The Mayor of Simpleton

(Partridge)

UK #\#i#/#Mayor of Simpleton#\#/i#/# single cover

UK Mayor of Simpleton single cover

 Recordings
XTCfans interview with Andy Partridge
Art
Lyrics
Chords and Tablature
« Previous Contents Next »

Recordings

  1. Album version, 3'57.
    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 Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in the U.S.A.
    Reached No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S.A.
    Released on Oranges & Lemons.
    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.”
  2. Promotional video (UK version).
    Directed by Nick Jones (as Ian Absentia).
    Edited by John Willis (as Timothy Flicker-Cutt).
    Released on the Blu-ray reissue of Oranges & Lemons on 30 October 2015 in the U.K.
  3. Promotional video (US version).
    Directed by Nick Jones (as Ian Absentia).
    Edited by John Willis (as Timothy Flicker-Cutt).
    Released on the Blu-ray reissue of Oranges & Lemons on 30 October 2015 in the U.K.
  4. Promotional video (Long version).
    Directed by Nick Jones (as Ian Absentia).
    Edited by John Willis (as Timothy Flicker-Cutt).
    Released on the Blu-ray reissue of Oranges & Lemons on 30 October 2015 in the U.K.

  5. Demo version, "REM Producer Enquiry" (First Version of The Mayor Of Simpleton).
    Released on 25 September 2006 on Fuzzy Warbles Volume Eight in the U.K.

    Andy: “I'm in the attic with a mic open, working on some backing vocals to a new tune — it's going to be called ‘The Mayor of Simpleton’. Then there's a rapping on the hatch. This then married and grumpy vocalist finds out that REM have rung him, and for some reason I jump to the conclusion that they need me to produce them??? Which of course they don't. I also decide to approach ‘Mayor’ differently as well.”
  6. Early work tape (Early Version).
    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
  7. 2015 stereo mix.
    Mixed and produced by Steven Wilson from the original multi-track tapes.
    Released on the CD/Blu-ray reissue of Oranges & Lemons on 30 October 2015 in the U.K.
  8. 2015 5.1 mix.
    Mixed and produced by Steven Wilson from the original multi-track tapes.
    Released on the Blu-ray reissue of Oranges & Lemons on 30 October 2015 in the U.K.
  9. 2015 instrumental mix.
    Mixed and produced by Steven Wilson from the original multi-track tapes.
    Released on the Blu-ray reissue of Oranges & Lemons on 30 October 2015 in the U.K.
  10. Work tape/demo version.
    Released on the Blu-ray reissue of Oranges & Lemons on 30 October 2015 in the U.K.
  11. Rough Mix.
    Dave Gregory - guitar
    Andy - guide vocal
    Released on the Blu-ray reissue of Oranges & Lemons on 30 October 2015 in the U.K.

Art

#\#i#/#The Mayor of Simpleton#\#/i#/# promo CD front cover

The Mayor of Simpleton promo CD front cover

 #\#i#/#Mayor of Simpleton#\#/i#/# limited edition 12" single cover

Mayor of Simpleton limited edition 12" single cover

 #\#i#/#Mayor of Simpleton#\#/i#/# single front cover detail

Mayor of Simpleton single front cover detail
#\#i#/#Mayor of Simpleton#\#/i#/# single back cover detail

Mayor of Simpleton single back cover detail

 #\#a href="http://www.majhost.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=2584695" target="churl"#/##\#i#/#Mayor of Simpleton#\#/i#/# USA cassette single cover#\#/a#/#

Mayor of Simpleton USA cassette single cover

 promotional #\#i#/#The Mayor of Simpleton#\#/i#/# counter stand

promotional The Mayor of Simpleton counter stand
sheet music for “The Mayor of Simpleton”

sheet music for “The Mayor of Simpleton”

 label from the Virgin Mexico 7" #\#i#/#El Alcalde de Simpleton#\#/i#/# single

label from the Virgin Mexico 7" El Alcalde de Simpleton single

 Japanese #\#i#/#Mayor of Simpleton#\#/i#/# CD-3

Japanese Mayor of Simpleton CD-3
#\#a href="http://youtu.be/5Da9sc6YDBo" target="churl"#/#“The Mayor of Simpleton” promo video, from Japanese television#\#/a#/#

“The Mayor of Simpleton” promo video, from Japanese television

 autographed promo video for “The Mayor Simpleton” and “History of XTC Puppet Video”

autographed promo video for “The Mayor Simpleton” and “History of XTC Puppet Video”

 #\#i#/#The Little Express#\#/i#/#, Issue 30?, Spring 1990

The Little Express, Issue 30?, Spring 1990

Lyrics

Notes

In the UK and Australia, the traditional and very formal way to say “Please rise”, either for a toast or to recognize important persons entering the room, is “Ladies and Gentlemen, please be upstanding for ...”

  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.

Chords and Tablature

Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2016 16:04:33 -0400
From: "J. D. Mack" <jdmack01 (at) verizon dot net>
Subject: Something for the Chalkhills website
Message-id: <6a2b0d1f-9508-602f-eb91-c715a1d83220 (at) verizon dot net>

Attached is a labor of love I've been working on for the past few weeks. It is bass guitar transcriptions for all of the songs on "Oranges and Lemons" - both notation and tab.

Thanks!

J. D.

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: 1:32 am on May 25, 2004
From: Jeff Truzzi.
Subject: I want bass tabs!


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)
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: 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

Thanks to Joe Turner for posting the music for Mayor of Simpleton.
There are a few changes I'd like to suggest, however:

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...)
« Previous Contents Next »

Go back to XTC Reel by Real.

11 June 2017 / Feedback