SUSSEX MISCELLANY
HANGOVERS IN HARMONIES ith COVID-19’s effects rolling over into the new
W
Wainwright. In the latter, Wainwright was not referring to
year, and our new variant (shouldn’t it be
causes of a hangover, but his cravings during one when living
technically called COVID-20?) still wreaking havoc,
in the infamous Chelsea Hotel in New York City. Songfacts
we are experiencing what could be called a 2020 hangover.
explains that “after a long night out, [Wainwright] woke up
Normally at least a hangover is associated with enjoyment
in the afternoon bleary and thirsty. He decided he must have
the night before but that isn’t the case with 2020, so I
chocolate milk, so went to a store, bought some, gulped it all
thought we’d look at the normal type of hangover that
down, and felt sick to his stomach. Then he smoked a
many of us would have normally recently experienced at this
cigarette, which made him feel even worse. Fully aware of
time of year. Therefore, I thought this month I’d delve into
the symbolism, Wainwright was able to see himself
how many singers and bands were regretting in the past
objectively and write an honest song about it.” Wainwright
overdoing things in the events of the night before. Who
more recently wrote a later song about hangovers during a
knows? Perhaps songwriters feeling terrible might cheer us
period of addiction called Early Morning Madness in 2020.
all up. So let’s start with the most apt name for a band writing
Much earlier in the 70s, Do You Feel Like We Do [sic] by guitar rocker Peter Frampton asks listeners if they too were
about hangovers, which must be British band Blur. Lead
hungover. The song came about as Frampton went to
singer Damon Albarn wrote a song about finding a positive
rehearsal incredibly hungover, strumming some chords he was
direction ahead despite feeling the effects of a depressed
playing the night before on his acoustic guitar. His band liked
and drunken Christmas back in December 1992. Website
the tune and asked Frampton to create lyrics for it, to which
Songfacts explains how at that point, Blur were at their
his response was, "I can't, I have a really bad hangover." The
lowest point following disappointing sales of their first album
result was that bandmates told him to just write about that,
and a recent disastrous live performance. They had failed to
and so he did. If you too are suffering the effects of a
hit the big time yet with the album Parklife, were heavily in
hangover and are musically unable to benefit from it, then
debt and on the verge of being dropped by their label.
why not banish the feeling with a song by Florence and The
Perhaps even more depressingly, Albarn was spending
Machine? According to the NME, singer-songwriter Florence
Christmas with his parents and getting himself thoroughly
Welch said of her song Shake It Out, “when you've got a
drunk. His father woke up on Christmas morning to hear his
hangover, it is almost like a hangover cure.”
son tinkering on the piano, producing what became one of
As Frank Sinatra once said, “I feel sorry for people that
their early hits: Bad Head. Guardian journalist and writer John
don't drink, because when they wake up in the morning, that
Harris wrote in the book The Last Party of the song:
is the best they are going to feel all day.” It might not be
"Somewhere from behind a hangover, its lyrics wound the
much, but with the new year not starting off as well as we’d
existentialist notion of nausea around a panoramic picture of
hoped, perhaps we can take Frank’s words and know we all
London that managed to be both beautiful and unsettling.”
too before too long will feel better soon. Perhaps not within
During a gig at unusual music venue the East Anglian Railway
a day, but hopefully not too far into 2021.
Museum, Albarn announced that Bad Head, from the album
For zoom or (eventually) group Sussex talks and motorised
Parklife was also "about hangovers." He added: "Not that we
tours, please call All-Inclusive History on 07504 863867 or
want to encourage that kind of behaviour."
email info@allinclusivehistory.org. Other tours, talks and
He didn’t need to encourage other musicians to excess as
events are available including ‘Spooky Worthing, ‘Brilliant
many seemed to be regretting overindulgence all on their
Brighton’, ‘Super Sussex’ and ‘Scrumptious Sussex’. Kevin’s next
own. Better In The Morning by Little Boots back in 2015 was
book, ‘Celebrating Brighton and Hove’ can be pre-ordered
about her hangover as was Champagne Problem by Nick
from www.waterstones.com/book/celebrating-brighton-and-
Jonas in 2016, and Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk by Rufus
hove/kevin-newman/9781398100206 for £15.99
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021
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