"There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" is a song by British singer-songwriter

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He ...

, which was released as the lead single from her debut studio album '' Desperate Character''. The song was written by MacColl and

Philip Rambow Philip Rambow (born August 1949) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and guitarist, who fronted The Winkies, had a solo career, and worked with Brian Eno, Mick Ronson, and Kirsty MacColl among others. Biography Born in Montreal, he studied at McGil ...

, and produced by Barry Farmer. It reached No. 14 in 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 ...

and remained in the charts for nine weeks. In the US, the song's British chip shop reference was changed to

truck stop A truck stop, known as a service station in the United Kingdom, and a travel center by major chains in the United States, is a commercial facility which provides refueling, rest (parking), and often ready-made food and other services to motori ...

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

singer Elisabeth Andreasson covered the song on her 1981 country album ''

Angel of the Morning "Angel of the Morning" is a popular song written by Chip Taylor, originally recorded by Evie Sands, but first charting by Merrilee Rush. The song has been covered by many artists including P. P. Arnold, Connie Eaton, Mary Mason, Guys 'n' Dolls ...

'', with lyrics in

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

by Hasse Olsson as "Killen ner' på Konsum svär att han är Elvis" ("The guy down Konsum" swears he's Elvis).

Critical reception

On its release, Simon Ludgate of ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' considered the song a "catchy little number" and "ultimately a tale of betrayal". He added, "Imagine

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has alwa ...

singing a song by

Chris Sievey Christopher Mark Sievey (25 August 1955 – 21 June 2010) was an English musician, comedian and artist known for fronting the band the Freshies in the late 1970s and early 1980s and for his comic persona Frank Sidebottom from 1984 onwards. ...

and you'll get the idea".

Fred Dellar Frederick Dellar (29 May 1931 – 15 May 2021) was an English music writer and journalist, regarded in the popular music scene as "the king of trivia". Life and career Fred Dellar was born in Willesden, London, and lived above a fish and chi ...

of ''

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 ...

'' considered the song "just an average sample of rocked-up country music" but commented on the "wonderful" title.

Track listing

;7" single # "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" - 3:07 # "Hard to Believe" - 2:19 # "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" (Country version) - 3:44 ;7" single (US release) # "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" - 3:45 # "Over You" - 2:35

Personnel

Production * Barry Farmer - producer, mixing * Kirsty MacColl - mixing Other * Rob O'Conner - sleeve design * Chalkie Davies - front cover photography * Frank Murray - front cover model * Alan Ballard - back cover photography

Charts

References

External links

freeworld
- Kirsty MacColl fansite {{Authority control 1981 singles 1981 songs Kirsty MacColl songs Elisabeth Andreassen songs Songs written by Kirsty MacColl Songs about Elvis Presley Polydor Records singles