"Avenue" is a song by British pop group Saint Etienne, released as the first single from their second album, ''

So Tough ''So Tough'' is the second studio album by British band Saint Etienne, released in 1993. It is their highest-charting album to date, reaching No. 7 on the UK Album Chart. ''So Tough'' is the first Saint Etienne album to feature Sarah Crackn ...

'' (1992), in October 1992. It was originally titled "Lovely Heart" or "Young Heart". The album version is a 7-minute version with lengthy instrumental sequences; it was edited down to around 4 minutes for radio play, though the commercial single contained the full-length version, with the radio edit only released on promotional material. The edit wasn't released commercially until 2005's '' Travel Edition 1990-2005''. The song describes a woman nostalgically remembering a love affair from her youth, mostly through impressionistic and surreal imagery, with the refrain: "oh, how many years / is it now Maurice?". The chorus repeats the words "Young heart". The song is recorded with echo effects that make it sound as though it is being performed in a large hall. The birdsong on the track is sampled from the Pink Floyd track " Cirrus Minor" from the 1969 album ''

More More or Mores may refer to: Computing * MORE (application), outline software for Mac OS * more (command), a shell command * MORE protocol, a routing protocol * Missouri Research and Education Network Music Albums * ''More!'' (album), by Booka S ...

''. "Paper" features guitarist Maurice Deebank of the band

Felt Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood ...

. "Johnny In The Echo Café" is based on a sample from

Forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

's song "Bluebell Dance", from their album Full Circle. The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the single release depicts the band driving to

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

. A remix single was also released, with two remixes each by Gordon King (from

World of Twist World of Twist were an English indie pop band, formed in Sheffield in 1985. History The original line-up of the band consisted of James Fry (vocals), Andrew Hobson (bass guitar), Gordon King (guitar), Tony Ogden (drums), Rory Conolly (saxophon ...

) and Rudy Tambala of

A.R. Kane A.R. Kane (sometimes AR Kane or A.R.Kane) was a British musical duo formed in 1986 by Alex Ayuli and Rudy Tambala. After releasing two early EPs to critical acclaim, the group topped the UK Independent Chart with their debut album '' 69'' (1988 ...

. King's "Variety Club Mix" was later included on the remix collection '' Casino Classics''.

Critical reception

Tim Sendra from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

said "Avenue" is "one of the best

the group The Group may refer to: Film and television * ''The Group'' (Australian TV series), 1971 situation comedy produced by Cash Harmon Television for ATN7 * ''The Group'' (Canadian TV series), 1968–70 music variety on CBC Television * ''The Group ...

ever released". He described it as an "epic

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

built around a pastoral melody, a genius arrangement, and a lovely vocal by Sarah Cracknell." Jim Wirth from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' called it "lush", noting "the wide-eyed love" that goes into producing the song. In his review of the ''

'' album, Peter Stanton from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' stated that the single, with "

You're in a Bad Way "You're in a Bad Way" is a song by British pop group Saint Etienne (band), Saint Etienne, released in February 1993 as the second single from their second album, ''So Tough'' (1993). The song is a deliberately old-fashioned throwback to 1960s pop ...

", are "classic pop beauties".

Track listings

All tracks were written by

Ian Catt Ian Catt is a British record producer and multi-instrumentalist associated with several popular indie groups, including Saint Etienne, with whom he has been a touring member. He has also collaborated with Saint Etienne's vocalist Sarah Cracknell ...

, Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and

Pete Wiggs Peter Stewart Wiggs (born 15 May 1966) is an English musician and DJ from Reigate, Surrey. Saint Etienne Pete Wiggs is a member of the pop/dance group Saint Etienne (alongside Bob Stanley and Sarah Cracknell) for which he co-writes songs, pro ...

except where indicated. * 12-inch – Heavenly / HVN 23-12 (UK), CD (HVN 23CD) and cassette (HVN 23CS) # "Avenue" - 7:35 # "Some Place Else" (Stanley, Wiggs) – 3:46 # "Paper" (Cracknell, Maurice Deebank) – 4:10 # "Johnny in the Echo Café" (Stanley, Wiggs) – 3:59 * 12-inch – Heavenly / HVN 23-12R (UK) and CD (HVN 23CDR) # "Avenue" (Variety club mix) – 6:21 # "Avenue" (Butlins mix) – 5:57 # "Avenue" (Martial mix) – 6:27 # "Avenue" (Venusian mix) – 5:19 * 7-inch – Heavenly/Universal / HVN 23 (Part of box set ''Saint Etienne on 45, Part One'') (2011) # "Avenue" (radio edit) – 3:47 # " Stranger in Paradise" ( Alexander Borodin, Robert Wright, George Forrest) – 3:30

Charts

References

{{Authority control Saint Etienne (band) songs 1992 singles Songs written by Bob Stanley (musician) Songs written by Pete Wiggs Heavenly Recordings singles 1992 songs Songs written by Sarah Cracknell Songs written by Ian Catt