Street Life (Roxy Music song)
"Street Life" | ||||
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Air Studios, London | ||||
Genre | Art rock, glam rock | |||
Length | 3:29 | |||
Label | E.G. | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bryan Ferry | |||
Producer(s) | Chris Thomas | |||
Roxy Music singles chronology | ||||
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Video | ||||
"Street Life" live on Musikladen 1974 on YouTube |
"Street Life" is the opening track of English rock band Roxy Music's third album Stranded. Written by lead singer Bryan Ferry, the song is an ode to modern life that features sound effects of street noise alongside dissonant synth noises courtesy of newly recruited member Eddie Jobson. Producer Chris Thomas provides bass on the song.
"Street Life" was released as the first single from Stranded, reaching the top ten in the band's native UK. The song has since seen acclaim from music writers for staking out a new direction for the band and has become a live favorite for the band.
Background
"Street Life" was written by Roxy Music vocalist and frontman Bryan Ferry. Ferry said of the song, "I wanted it to be a high-energy, fun song – buzzy and vibrant – and I hope the words convey some of that joie de vivre. Each verse seems to have its own character, like blocks on a street."[1] He also noted that "connoisseurs might notice the number of allusions to various brands of chocolate," such as Milky Way, After Eight, and Black Magic, in spite of the fact that he "never touched the stuff."[1] Saxophonist Andy Mackay stated that the song "has a great lyric, a real swagger" and recalled, "That was Bryan’s great period for writing. He was the best lyric-writer in Britain for quite a few years. ... The phrases were really coming."[1]
"Street Life" opens with what Ferry describes as "a cacophony of traffic noise, played by
The bass on the song was played by producer Thomas, after regular Roxy bassist John Gustafson was unable to come up with a satisfactory bassline. Manzanera remembered, "We came in one day and Chris Thomas had put the bass on himself, out of sheer frustration. It totally transformed the track. His bass part is fantastic."[1]
Release
Stranded was the band's first album with
The song has since become a fan favorite and has appeared regularly on the band's live setlists. Ferry stated, "'Street Life' became a bit of an anthem for Roxy fans at shows, and seemed to be a cue for them to rush the aisles, showing off their tuxedos and suchlike."[1] The band also performed the song live on Dick Clark's In Concert television show; of the appearance, touring Roxy bassist Sal Maida recollected, "It was an absolute blast to meet Dick Clark, TV royalty, an institution."[2]
Critical reception
AllMusic's Dave Thompson glowingly praised the song, writing, "A little less frantic than some of the band's better early material, with one of their most conventional arrangements, it is the sound of Roxy shedding the brittle skin of their earlier art-attack persona, and acknowledging that they're a great pop group as well. Before 'Street Life,' not many people really appreciated that fact."[3]
Charts
Chart (1975–1976) | Peak position |
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9 | |
West Germany (Official German Charts)[7] | 40 |
Covers
Bassist
The band Def Leppard covered "Street Life" on their album Yeah![9]
Personnel
- Bryan Ferry – vocals, piano
- Andy Mackay – oboe, saxophone, treatments
- Chris Thomas – bass
- Paul Thompson – drums, timpani
- Phil Manzanera – guitar, treatments
- Eddie Jobson – violin, synthesizer, keyboards
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "The Making Of… Roxy Music's 'Street Life'". Uncut. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Kurtz, Warren. "Fabulous Flip Sides – Roxy Music Interview with Sal Maida". Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ Thompson, Dave. "Street Life - Roxy Music | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Allen, Jeremy (25 February 2015). "Roxy Music: 10 of the best". the Guardian. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ Wawzenek, Bryan. "Top 10 Roxy Music Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Roxy Music – Love Is The Drug" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 6 May 2022. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Roxy Music"
- ^ John Taylor's Trust The Process website Archived 22 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/yeah%21-mw0000649176
- ^ "Live 10 August 2006 - Oya Festival, Oslo, Norway". Passions Just Like Mine. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "Morrissey - KROQ interview, 7-6-97 (part 4/4)". www.morrissey-solo.com. Retrieved 6 May 2022.