#months later and formed the imaginatively named Hudson Ford). regardless of the internal power struggle‚ the single became far and

[mariocki]

Infinite list of favourite lyrics: 214/?

Strawbs - Part of the Union (1973)

"As a union man, I'm wise

To the lies of the company spies

And I don't get fooled

By the factory rules,

Cos I always read between the lines.

And I always get my way

If I strike for higher pay;

When I show my card

To the Scotland Yard

And this is what I say:

Oh, you don't get me, I'm part of the union..."

#favourite lyrics #strawbs #part of the union #richard hudson #john ford #1973 #bursting at the seams #an outlier from Strawbs' seminal 73 album Bursting at the Seams‚ Union is an unusually uptempo bit of (comparative) froth that is quite #unlike the prog fused folk rock the band were best known for. actually it was never intended as a Strawbs song: writers Hudson and Ford #were exploring a more commercial sound than that favoured by chief Strawbs lyricist Dave Cousins‚ and had recorded a version of the song to #release themselves (as The Brothers). Cousins must have liked it‚ because the song was quickly reworked to incorporate him and squeezed #onto the album (not that it dispelled any working issues between band members; Hudson and Ford left the band acrimoniously a few #months later and formed the imaginatively named Hudson Ford). regardless of the internal power struggle‚ the single became far and #away Strawbs' bestselling song (arguably the band were most successful as an albums band over singles but this was their sole #entry into the UK top 10‚ peaking at 2). it's also had real staying power; actually fairly divisive on first release (embraced by pro union #listeners whilst simultaneously identified as sharp parody by anti union types) it's managed to enter popular culture in a way that #none of the band's more 'serious' music ever managed. Ford and Hudson have gone on the record in later years to confirm that yes #they were being perfectly sincere and celebrating the trade unions‚ but i can't blame some listeners their scepticism (in #particular the line about the narrator's identity card making him feel like a superman‚ which feels a little like a wry dig) #but considering the band's folk roots and the long association between folk and trade unions i suppose it should have been clear #where their sympathies lay. lyrically this is a delight‚ full of simplistic but tight end rhyme and a rousing chorus which helped cement it #in the public consciousness. and happily Ford and Hudson eventually patched it up with Cousins and all played happily together in later #formations of the band. unity indeed.