"The Dean and I" is a song by the art rock/ pop band 10cc, from their 1973 eponymous debut album, written by

Lol Creme Laurence Neil "Lol" Creme (born 19 September 1947) is an English musician and music video director, best known for his work in 10cc. He sings and plays guitar, bass and keyboards. Biography Creme was born in Prestwich, Lancashire, England. L ...

and

Kevin Godley Kevin Michael Godley (born 7 October 1945) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and music video director. He is known as the singer and drummer of the art rock band 10cc and later as part of collaboration duo Godley & Creme with Lol Creme ...

. The song was released as the fourth single from the album in August 1973 and peaked at #10 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 single reached the top of the Irish Singles Chart on 20 September 1973.

Music and lyrics

The first real lines of the song are ''"Hey, kids, let me tell you how I met your mom. We were dancing and romancing at the senior prom"''. The epic poem '' Paradise Lost'' by John Milton is mentioned in the lyrics: "Now who would have guessed Milton's Paradise Lost could be found." The song has been considered a parody of such

sock hop A sock hop or sox hop, often also called a record hop or just a hop, was an informal sponsored dance event for teenagers in mid-20th-century North America, featuring popular music. History Sock hops were held as early as 1944 by the American J ...

songs as by

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis ma ...

" High School Confidential", with the teenage romance ending in a

midlife crisis A midlife crisis is a transition of identity and self-confidence that can occur in middle-aged individuals, typically 40 to 60 years old. The phenomenon is described as a psychological crisis brought about by events that highlight a person's grow ...

and divorce.

Release

The album version of the song is slightly longer than the single version. Most of the material cut for the single release is from the introduction where the lyric on the album ''"Humdrum days and a humdrum ways"'' is sung repeatedly. The single version of the song can be found on the

compilation Compilation may refer to: *In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler **Compilation error **Compilation unit *Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products *Compilation thesis M ...

'' Greatest Hits ... And More'' (2006) A 1974 performance of the song appears on ''

Don Kirshner's Rock Concert ''Don Kirshner's Rock Concert'' is an American television music variety show that ran during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Don Kirshner and syndicated to television stations, initially through Viacom Enterprises, and later ...

''. The audio portion of a vintage mini-documentary chronicling the recording of the song in the studio was included in the limited edition 10cc box set "Tenology" in 2012. The single released in Germany featured an alternative picture sleeve with the "balloons and bomb" logo which had been used for the album. The B-side "Bee in My Bonnet", by Stewart and Gouldman, was not included on the original album, but was included on the later re-issues of the album.

Personnel

- lead and backing vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Moog synthesizer *

- co-lead and backing vocals, drums, sound effects *

Eric Stewart Eric Michael Stewart (born 20 January 1945) is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer, best known as a founding member of the rock groups the Mindbenders with whom he played from 1963 to 1968, and likewise of 1 ...

- electric lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals *

Graham Gouldman Graham Keith Gouldman (born 10 May 1946) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician, best known as the co-lead singer and bassist of the art rock band 10cc. He has been the band's only constant member since its formation in 1972. Before 10cc ...

- bass, tambourine, backing vocals

References

External links

* * 1973 singles 10cc songs Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Songs written by Kevin Godley Songs written by Lol Creme Mercury Records singles UK Records singles 1973 songs {{1970s-single-stub