The Mayor of Simpleton
(Partridge)
UK Mayor of Simpleton single cover |
Recordings Art Lyrics Chords and Tablature |
(Partridge)
|
UK Mayor of Simpleton single cover |
Recordings Art Lyrics Chords and Tablature |
Album version, 3'57.
Released on Oranges & Lemons.
Released on 16 January 1989 as a single in the U.K.
Reached No. 46 on the U.K. singles chart.
Reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Reached No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Andy: “This went through a lot of different changes before we finally hit on the Byrdsy approach.” Dave: “It was a whole new experience for us making this record. We spent five months in Hollywood. Lots of fun.”
Andy: “This started out as a reggae thing, sad and forlorn. Then I scrapped that and rewrote it and hit on this chiming, droning musical figure. It fitted better the lyrical idea that you don't need vast academics to be a feeling individual. Emotion is worth more than bits of paper.”
Promotional video.
Directed by Nick Jones (as Ian Absentia).
Edited by John Willis (as Timothy Flicker-Cutt).
Two or more slightly different versions of this video were cut.
Not commercially released.
Early work tape.
Recorded in the attic of Andy Partridge's current house, Swindon, in late
1985.
Engineered by Andy Partridge.
Released on 25 March 2002 on Coat of
Many Cupboards in the U.K.
Andy Partridge - All instruments and Vocals
The Mayor of Simpleton promo CD front cover |
Mayor of Simpleton limited edition 12" single cover |
Mayor of Simpleton single front cover detail |
Mayor of Simpleton single back cover detail |
promotional The Mayor of Simpleton counter stand |
sheet music for “The Mayor of Simpleton” |
label from the Virgin Mexico 7" El Alcalde de Simpleton single |
Japanese Mayor of Simpleton CD-3 |
“The Mayor of Simpleton” promo video, from Japanese television |
The Little Express, Issue 30?, Spring 1990 |
Never been near a university, never took a paper or a learned degree, and some of your friends think that's stupid of me, but it's nothing that I care about.
Well I don't know how to tell the weight of the sun, and of mathematics well I want none, and I may be the Mayor of Simpleton, but I know one things and that's I love you. When their logic grows cold and all thinking gets done, you'll be warm in the arms of the Mayor of Simpleton.
I can't have been there when brains were handed round (please be upstanding for the Mayor of Simpleton), or get past the cover of your books profound (please be upstanding for the Mayor of Simpleton), and some of your friends thinks it's really unsound that you're ever seen talking to me.
Well I don't know how to write a big hit song, and all crossword puzzles well I just shun, and I may be the Mayor of Simpleton, but I know one thing and that's I love you.
I'm not proud of the fact that I never learned much, just feel I should say, what you get is all real, I can't put on an act, it takes brains to do that anyway. (And anyway...)
And I can't unravel riddles problems and puns, how the home computer has me on the run, and I may be the Mayor of Simpleton, but I know one thing and that's I love you (I love you).
If depth of feeling is a currency (please be upstanding for the Mayor of Simpleton), then I'm the man who grew the money tree (no chain of office and no hope of getting one), some of your friends are too brainy to see that they're paupers and that's how they'll stay.
Well I don't know how many pounds make up a ton of all the Nobel prizes that I've never won, and I may be the Mayor of Simpleton, but I know one things and that's I love you. When all logic grows cold and all thinking gets done, you'll be warm in the arms of the Mayor of Simpleton. You'll be warm in the arms of the Mayor of Simpleton. You'll be warm in the arms of the Mayor. (Please be upstanding for the Mayor of Simpleton.)
© 1989 Virgin Music (Publishers) Ltd.
Date: Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:05:24 -0700 (PDT) From: Paul Kuzmanovski <paulkuzman (at) yahoo dot com> Subject: Bass Notation for the Chalkhills website Message-ID: <389042.56405.qm (at) web65416 dot mail dot ac4 dot yahoo dot com>
Hi, My name is Paul and i am enclosing my interpretation of the bassline for Mayor of Simpleton. It is in PDF format and i hope you can put it on the website. If this is ok,I will be sending a new bass chart every week as i feel more bassists should be aware of the incredible style that is Colin Moulding's. I hope PDF is compatible with the website and let me know if it works out. Thanks and Cheers to XTC. -Paul Kuz
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 00:25:57 -0500
From: Tim <tnevak2 (at) gl dot umbc dot edu>
Message-ID: <34CD6FE5.42DF (at) gl dot umbc dot edu>
Organization: Sonic Kinesia Recording
Subject: Bass Tab for "Mayor of Simpleton"
Here is the Bass tab for "The Mayor of Simpleton"
--
This TAB transcription was created using TAB MASTER version 1.0
If you enjoy using this program, please consider telling the author
about it: Ofir Zwebner, e-mail: ofirz1 (at) ccsg dot tau dot ac dot il
snail-mail: Ehoud 10, Tel Aviv, 69936, Israel
This program is freeware, but it took me some work to make it, so
your financial contribution is welcome.
