"Hey! Luciani" is a song by British post-punk band the Fall, written by

Mark E. Smith Mark Edward Smith (5 March 1957 – 24 January 2018) was an English singer, who was the lead singer, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group the Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistols gig at the ...

with his then-wife

Brix Smith Brix Smith (born Laura Elisse Salenger) is an American singer and guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist and a major songwriter for the English post-punk band The Fall during two stints in the band (1983-1989, and 1994-1996). Acknowledging ...

and longstanding band member Steve Hanley. Released in December 1986, the record reached number 59 on the

UK singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, the band's first original song to make the top 75 of the chart. The song was written as part of Smith's play, '' Hey! Luciani: The Life and Codex of John Paul I'', concerning

conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...

about the 1978 death of

the Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

(born Albino Luciani), which was performed for two weeks in London and starred

Leigh Bowery Leigh Bowery (26 March 1961 – 31 December 1994) was an Australian performance artist, club promoter, and fashion designer. Bowery was known for his flamboyant and outlandish costumes and makeup as well as his (sometimes controversial) perform ...

Recording

The song was performed on record by the band comprising Mark E Smith (vocals), Brix Smith (guitar, keyboards),

Craig Scanlon Craig Antony Scanlon (born 7 December 1960 in Manchester) is an English guitarist, best known as a member of the Fall between 1979 and 1995. Despite his surname being spelled 'Scanlon' he was wrongly credited as 'Craig Scanlan' on every record h ...

(guitar), Steve Hanley (bass),

Simon Rogers Simon Rogers is an English musician, record producer and composer who has been a member of The Fall, and The Lightning Seeds. Biography In 1976, Rogers entered the Royal College of Music, London, later becoming an associate (ARCM) and winni ...

(bass, guitar, keyboards), and

Simon Wolstencroft Simon John Wolstencroft (born 19 January 1963 in Altrincham, Cheshire) is an English rock drummer, best known for playing with The Fall from 1986 to 1997. He also played with early incarnations of The Smiths and The Stone Roses. His highly pra ...

(drums). The record was produced by

Ian Broudie Ian Zachary Broudie (born 4 August 1958) is an English musician and singer-songwriter from Liverpool. After emerging from the post-punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to produce albums (somet ...

. "The Fall Tracks A-Z: Hey! Luciani"
Retrieved 5 February 2018 It was described by Ned Raggett at

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 ...

as "initially strange in its bright warmth, but tturns out to be a perfect little pop winner while not compromising what was core about the group.... It might have seemed a long way from the Fall's beginnings, but it was still Smith's show all the way, even with Brix adding some sparkling backing vocals at the end." Song review by Ned Raggett, ''Allmusic.com''
Retrieved 5 February 2018 "Hey! Luciani" was the second Fall record (and their first original song) to make the top 75 of the UK singles chart, following their version of The Other Half's "Mr. Pharmacist" earlier in 1986. The song was included on several Fall compilation albums including the 2004 album '' 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong''.

References

{{authority control The Fall (band) songs 1986 singles 1986 songs Beggars Banquet Records singles Songs written by Brix Smith Songs written by Mark E. Smith Songs about popes Cultural depictions of Pope John Paul I