Swingin Party Explained

Swingin Party
Artist:The Replacements
Album:Tim
Published:1985
Producer:Tommy Ramone

"Swingin Party" is a song written by Paul Westerberg and recorded by his band The Replacements for their fourth studio album Tim (1985). The song is an indie rock and rock and roll ballad with influences from jazz, country and new wave. Lyrically, it portrays the protagonist's "feigned nonchalance". It was well received by music critics, who praised Westerberg's songwriting talent. The song has been covered by other artists, notably Kindness in 2009 and Lorde in 2013.

Composition

"Swingin Party" was written by Paul Westerberg and produced by Tommy Ramone, and was recorded by The Replacements. It is an indie rock and rock and roll ballad with influences from jazz, country and new wave.[1] [2] [3] It features staccato chords instrumented by electric guitar. Paul Westerberg was inspired to write the song after listening to a live bootleg of Buffalo Springfield’s “Flying on the Ground is Wrong” (1966) on a communal Walkman.[4] According to Bill Janovitz from AllMusic, the song climbs scales in a way reminiscent of "Somethin' Stupid" (1967) by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra.[2] The lyrics are introspective, and portray the protagonist's "feigned nonchalance".[1]

Writing for Spin, editor J.D. opined that the song's theme is "literary reflections" as Westerberg sings, "Quittin' school and goin' to work and never goin' fishin'".[5] According to Tim Holmes of Rolling Stone, the song's theme is that "life is a lilting series of ultimately empty, but nonetheless compulsory, soirees",[6] while Robert Hilburn from the Los Angeles Times wrote that the song is "about loneliness and youthful insecurity".[7] In an interview for the Los Angeles Times, Westerberg said: "One of the reasons we used to drink so much is that it was scary going up on stage. That's one of the things 'Swingin' Party' is all about on the album ... how it is a little frightening to put yourself on display all the time."[8]

Critical reception

"Swingin Party" received positive reviews from music critics, most of whom praised Westerberg's songwriting credits for the track. PopMatters' Michael Keefe lauded Westerberg's songwriting ability on "Swingin Party".[9] Craig Rosen writing for Billboard opined that the song showcased Westerberg's "capable" songwriting for the band.[10] In a separate journal for the same publication, Braoley Bambarger named "Swingin Party" a "bittersweeet" ballad that "won the hearts of a generation of college radio fans".[11] Craig Marks from Spin shared that the song's line "Bring your own lampshade/ Somewhere there's a party" is the third best lyric written by Westerberg for The Replacements.[12] Tim Nelson from BBC Music selected "Swingin Party" as one of the outstanding tracks from Tim.[13]

Other versions

Popland version

In 2000, Singaporean power pop band Popland covered "Swingin Party" for the tribute album Left of the Dial: A Pop Tribute to The Replacements.[14]

The Weakerthans version

Canadian band The Weakerthans performed "Swingin Party" at the 2005 Winnipeg Folk Festival.[15] American musician Annie Hayden included a cover on her 2005 album, The Enemy of Love. British musician Kindness released a house rendition of "Swingin Party" as his first single in 2009, which was later used for the soundtrack of the 2015 drama film Paper Towns. It was released as a 7-inch vinyl via Moshi Moshi Records, with an original song "Gee Up" as the B-side.[16] It was included on his debut studio album World, You Need a Change of Mind (2012).[17] A music video comprising clips from educational films and travel videos was released in August 2009.[18]

Lorde version

New Zealand singer Lorde covered "Swingin Party" as the B-side to her second single, "Tennis Court" (2013).[19] It was also included on Tennis Court EP and later on the US iTunes Store version of The Love Club EP (2013).[20] Lorde's cover of "Swingin Party" entered the New Zealand Singles Chart on June 17, 2013 at number ten, and dropped off the chart the following week.[21] A live rendition was included on her EP Live in Concert.[22] In December 2013, the cover was included in Lorde's extended edition of her debut studio album Pure Heroine.[23] Brittany Spanos from The Village Voice praised the cover and wrote that it helps Lorde express her "rich voice in all its glory".[24]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: She's 16, but Not Thinking of Sweet. The New York Times. October 2, 2013. Jon. Pareles. June 4, 2013. Jon Pareles. October 5, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131005202307/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/02/arts/music/shes-16-but-not-thinking-of-sweet.html?_r=0. live.
  2. Web site: [{{allMusic|id=mt0011899664|class=song|pure_url=yes}} Swingin Party – The Replacements ]. Bill . Janovitz . . June 5, 2014.
  3. Web site: The Replacements: Tim . . Mark . Richardson . September 26, 2008 . November 17, 2013 . March 11, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150311210800/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12266-tim-pleased-to-meet-me-dont-tell-a-soul-all-shook-down/ . live .
  4. Book: Mehr, Bob. Bob Mehr. 2016. Trouble Boys The True Story of the Replacements . Hachette Books. 9780306822032.
  5. 100 Greatest Albums: 1985-2005, No. 32: Tim. Spin. 81. July 2005. 21. 7 . 0886-3032.
  6. The Replacements: Tim . . Tim . Holmes . November 21, 1985 . June 5, 2014 . February 24, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140224033928/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/tim-19851121 . live .
  7. News: Welcome Ripples On Still Pop Waters . Robert . Hilburn . Robert Hilburn . . November 30, 1985 . June 7, 2014 . July 15, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140715012041/http://articles.latimes.com/1985-11-30/entertainment/ca-9669_1_pop-music . live .
  8. News: Replacements Lose An Old Attitude . January 5, 1986 . Robert . Hilburn . . June 7, 2014 . July 14, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714232415/http://articles.latimes.com/1986-01-05/entertainment/ca-24483_1_palace-show . live .
  9. Web site: Pleased to Meet 'Em: The Replacements' Sire Years . September 25, 2008 . . Michael . Keefe . November 17, 2013 . October 9, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131009031733/http://www.popmatters.com/feature/pleased-to-meet-em/ . live .
  10. Paul Westerberg's 'Eventually' Is Right Now. Billboard. Craig. Rosen. 14. March 16, 1996. 108. 11 . 0006-2510.
  11. The Modern Age. Braoley. Bambarger. Billboard. 89. June 1, 1996. 118. 22 . 0006-2510.
  12. Platter du Joir. Spin. Craig. Marks. 77. July 1993. 9. 4 . 0886-3032.
  13. Web site: Review of The Replacements  - Tim. 2007. BBC Music. Tim. Nelson. June 5, 2014. September 25, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150925113706/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/jqw6. live.
  14. Global Music Pulse. Billboard. Philip. Cheah. July 1, 2000. 49. 112. 27 . 0006-2510.
  15. News: Winnipeg's Novillero getting noticed, finally: Yet retro popsters' Dave Berthiaume says years of waiting has helped band mature musically . Sandra . Sperounes . . G4 . August 12, 2005.
  16. Web site: [{{allMusic|id=mr0001860697 |pure_url=yes |class=album/release}} Swingin Party – Kindness ]. AllMusic . April 27, 2014.
    News: Kindness: this man should have a Phd in pop . Ruth . Saxelby . . September 21, 2012 . December 3, 2013 . December 5, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131205024556/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/sep/21/kindness-adam-bainbridge . live .
  17. Web site: Tim . Sendra . [{{allMusic|class=album|id=mw0002293927|pure_url=yes}} World, You Need a Change of Mind – Kindness ]. AllMusic . December 3, 2012.
  18. Web site: Kindness: "Swinging Party" (Replacements cover). August 17, 2009. April 27, 2014. Pitchfork Media. April 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140427023621/http://pitchfork.com/forkcast/13268-swinging-party-replacements-cover/. live.
  19. Web site: Tennis Court – Single . iTunes Store (Apple) . New Zealand . November 17, 2013 . October 9, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131009010239/https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/tennis-court-single/id657273441 . live .
  20. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20131104065204/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-love-club-ep/id716919443. The Love Club EP. United States. iTunes Store (Apple). November 4, 2013.
    Web site: Tennis Court – EP . iTunes Store (Apple) . Belgium . January 12, 2014 . June 2, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140602102034/https://itunes.apple.com/be/album/tennis-court-ep/id657273465 . live .
  21. Web site: Lorde: Swingin' Party . charts.nz (Hung Medien) . November 17, 2013 . April 6, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170406140400/http://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Lorde&titel=Swingin%27+Party&cat=s . live .
  22. Hört "Lorde – Live In Concert" auf Spotify . November 6, 2013 . German . . https://web.archive.org/web/20131117021108/http://www.universal-music.de/lorde/news/detail/article:225329/hoert-lorde-live-in-concert-auf-spotify . November 17, 2013 . live.
  23. Web site: Pure Heroine (Extended). United States. iTunes Store (Apple). May 28, 2014. October 12, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141012223829/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/pure-heroine-extended/id773618496. live.
  24. Web site: Lorde  - Webster Hall. The Village Voice. October 1, 2013. May 27, 2014. Brittany. Spanos. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140527215141/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2013/10/lorde_-_webster.php. May 27, 2014. mdy-all.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Swingin Party".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.