--
XTC -- "The Mayor of Simpleton" Bass Transcription
Tabbed by Tim Nevaker: tnevak2 (at) gl dot umbc dot edu
Verse:
G:--------------------------|--------------------------||
D:--5--4--------------------|-----5--4--5--------2--0--||
A:--------2--3--5--3--2-----|--------------2--3--------||
E:-----------------------5--|--3-----------------------||
1: Never been near a university...
2: I can't have been there when brains were handed round...
3: If depth of feeling is a currency...
G:-----------------------|-----------------------|--5---4---2-------|
D:-----------------------|-----------------------|--------------5---|
A:-----------------------|-----------------------|------------------|
E:--3------3--3--3----3--|--5------5--5--5----5--|------------------|
G:------------------||
D:--4---2-----------||
A:----------5---4---||
E:------------------||
1: And some of your friends think that's stupid of me...
2: And some of your friends think it's really unsound...
3: Some of your friends are too brainy too see...
Chorus:
G:-------------------2-----|-------------------------|
D:-------2--------4-----5--|-------------------2--0--|
A:--3-------3--5-----------|-------2--------3--------|
E:-------------------------|----3-----3--5-----------|
G:-------------------2-----|------------------------||
D:-------2--------4-----5--|------------------------||
A:--3-------3--5-----------|-------2--------3--5----||
E:-------------------------|----3-----3--5----------||
1: Well I don't know how to tell the weight of the sun...
2: Well I don't know how to write a big hit song...
3: And I can't unravel riddles problems and puns...
4: Well I don't know how many pounds make up a ton...
G:------------------------|------------------------|
D:------------------------|------------------------|
A:----------------2----5--|----------------2----5--|
E:--3--3----3--3----------|--4--4----4--4----------|
G:--------------------------|--------------------------||
D:--------------------2--2--|--0--0--------------------||
A:--------2--2--3--3--------|--------3--3--2--2--0--0--||
E:--5--5--------------------|--------------------------||
1,2,3,4: And I may be the mayor the simpleton...
G:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
D:------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
A:------------------------|------------------------|--3--3----3--5--5----5--|
E:--0--0----0--2--2----2--|--3--3----3--5--5----5--|------------------------|
G:------------------------|-------------2--2----2--|--7---5---4-------|
D:--2--2----2--4--4----4--|--5--5----5-------------|--------------7---|
A:------------------------|------------------------|------------------|
E:------------------------|------------------------|------------------|
G:------------------------|---------------||
D:--5---------------------|---------------||
A:-------0--2--3--2--0----|---------------||
E:------------------------|--3--------3\--||
1,3: When their logic grows cold and all thinking gets done...
Bridge:
G:------------------------|------------------------|---------------------|
D:------------------------|------------------------|---------------------|
A:------------------------|------------------------|--2------2--------2--|
E:--0--0----0--2--2----2--|--3--3----3--5--5----5--|---------------------|
G:-------4----------------|------------------|--7---5-4-----------------|
D:-----------7-5---4------|------------------|------------7-5---4-------|
A:--7----------------7----|------------------|--------------------7---5-|
E:------------------------|--3------3--------|--------------------------|
G:------------------|-------------------|--------------------------|
D:------------------|-------------------|--------------------2--2--|
A:--2------2--------|-------------------|--0--0--2--2--3--3--------|
E:------------------|--0------0--0------|--------------------------|
G:------------------------|------------------------||
D:--0--0----0-------------|------------------------||
A:-------------3--3----3--|--2--2----2--0--0----0--||
E:------------------------|------------------------||
2: I'm not proud of the fact that I never learned much...
