Old Red Eyes Is Back
| Old Red Eyes Is Back | |
|---|---|
| The Beautiful South | |
| publication | 1992 |
| length | 3:35 |
| Genre (s) | pop |
| Author (s) | Paul Heaton, Dave Rotheray |
| Label | Go! Discs |
| album | 0898 Beautiful South |
Old Red Eyes Is Back is a song written by Paul Heaton and Dave Rotheray by The Beautiful South that originally appeared on the album 0898 Beautiful South . The song reached number 22 on the UK charts.
content
Old Red Eyes Is Back is about "Old Red", a man addicted to alcoholism . The text describes his drinking behavior and the influence of alcohol on his body (He pours another drink and lists to his body thaw) , until his death (Old Red he died ...) . In the chorus his life wasted through alcohol consumption is discussed (all the things I could have done instead) . Alcoholism is a theme used in many of the band's songs, but Old Red Eyes Is Back covers this at the most.
In the music video, Paul Heaton portrays both a sober-looking, neatly dressed man and a drunk-looking, apparently Old Red.
reception
In the German single charts , Old Red Eyes Is Back lasted a total of eleven weeks and reached 51st place as the highest position. In Great Britain the song was only represented in the hit lists for six weeks, but reached 22nd place.
Allmusic's Ned Raggett found the arrangement of orchestra , guitar and vocals for “one of the best moments in the band” and praised the change between quieter and livelier passages. He also finds it remarkable to use a song on such a topic as the lead single for the third album ( 0898 Beautiful South ) and to release it as a single . Nick Butler from sputnikmusic.com even sees the band's best song and Heaton's best lyrics.
In 2013, Old Red Eyes Is Back found its way into the score for The World's End .
Web links
- Lyrics at metrolyrics.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ chartsurfer.de: Chart positions Old Red Eyes Is Back (accessed on November 17, 2013)
- ↑ allmusic.com: Review of Old Red Eyes Is Back (accessed November 17, 2013)
- ↑ sputnikmusic.com: Review of the best-of album "Carry On Up The Charts" (English, August 20, 2005, accessed on November 17, 2013)