Who Did It Better? There She Goes

Who Did It Better?

There She Goes

Today's Who Did It Better selection is a song which had to be released by its originators three times as a single before finding its full audience. It's also a song which stirred up a bit of controversy in the press, despite repeated denials by the band members. It also serves as a great example of how a truly great pop song never goes out of style and can find new life and additional sales years after its debut.

There She Goes is a song by Lee Mavers, leader of the English rock band the La's. The song is rather unique in that it contains no verses, only a single chorus which is repeated four times adorned with a bridge or C-section.

Exactly what the song is about has been a matter discussed greatly and not without a bit of controversy.  At the time of its debut, several newspaper articles appeared accusing the song of glorifying the use of heroin, singling out the lyrics: "There she goes again... racing through my brain... pulsing through my vein... no one else can heal my pain". 

When asked about the rumor in 1995, the group's bassist John Power replied: "I don't know. Truth is, I don't wanna know." And the song's writer, Mavers, has also emphatically denied that the song is about heroin.

The La's original recording of the song went through a series of three production changes. The first version was produced by Bob Andrews and was released as a single in 1988, but failed to chart. Then, on January 2, 1989 the song was re-released. The 1989 release peaked at #59 in the UK. Dissatisfied with that showing, as the band readied the release of their debut album in 1990, Andrews' production of the song was remixed by Steve Lillywhite.  This remixed version was issued as a single on October 22, 1990 and managed to reach #13 on the UK Singles Chart. In addition the song hit #8 in the Netherlands, #18 in Ireland, #40 in Belgium, and #49 in the US.

The band's guitarist John Byrne said of the song, "I thought it would be big, a lot bigger than it was, but then forgotten like a lot of pop songs."

He couldn't have been more wrong.

In 2007, the song made NME's 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever, coming in at #45. The band's self-titled debut album was named of The 40 Greatest One-Album Wonders by Rolling Stone magazine, stating: stating, "Whether about heroin or just unrequited love, the La's single There She Goes off their self-titled debut has endured as a founding piece of Britpop's foundation." The song was also included on NME's 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time, landing at #22.

The editorial boards of magazines are not the only one's to sing the song's praises.

On NPR's All Songs Considered, musician Ben Gibbard selected There She Goes as his pick for the "perfect song". Gibbard observed that the song: "...defines the perfectly written pop song: an instantaneously recognizable melody and lyric set to simple, economic musical structure. It is such a simple song that it boggles the mind that someone hadn't already written it." In December of 2021, Oasis's Noel Gallagher named the song his favorite of the 1990's.

In 1993, the song was included on the soundtrack for the Mike Meyer's film, I Married An Axe Murderer - twice, in two different version: the original version and a new recording by The Boo Radley's, a British group also part of the Britpop movement. The Boo Radley's version was released as a single... in the Philippians only.

Then, in 1997, American Christian alternative rock band Sixpence None the Richer included a version of the song on their third studio album, simply titled Sixpence None the Richer. Following the success of their breakout international hit Kiss Me, There She Goes was released in July of 1999 as the second single from the album. It reached #32 on Billboard's Hot 100 and also landed at #2 in Iceland, #12 in Canada, #14 in the UK and #17 in New Zealand.

And that's the whole story.

Now? On to the competition!

The Song: There She Goes

The Competitors: The La's vs. The Boo Radley's vs. Sixpence None The Richer

There She Goes - The La's

There She Goes - The Boo Radleys

There She Goes - Sixpence None The Richer

The La's

Big jangly electric guitar intro. I'm feeling very Merseybeats, a great era thanks to Herman's Hermits. And the rhythm section kicks in, giving it a fuller sound. Love the rhythm guitar filling it all in and driving it. What a long intro.

The voice. Hmm. Equal parts fey - which was very much in fitting with the traditional Merseybeat movement - and snotty, which is what this (then) new pseudo movement had to bring to the table. Punk and New Wave had made it an acceptable commercial ingredient; salty with the sweet. 

The backing vocals barely register, but are quite on point. 

