Mayor of Simpleton

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"Mayor of Simpleton"
XTC
from the album Oranges & Lemons
B-side"One of the Millions"
ReleasedJanuary 1989
GenreJangle pop[1]
Length
  • 3:58
  • 2:47 (early version)
XTC
singles chronology
"You're a Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You Red Barrel)"
(1987) 		"Mayor of Simpleton"
(1989) 		"King for a Day"
(1989)
Audio sample
  • YouTube

"Mayor of Simpleton" is a song written by

Alternative Songs chart, and No. 15 on its Mainstream Rock chart,[2] becoming the band's best-performing single in the United States.[3]

Background

The song began as a

kick drum. Once these components were settled, guitars and a scratch vocal were also recorded.[5] The guitar track that appeared on the final recording was from a twelve-string guitar played by Dave Gregory.[4] Pat Mastelotto, who played drums on the track, recalled that considerable attention was placed on the snare drum tone. Components of the snare drum track were achieved by recording the release of the instrument with a Shure SM57 and loading the sound into an Akai sampler. The device's Warp feature was used to bend the sound of the snare drum sample.[5]

On the waveform that was created, there was no attack – it was all ring. I didn't even catch the front of the sample – and Andy loved it so much that it turned out to be almost on the entire record. We'd painstakingly tune the snare drum to the pitch, and then get this sample to the pitch, and then we'd lock 'em in together. That's on a lot of the songs. I know it's on "Mayor" and on "King for a Day".

— Pat Mastelotto[5]

Partridge settled on its final arrangement after discovering a C major to D major picking pattern that he thought resembled Blue Öyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (1976). Unlike many other XTC songs, he instructed a specific bass part to Colin Moulding, who replaced the sequenced bass pattern that was previously recorded.[4]

J.S. Bach mode of each note being the perfect counterpoint to where the chords are and where the melody is. The bass is the third part in the puzzle."[4]

While the band was conducting overdubs, Moulding presented a new bass part for the song's coda. This part was a relatively late addition to the song and was integrated after the live drums were recorded.[5] Partridge said that he received criticism for the song's similarity to Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World" (1960), but Partridge denied copying the song intentionally. He said that the lyrics were partially autobiographical and related to his waning interest in school as a teenager.[4]

Charts

Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[6] 89
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] 42
UK Singles (OCC)[8]
 46
US Billboard Hot 100[9] 72
US
Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)[10]
 15
US
Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[11]
 1

See also

  • List of Billboard number-one alternative singles of the 1980s

References

  1. ^ "Oranges & Lemons - Geffon". CMJ New Music Report. 164. 24 February 1989.
  2. ^ "Billboard > Artists / XTC > Chart History > Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  3. ^ Raggett, Ned. "The Mayor of Simpleton". AllMusic.
  4. ^ a b c d e Bernhardt, Todd (7 January 2007). "Andy discusses 'Mayor of Simpleton'". Chalkhills.
  5. ^ a b c d e Bernhardt, Todd; Mastelotto, Pat (6 June 2010). "Pat Mastelotto remembers "Oranges and Lemons"". Chalkhills. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  6. ^ "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 12 September 2016". Retrieved 17 September 2016 – via Imgur.
  7. ^ RPM Top Singles - April 17, 1989, p. 6 RPM magazine
  8. ^ "XTC: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. 20 May 1989. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard. 29 April 1989. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. 1 April 1989. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
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