Coda:
G:------------------------|------------------|------------------------|
D:-------2--5-------2--5--|------------------|------------------------|
A:--3----------3----------|--5---3---2-------|-------0--2--3--2--0----|
E:------------------------|--------------5---|--3---------------------|
Repeat to end:
G:----------------|------------------------||---------------------|
D:----------------|-------2--5-------2--5--||--7------5------4----|
A:----------------|--3----------3----------||---------------------|
E:--3-------------|------------------------||---------------------|
2/4
G:---------------------|------------------|---------------------|----------||
D:---------------------|------------------|---------------------|----------||
A:----7------5------3--|-----------3---5--|----3----------------|----------||
E:---------------------|------5-----------|-----------5------3--|----2-----||
Date: 9 Jun 89 00:01:00 EDT
From: "Joe Turner" <turnerj (at) gw2 dot hanscom dot af dot mil>
Subject: RE: Chalkhills #31
Date: Tue, 13 Jun 89 10:22:32 EDT
From: glickman%hustat (at) harvard dot harvard dot edu (Mark Glickman)
Subject: corrections of Mayor of Simpleton chords
The C-arpeggio ("C-a"). Play the strings as A-D-G-D once.
E||---|---|---|---|---|---
A||---|---|---|-*-|---|--- X
D||---|---|-*-|---|---|--- X
G||---|---|---|---|---|--- X
B||---|---|---|---|---|---
E||---|---|---|---|---|---
The D-arpeggio ("D-a"). Play the strings as A-D-G-D once.
E||---|---|---|---|---|---
A||---|---|---|---|---|-*- X
D||---|---|---|---|-*-|--- X
G||---|---|---|---|---|--- X
B||---|---|---|---|---|---
E||---|---|---|---|---|---
C-a D-a C-a D-a C-a D-a
Never been near a university
C-a D-a C-a D-a C-a D-a
Never took a paper or a learned degree
G A7
Now some of your friends think that's stupid of me
C D
But it's nothing that I care about
C D G A/G
And I don't know how many pounds make up a ton
C D G A/G
Of all the Nobel prizes that I've never won
G E7
And I may be the Mayor of Simpleton but I
Am D
Know one thing and that's I
C-a D-a C-a D-a
Love you...
C-a D-a C-a D-a
When their logic grows cold and all thinking gets done
C-a D-a C D G C G
You'll be warm in the arms of the Mayor of Simpleton...
Bm Em
I'm not proud of the fact that I never learned much
G
Just feel I should say
Bm Em
What you get is all real, I can't put on an act
Am7 D C/D
It takes brains to do that anyway...
B/D A/D
And anyway...
Date: Sun, 11 Jun 89 19:11:09 CDT
From: GJJ5315 (at) star dot tamu dot edu
Subject: Upstanding corrections for the Mayor of Simpleton
Well, The Mayor of Simpleton is wrong (no offense to the guy who transcribed
it) but it gives an indication of the fussiness that can ensue if this whole
project goes too far.
(By the way did you notice that this song is in G)
the I love you..logic get cold...gets done strain is more in the essence of
Em D/F# G Am C D Em D/F# G Am D C Bm D/A G C G.
Things can get pretty picky if you want it right. It IS (in the words
of a Stereo Review review) and "textbook perfect pop tune"...just as
Andy intended. :-)
The Mayor of Simpleton
--- ----- -- ---------
C-a D-a C-a D-a C-a D-a
Never been near a university,
C-a D-a C-a D-a C-a D-a
never took a paper or a learned degree,
G A7
and some of your friends think that's stupid of me,
C D
but it's nothing that I care about.
C D G G/A
Well I don't know how to tell the weight of the sun, and of
C D G G/A
mathematics well I want none, and I
G E/G#
may be the Mayor of Simpleton,
Am Am7 D C Bm D7/A
but I know one things and that's I
c-a D-a etc.
love you.
When their logic grows cold and all thinking gets done,
C-a D-a D C G/B D/A G C G
you'll be warm in the arms of the Mayor of Sim ple ton.
Bm Em
I'm not proud of the fact that I never learned much,
G
just feel I should say,
Bm Em
what you get is all real, I can't put on an act,
Am7 D C
it takes brains to do that anyway.
Bm D7/A
(And anyway...)
From: Jeff Truzzi.
Subject: I want bass tabs!
Date: 1:32 am on May 25, 2004
THE MAYOR OF SIMPLETON (intro/verses) by Andy Partridge
Copyright 1989 Virgin Music Ltd.
Bass line as arranged and recorded by Colin Moulding
Transcribed for the XTC forum by Jeff Truzzi
G--0-------------------------------0------0--------------
D-----4--------0----------------------4--------------2--0
A--------2--3-----3--2--0-------------------2--3--------
E-------------------------------3------------------------
(notes) G F# B C D C B A G G F# G B C E D
(chords) C---------D(add4)------C-------------D(add4)
Go back to XTC Reel by Real.
25 November 2006 / Feedback