Elongated instrumental break leading into... what. A sort of dream sequence take. Everything drops out for a couplet and it sounds dreamy and druggy accompanied by a hollow bell tone keyboard. 

Oh, I don't care for their Nirvana-like pretension. This is sort of a nothing song. And while I enjoy the salty with the sweet, it seems they've done the most they could modulating between the two with little more to bring to the table. In the end - something borrowed, something blue. Pop music is a bit like cooking... the basic ingredients have been long discovered, now it's all about construction and combinations. Wish these lads had more to bring to the table.

Quite honestly, snotty bores me quickly if its not wrapped up with wit, so - since the song has so little to offer as far as variety - that attitude wears me thin, as do all such bratty posers.

It wraps up in less than three minutes, so... that's good. But also trying to make much of very little, in my humble opinion.

The Boo Radleys

Oh, rather harking back a bit with those horns. Actually a nice touch. Not for pop rock purists, unless that happens to be part of the Mersey beats era you enjoyed. I like the trumpet. 

Full band kicks in. I like how the vocals are melded in place with the band, though just enough on top. The operate like a unit. Nice firm, full sound and the vocalist is very mellow and easily digestible. 

Love what the rhythm section is doing. This is kick ass. And the hand claps are super fun. The plucked guitar takes center... it's a nice break. Something odd about the timing, but I like it. And then a fuzz guitar... huh. Well, it certainly adds variety. 

Weird radio broadcast dropout. Brief. Odd, but interesting. Works, I guess. Then we kick in again before quickly dissolving into a bit of grunge-inspired introspection. 

Then we kick back into the fun stuff and repeat the same phrase until we hit the 2:18 mark. 

Sixpence None The Richer

Jangly acoustic guitar intro with a bit of descending electric, nice mix. 

Airy/fairy vocals. Manic pixie girls were the vogue, in film and music, and this one fits the bill. Backed with the acoustic rhythm guitar, it's fine. Her vocal affectations are a bit annoying, but then, so was the whole pixie girls thing. And the electric guitar revs up and takes into full swing/full band mode. 

It's very sweet, as is the instrumental break. Everything as expected. Sounded great on the radio. It bores me a bit - too much by-the-numbers. Of course, that is the danger of being the third version of the same song one has to sit through. I think if the song had more to offer maybe I'd feel differently? 

Huh. Do none of the fellas sing? She backs herself up with the counter echo. Meh. This is so homogenized, makes me long for the first version. There is something incredibly soul-less about this. 

Kudos for bringing in a cello for the dream sequence. Getting out of it is a bit unsettling and not exactly musically sound. But then, that's a bit welcome given the blandness of what preceded it. 

And... back into the bland expand. 

I guess she's a charming vocalist. 

Weird bits of dissonance beneath those last three lines. Again... why? To break up the bland. 

Meh.

The Verdict

Kudos to The Boo Radleys for recognizing there's not a lot going on with this song and cutting it short at 2:18. The others overstay their welcome with little to substantiate the studio time. 

Pretty clear about The La's version: snotty without wit annoys and wears out its welcome quickly. I like the cleanliness of there version and a bit of an edge is fine, but I don't see how they justify what they've done post-dream sequence. It feels like a bit of posturing, writing an attitude check the song simply can't cash. 

Sixpence None The Wiser is lovely, but terribly boring. Hermetically sealed and a bit of a dry hump, to be honest. It's like cheap white wine - sweet, simpering and fairly tasteless. 

The Boo Radley's do the most with the very little they have to work with. I like the horn section intro and the hand claps are a brilliant touch. Overall, they have a very cohesive sound, very warm. The group keeps things interesting just long enough to make it to the 2:18 mark, which is about all this song has to offer.

So they take this for me. 

That said. I never want to hear this song again.

This song is a bit like a commercial jingle. 

And those? Those never get old, right?

--- ---

And that's enough of me.

Okay, your turn! You know what to do. Leave your choice and thoughts in the comments section. I always appreciate a different point of view.

And that's all for now.

Until next time...

Thanks for reading... and listening!

There She Goes - The La's

 

There She Goes - Sixpence None The Richer