"The Disappointed" (also typeset as "The Diſappointed") is a song written by

Andy Partridge Andrew John Partridge (born 11 November 1953) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who founded the rock music, rock band XTC. He and Colin Moulding each acted as a songwriter and frontman for XTC, with Partridge writi ...

of the English rock band

XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in ...

and released as the lead single from their 1992 album, '' Nonsuch''. According to Partridge: the lyrics are about people who have been turned down romantically and come together to form an organisation "of the disappointed." It was originally inspired by Argentina's

Mothers of the Disappeared "Mothers of the Disappeared" is a song by Irish rock music, rock band U2. It is the eleventh and final track on their 1987 album ''The Joshua Tree''. The song was inspired by lead singer Bono's experiences in Nicaragua and El Salvador in July ...

. The music video was directed by a relative of

Ranulph Fiennes Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet (born 7 March 1944), commonly known as Sir Ranulph Fiennes () and sometimes as Ran Fiennes, is a British explorer, writer and poet, who holds several endurance records. Fiennes served in the ...

. A home demo of the song was later released on ''

Coat of Many Cupboards ''Coat of Many Cupboards'' is a box set by English rock band XTC, released in 2002. It acts as an anthology of their 15 years on Virgin Records. It is their first compilation of any kind to include tracks by their alter-ego, the Dukes of Strato ...

'' (2002).

Reception

Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". Along wit ...

says the song, "could just as easily have acted as a personal epitaph." The Rough Guide describes the song as, "soaringly melodic."Buckley, Jonathan; Ellingham, Mark; Lewis, Justin; Furmanovsky, Jill; eds. (1996). ''Rock: The Rough Guide'', unknown page. Rough Guides. . The single reached 33 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 ...

, No. 32 on the Australian

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

, and No. 68 on the Dutch

Single Top 100 The Dutch Single Top 100 or Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales, legal downloads and since July 2013 streaming and composed by Dutch Charts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Du ...

. In 1993, the song was nominated for an

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...

.Rachel, Daniel (2014). ''The Art of Noise: Conversations with Great Songwriters'', p.203. St. Martin's Press. .Larkin, Colin; ed. (1995). ''The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music

ol. 6 OL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Orphaned Land, an Israeli progressive metal band * Old Lace (comics) a telepathically linked dinosaur hero Businesses and organizations * OLT Express Germany (IATA code: OL), a scheduled and charter air ...

Threepenny Opera-Z.Z. Top'', p.. Guinness Publishing. . See also: and .

Charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Disappointed, The 1992 singles 1992 songs Song recordings produced by Gus Dudgeon Songs written by Andy Partridge Virgin Records singles XTC songs