"Going Down to Liverpool" is a song written by

Kimberley Rew Kimberley Charles Rew (born 3 December 1951) is an English rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as a member of Katrina and the Waves from 1981 to 1999 and of Robyn Hitchcock's Soft Boys from 1978 to 1981. Two of his better-kn ...

for his group

Katrina and the Waves Katrina and the Waves were a British rock band widely known for the 1985 hit " Walking on Sunshine". They also won the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Love Shine a Light". History Pre-history (1975–1980) The band's earliest inc ...

, although best remembered for a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

done by

the Bangles The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including "Manic Monday" (1986), "Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), " Hazy Shade ...

Background

The song was first released on the band's 1982 EP ''

Shock Horror! ''Shock Horror!'' is a mini-album and the first release by new wave band Katrina and the Waves, released in 1983 by Aftermath Records. The album was originally credited to the Waves and released only in the UK, later reissued for the fir ...

'' (with the band then simply named The Waves) and also included on their 1983 debut album '' Walking on Sunshine'', which was only released in Canada. The version included on both releases featured Rew on lead vocals. When the band signed with major label

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

, the song was re-recorded with

Katrina Leskanich Katrina Elizabeth Leskanich ( ; born April 10, 1960) is an American musician and the former lead singer of the pop rock band Katrina and the Waves. Their song " Walking on Sunshine" was an international hit in 1985. In 1997, the band won the ...

on lead vocals and included on their 1985 self-titled album. Although never released as a single, it was featured as the B-side of two of the band's singles, "Plastic Man" and their breakthrough hit " Walking on Sunshine".

The Bangles version

American band

covered the song on their 1984 major label debut album '' All Over the Place''. The song features lead vocals by

Debbi Peterson Deborah Mary Peterson (born August 22, 1961) is an American musician and the drummer of the band The Bangles. She sang lead vocals on two of the band's released singles, "Going Down to Liverpool" (1984) and " Be with You" (1989). She is the you ...

and it was released as the album's second single, one of only two singles with Peterson on lead vocals, the other being "

Be with You Be with You may refer to: Film and TV * ''Be with You'' (2004 film), a Japanese romantic fantasy film * ''Be with You'' (2018 film), a South Korean film * ''Be with You'' (TV series), a 2015 Taiwanese television series Music * ''Be with You'' ...

". The song had been introduced by a friend to

Vicki Peterson Victoria Anne Theresa Peterson Cowsill (born January 11, 1958) is an American rock musician and songwriter. She has been the lead guitarist for the Bangles since their foundation in 1981. After their first disbandment in 1989, she has returned ...

, who immediately liked it and urged the band to record a cover. The single failed to chart in the U.S., and became a minor UK hit in April 1985, peaking at No. 79. The single's B-side was the album track "Dover Beach", and the 12" single featured three songs from their '' Bangles EP'' on the B-side. When the band found success with their subsequent album ''

Different Light ''Different Light'' is the second studio album by American pop rock band the Bangles, released in January 1986. The album's Top 40 sound was a departure from their earlier 1960s-style rock'n'roll sound. It is their most successful album, reachin ...

'', "Going Down to Liverpool" was re-released as a single in the UK and Ireland in 1986 after the release of "

If She Knew What She Wants "If She Knew What She Wants" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Jules Shear and introduced on his 1985 album ''The Eternal Return''. The Bangles recorded the song for their 1986 album '' Different Light''. That version, a call-and-re ...

", with new cover artwork and featuring the ''Different Light'' album track "Let It Go". This time the single fared better but still only became a minor hit, peaking at No. 56, while it became a top 40 hit in Ireland peaking at No. 21.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by

Tamar Simon Hoffs Tamar Simon Hoffs (née Tamar Ruth Simon; October 23, 1934) is an American filmmaker, best known for directing the indie films ''Red Roses and Petrol'' (2003) and ''Pound of Flesh'' (2009), both starring Malcolm McDowell. Life and career Hoffs w ...

, the mother of Bangles member

Susanna Hoffs Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is an American singer and guitarist, best known as a co-founder of the pop-rock band The Bangles. Hoffs founded The Bangles (originally called the Bangs) in 1981 with Debbi and Vicki Peterson. They re ...

. The video features the band inside a car being driven around by a chauffeur, who appears to be unimpressed by the group (at one point he turns off the car radio, stopping the song). The car stops inside a tunnel and the girls walk towards the end of it, which cuts to the band playing and dancing over a red background. After the girls leave the car, the chauffeur ends up tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy (; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, famed for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, then ...

played the part of the chauffeur; this came about due to Nimoy being a friend of Tamar and Susanna's family. The video entered rotation on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

in mid-October 1984.

Charts

References

{{authority control 1982 songs 1984 singles 1986 singles Katrina and the Waves songs The Bangles songs Columbia Records singles Songs written by Kimberley Rew Song recordings produced by David Kahne Songs about Liverpool