Golden Brown

"Golden Brown" is a song by the English rock band the Stranglers. It was released as a 7" single, on Liberty, in December 1981 in the United States and in January 1982 in the United Kingdom. It was the second single released from the band's sixth album La folie. It peaked at No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart, the band's highest ever placing in that chart.[3]

"Golden Brown"
Single by the Stranglers
from the album La folie
B-side"Love 30"
Released
  • 28 December 1981 (US)
  • 10 January 1982 (UK)
Recorded1981
Genre
Length3:30
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Stranglers singles chronology
"Let Me Introduce You to the Family"
(1981)		 "Golden Brown"
(1981)		 "La Folie"
(1982)
The Stranglers singles chronology
"Always the Sun (Sunny Side Up Mix)"
(1991)		 "Golden Brown"
(1991)		 "Heaven or Hell"
(1992)

In January 2014, NME ranked the song as No. 488 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[4] It has also been recorded by many other artists.

Overview

Originally featured on the group's album La folie, which was released in November 1981, and later on the USA pressings of Feline, "Golden Brown" was released as a single in December 1981, and was accompanied by a video. It reached No. 2 in the official UK Singles Chart in February 1982, remaining there for two weeks behind double A-sided record "Town Called Malice/Precious" by the Jam.[5][6]

David Hamilton, disc jockey on the comparatively conservative BBC Radio 2, which was a middle-of-the-road (MOR) music radio station at that time, made the record his single of the week.

The single was a top 10 hit around the world, including Australia. It was also featured in the film Snatch and is included on its soundtrack album.[1]

Meaning

There has been much controversy surrounding the lyrics. In his book The Stranglers Song By Song (2001), Hugh Cornwell states "'Golden Brown' works on two levels. It's about heroin and also about a girl." Essentially the lyrics describe how "both provided me with pleasurable times."[7]

Musical composition

The main body of the song has a 6/8 feel and is pitched halfway between the keys of E minor and E-flat minor, possibly to accommodate the tuning of the harpsichord. The instrumental introduction, in (a very flat) B minor, is unconventional. The keyboard and harpsichord vamp in 3/4, and in the head every fourth bar is in 4/4. The music was largely written by keyboardist Dave Greenfield and drummer Jet Black, with lyrics by singer/guitarist Hugh Cornwell.[8]

The BBC newsreader Bill Turnbull attempted to waltz to the song in the 2005 series of Strictly Come Dancing. In February 2012, when interviewing Stranglers bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel on BBC Breakfast, Turnbull described the attempted dance as "a disaster", Burnel responded that the alternating time signatures made "Golden Brown" impossible to dance to; in contrast, a song written entirely in 6/8 is not unusual in waltzing.

Music video
Two shots from Golden Brown: the band performing the song in Leighton House and as explorers

The video for "Golden Brown" was directed by Lindsey Clennell.[9] It depicts the band members both as explorers in an Arabian country and non-Arab Muslim countries (sequences include images of the Pyramids as well as the explorers studying a map of Egypt) in the 1920s and performers for a fictional "Radio Cairo".

In addition to the Pyramids, the video is intercut with stock footage of the Mir-i-Arab Madrasah in Bukhara, the Shah Mosque in Isfahan, and Great Sphinx, Feluccas sailing, Bedouins riding and camel racing in the United Arab Emirates. The performance scenes were filmed in the Leighton House Museum in Holland Park, London, which was also used in the filming of the video for "Gold" by Spandau Ballet.[10]

Charts
Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] 10
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 7
France (IFOP)[13] 73
Germany (Official German Charts)[14] 63
Ireland (IRMA)[15] 3
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[16] 8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 10
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[5] 2
Chart (1991)1 Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[15] 25
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[18] 68

1Remix

Chart (2013) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[19] 98

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[20] Gold 500,000^

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

"Number Two" poll

In a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the nation's favourite singles to have peaked at number two, conducted in late 2012, "Golden Brown" ranked fifth behind "Vienna", "Fairytale of New York", "Sit Down" and "American Pie", and just ahead of "Waterloo Sunset" and "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever".[21]

Cover versions

In 1996, British hip hop group Kaleef had a UK Top 40 hit with their re-working of this song.[22] In 1997, soul singer Omar revived the song and took it back into the UK Top 40.[23]

Track listing
  • Songs, lyrics and music by The Stranglers.

7": Liberty / BP 407 (UK)
Side one
  1. "Golden Brown" – 3:22
Side two
  1. "Love 30" – 3:48

1991 7": Epic / 656761 7 (UK)
Side one
  1. "Golden Brown" – 3:29
Side two
  1. "You" – 3:09

1991 cassette single: Epic / 656761 4 (UK)
Both sides
  1. "Golden Brown" – 3:29
  2. "You" – 3:09

1991 CD: Epic / 656761 2 (UK)
  1. "Golden Brown" – 3:31
  2. "Peaches" – 3:08
  3. "You" – 3:59
  4. "Skin Deep (12" Version)" – 7:09
gollark: The UK doesn't really have a coherent negotiating position.
gollark: I assume we'll just be stuck "leaving" for ages because people have *such* unreasonable requirements.
gollark: Yes, it was indeed rather bad.
gollark: As I said, single market/free movement still, if I remember right?
gollark: Probably?

References
  1. Potts, Diana. "Original Soundtrack – Snatch". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  2. McNamee, David (4 January 2010). "Hey, what's that sound: Harpsichord". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  3. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 535. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  4. "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time – 500–401". NME. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  5. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  6. "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 14 February 1982 – 20 February 1982". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  7. Cornwell, Hugh; Drury, Jim (2001). The Stranglers Song By Song. Sanctuary Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-86074-362-5.
  8. "Golden Brown – Song Review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  9. "Lindsey Clennell". British Film Institute. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  10. "Filming and Photo Shoots". Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  11. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  12. "Ultratop.be – The Stranglers – Golden Brown" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  13. "Le Détail par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "Stranglers" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  14. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Stranglers – Golden Brown". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Golden Brown". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  16. "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Stranglers - Golden Brown" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  17. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Stranglers – Golden Brown" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  18. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  19. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  20. "British single certifications – Stranglers – Golden Brown". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 May 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Golden Brown in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  21. "Ultravox's Vienna tops 'number two' poll". BBC Online. 1 January 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  22. "Kaleef". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  23. "Omar". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
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