After sending my former boss (and nemesis) to Coventry in yesterday's post, I figured I'd go there myself today.
Coventry is the 12the largest city in the UK, according to iffypedia, and it was the birthplace of yodeller Frank Ifield ("I remember hi-im!"), Hazel O'Connor, Clint Mansell from PWEI, Julieanne Regan from All About Eve, The Primitives, Paul King, Pete Waterman and Lee Dorrian from Napalm Death. Probably the most famous musical sons of Coventry though are Terry Hall, Jerry Dammers and Neville Staple - The Specials. The Selector also hail from Coventry so there must be ska in the water (a ska spa?).
Oh, and Lady Godiva famously rode through the streets of Coventry NAKED, which proved very exciting to this particular Californian...
Grant Lee Buffalo - Lady Godiva & Me
She rides unclothed through the streets of Coventry
Upon a great cockhorse hair to her knees
I wore a Minotaur's Mask and I played the Moon Cow
I was the last to see her anyhow
...not to mention these Jamaicans...
Boney M - Lady Godiva
She's a lady, Lady Godiva
The hero of Coventry
L-L-Lady Lady Godiva
She rode into history
Beyond that, there's obviously the Coventry Carol. And then, these...
The Men They Couldn't Hang - Going Back To Coventry
Old Gray - Coventry
Van Morrison - Got To Go Where The Love Is
Sent to Coventry feels like hell
This ain't no place to get well
Sent to Coventry once again
Break out of this empty shell
If I were doing this job properly (like Alyson does), I'd now be explaining to you the origins of the phrase "sent to Coventry" rather than just directing you here. Instead, here's someone who can give even Van Morrison a run for his money in the grumpy stakes...
Elvis Costello - Luxembourg
They're smiling sweetly while they're looking daggers
Kick you where it really matters
Send all your friends to Coventry
And look for your name in last night's obituaries
But the winners today are the hometown crew. Although they don't mention their native city by name in their biggest hit, drummer John Bradbury (another Coventry lad) says it's where the inspiration came from...
"When I think about Ghost Town, I think about Coventry. I saw it develop from a boom town, my family doing very well, through to the collapse of the industry and the bottom falling out of family life. Your economy is destroyed and, to me, that's what Ghost Town is about."Still manages to sends shivers down my spine, this, every time I hear it...
Saw The Specials live recently and Ghost Town was a genuine spine-tingling gig moment.
ReplyDeleteJealous.
DeleteGoogled the lyrics and Kanye West was the first one up
ReplyDeleteSacrilege!
What is the world coming to?
Kanye covered the Specials!?!?!
DeleteOur best friends come from Coventry and were just at the right age for Terry Hall & Co. - Also of course at the right age for it all becoming a ghost town which is probably why they left.
ReplyDeleteAs for being sent to Coventry I am none the wiser even after clicking on the link. I was once sent to Coventry in a former workplace, ironically for complaining about the radio being switched on, so it was removed! I couldn't get any work done as it was just too good to listen to instead - No-one talked to me for weeks.
That's just petty.
DeleteCoventry has a very fine Motor Museum. We (myself and Mrs D) had a long weekend in Coventry (why?) - but after the Motor Museum, the Cathedral and the Coventry Museum, we ran out of things to do. A long afternoon was spent wandering around the City Centre Ikea.
ReplyDeleteCoventry also had a particularly daft looking footaball kit in the late 70s - and there away kit was a sh*tty brown colour (apologies, O could think of no other apt descriptionm)
Not many record shops per se, but I do recall a very fine (and well stocked) stall in the Covered Market
I spent a couple of days in Coventry a few years back when I met some friends there to go see Bruce at the Coventry football stadium. I can only assume Bruce's promoters picked the city because it's pretty central. He'd played Manchester the week before but I was working. I found the town pleasant, if uninspiring, but they did at least have a Cafe Nero so it was one step above Barnsley.
Delete