revealed to be the U.S. Bank Tower. The lead guitarist, Peter Camell and drummer Neil Mavers are revealed as the two new members. The video ends with a shot of the woman's face.

It has appeared on several film soundtracks, including The Parent Trap; Fever Pitch; Girl, Interrupted; Cold Case, and So I Married an Axe Murderer (where both the original and The Boo Radleys version appear). It also opens the "Pilot" episode of Gilmore Girls.

The song was also used for the opening montage of the first episode of Channel 4's drama series This Is England '90 which also featured Margaret Thatcher's resignation speech.

Formats and track listings

  • All songs written by L.A. Mavers.

    • Personnel

    The La's
  • Lee Mavers – guitar, vocals
  • John Power – bass, backing vocals
  • John "Boo" Byrne – guitar
  • Chris Sharrock – drums
  • Barry Sutton – guitar (on "All by Myself")
  • Paul Hemmings – guitar (on "Way Out")
  • John "Timmo" Timson – drums (on "Way Out")
  • Peter "Cammy" Camell – guitar (on "Man I'm Only Human" and "There She Goes" John Leckie version)
  • Iain Templeton – drums (on "Man I'm Only Human" and "There She Goes" John Leckie version)
    • Production
  • Bob Andrews – producer
  • Dave Charles – engineer
  • Jeremy Allom – engineer, producer (on "All by Myself")
  • Mike Haas – engineer (on "All by Myself")
  • Steve Lillywhite – producer, mixing (on "Freedom Song"), remixing (on "There She Goes" 1990 version)
  • Mark Wallis – additional producer, engineer (on "Freedom Song")
    • Other personnel
  • Ryan Art – design

    • Sixpence None the Richer version

    Sixpence None the Richer released a cover version of the song in 1999 as the second single from their self-titled album, Sixpence None the Richer. The band's rendition of the song reached no. 14 on the UK Singles Chart, the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top 10 of Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart.

    Track listing

    1. "There She Goes" – 2:42
    2. "There She Goes" (Ben Grosse mix) – 2:42
    3. "Kiss Me" (acoustic version) – 3:12

    Other cover versions

  • The Boo Radleys recorded a version used in the soundtrack to So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993).
  • Superconductor, a Canadian indie rock band featuring A.C. Newman, covered the song on the compilation "Teriyaki Asthma IX" (1993).
  • Robbie Williams included the song as a B-side to "No Regrets" (1998).
  • The V-Roys performed it on their live LP Are You Through Yet? (2000).
  • Limited Express (Has Gone?) released a version on the B-side of their 功夫少 single (2003).
  • The Wombats included the song as a B-side to "Kill the Director" (2008).
  • You Am I performed the song on their "Let's Be Dreadful" tour (2008).
  • The Paraguayan soft rock band, The Generation included an acoustic cover of the song on their EP, Box Of Memories (2014).
  • Kevin Montgomery includes the song on the album, True (2007).
  • Beat Crusaders includes the song on Musicrusaders (2005).
  • The song "She Never Came Back" by College has the line "There She Goes", sung in the same way as The La's.

    • References

    There She Goes Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA