I’ve lived or spent long periods of time in many cities in the world. From Liverpool and Manchester as a young man to Madrid and Berlin as I grew. Before moving to Stockholm for a few years, I lived in Sydney and later New York. I have been lucky to enjoy Amsterdam, San Francisco and Los Angeles as a musician in the studio, spending many months getting to know these cities. Over the years (in the seventies and the late nineties) I lived in different parts of London, mainly in the West – Ealing, North Acton, West Kensington and Ladbroke Grove, with a stint in Finchley in the North of the city.
Perhaps city-living is by definition a difficult slog – high rents, a constant pressure to earn, an uphill battle that traps you in a vicious circle that has you so focussed on the job of survival that your aspirations, your dreams, are swept aside, pushed out of reach as all your waking hours are spent treading water, your imagination drowning, your ideas lost in the rush hour.
Piccadilly Circus In The Rain addresses the struggle and questions the romantic notion of London as a cultural melting pot – music, galleries, nightlife, history, energy, red double decker buses, unarmed friendly Bobbies, the cover of Abbey Road and the Queen. Singling out this city is purely coincidental but in truth, for most people with artistic tendencies “London brings you to your knees”.
“Piccadilly Circus In The Rain is a breath of fresh air with just the right mix of upbeat instrumentation and an attractive tandem of male and female vocals. Gentle, mellifluous guitar lines are whisked about by a brisk drum beat, while Willson-Piper’s sweetly soft and fluid vocals offer up a bittersweet portrait of Londontown. He’s echoed at times by airy female vocal accompaniment and bright brass notes, and always lifted up by a light dance of piano keys. The track is superb and stands up to anything ever released by The Church or All About Eve.” (The Big Takeover)
Credits
Marty Willson-Piper – lead vocal, electric lead and rhythm guitars, bass, swedish cittra
Dare Mason – keyboards, backing vocals
Olivia Willson-Piper – backing vocals
Richard Evans – trumpet
Steve Jackson – drums
Written and produced by Marty Willson-Piper & Dare Mason
Lyrics by Marty Willson-Piper
Recorded and mixed by Dare Mason at the VIP Lounge, Penzance, England
Mastered by Poppy Weinberger for Riverfish Mastering
Design by Olivia Willson-Piper & Lizzie Tucker
Lyrics
It’s getting darker here
And the bus it never comes
And when it does there’s always two
And in the park nearby
A mother scolds her son
The child cries but love is true
Autumn tints the leaves
Your collar hides your neck
A swelling cloud stuck in the sky
There’s no creative work
Amongst the swarming bees
As you struggle to survive
Piccadilly Circus in the rain
Ealing Common, Acton Lane
Ten million mortals in a squeeze
London brings you to your knees
Up with the lark they say
The traffic’s getting thick
But petrol drove the birds away
The fumes inside your lungs
It’s enough to make you sick
Your landlord takes all of your pay
Piccadilly Circus in the rain
Ladbroke Grove to Chancery Lane
Weary faces, blank and cold
Getting tired, getting old
Piccadilly Circus in the rain
Ealing Common, Acton Lane
Ten million mortals in a squeeze
London brings you to your knees
[Schoolkids Records 2019]