Respectable Street

XTC

About Respectable Street

"Respectable Street" is a song written by Andy Partridge of XTC, released as the opening track on their 1980 album Black Sea. According to Partridge, the song is about English streets and "the hypocrisy of living in a so-called respectable neighborhood. It's all talk behind twitching curtains. It's all Alan Bennett land." Discounting the Canada-only "Love at First Sight", it was the fourth and last single issued from the LP. BBC Radio banned the song because of its references to abortion and a "Sony Entertainment Centre".  


Year:
1980
3:37
189 
#2

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Heard the neighbor slam his car door 
Don't he realize this is respectable street 
What d'you think he bought that car for 
'Cause he realize this is respectable street 

Now they talk about absorption 
In cosmopolitan proportions to their daughters 
As they speak of child prevention 
And immaculate receptions on their portable 
Sony entertainment centers

Heard the neighbor slam his car door 
Don't he realize this is respectable street 
What d'you think he bought that car for 
Don't he realize this is respectable street 

Now she speaks about diseases 
And which proposition pleases best her old man 
Avon lady fills the creases 
When she manages to squeeze in past the caravans 
That never move from their front gardens

Heard the neighbor slam his car door 
Don't he realize this is respectable street 
What d'you think he bought that car for 
Don't he realize this is respectable street 

It's in the order of their hedgerows 
It's in the way their curtains open and close 
It's in the look they give you down their nose 
All part of decency's jigsaw I suppose 

Sunday church and they look fetching 
Saturday night saw him stretching over our fence 
Bang the wall for me to turn down 
I can see them with their stern frown 
As they dispense the kind of look that says 
They're perfect

Heard my neighbor slam his car door 
Don't he realize this is respectable street 
What d'you think he bought that car for 
Don't he realize this is respectable street 
He realize this is respectable street 
He realize this is respectable street 
He realize this is respectable street

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XTC

XTC was a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1977 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" (1979) and "Senses Working Overtime" (1982), but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical (rather than commercial) success. more »

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Written by: PARTRIDGE

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


11 facts about this song

Release Information
"Respectable Street" was released in March 1981 as the fourth and final single of the band's album "Black Sea".
Song Production
Steve Lillywhite produced the track along with the rest of the "Black Sea" album with the band.
Lyrics Theme
The lyrics of "Respectable Street" are a satire of middle-class values and suburban life.
Radio Version Edits
For radio play the song was slightly edited; words like "abortion" and "contraception" were left out of the version played on BBC Radio 1.
Music Video
The promotional video for the song features XTC playing in a suburban house, emphasizing the song's theme.
Live Performances
"Respectable Street" was often used as a concert opener during XTC's live performances until they stopped touring in 1982.
Songwriting
The song was written by the band's frontman Andy Partridge.
Album Version
Although "Respectable Street" was released as a single, the album version of the song is slightly longer in duration than the single version.
Covered Versions
The song was later covered by other bands, including the Australian band "Things of Stone and Wood" in 1995.
Reissue and Remaster
It was reissued and remastered as part of the "Black Sea" album's definitive edition released by Ape House in 2017.
Music Style
"Respectable Street" showcased XTC's unique style of punk-inspired new wave music.

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