"There Ain't No Sanity Clause" is a single by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band the Damned, released on 24 November 1980. The song was a

tongue-in-cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...

rock song released with an eye on the lucrative UK Christmas singles market, but it failed to chart. The single was the last new material to be released by the band on

Chiswick Records Chiswick Records was a British independent record label. Established in 1975, Chiswick was the "first true 'indie' label to be established in Britain for nearly a decade". The label has been described as "significant" in the "punk era". It rel ...

. However, Chiswick would continue to reissue singles by the Damned, culled from existing material on their

Big Beat Big beat is an electronic music genre that usually uses heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns – common to acid house/techno. The term has been used by the British music industry to describe music by artists such as ...

imprint, including " Wait for the Blackout", " Lively Arts", reissues of "

Love Song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...

" and "

Smash It Up "Smash It Up" is a song by English punk rock band the Damned, released as a single on 12 October 1979 by Chiswick Records. It is considered the band's unofficial anthem. The single was the second release from the band's third studio ''Machine ...

", and a remixed version of "There Ain't No Sanity Clause"Damned Singles Discography
", Damned Discography, retrieved 2012-03-12 with new lyrics, which reached No. 97 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 ...

in December 1983.There Ain't No Sanity Clause
, Chart Stats, retrieved 2010-09-21 The title and chorus of the song were derived from a scene in the

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers' thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute (AFI) ...

' 1935 movie '' A Night at the Opera'', in which

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...

attempts to explain the intricacies of a business contract to

Chico Marx Leonard Joseph "Chico" Marx (; March 22, 1887 – October 11, 1961) was an American comedian, actor and pianist. He was the oldest brother in the Marx Brothers comedy troupe, alongside his brothers Adolph ("Harpo"), Julius ("Groucho"), Milton ...

. When Groucho mentions the "sanity clause", Chico responds, "You can't fool me. There ain't no sanity clause!" "There Ain't No Sanity Clause" was written with Giovanni Dadamo of

the Snivelling Shits The Snivelling Shits were a punk rock group formed in London in 1977, and centred on Giovanni Dadomo. History Giovanni Dadomo was a music journalist who wrote for publications such as ''ZigZag'', ''Sounds'', '' The Face'' and ''New Music News' ...

, who also recorded a version of the song which was included on CD reissues of their ''I Can't Come'' album.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 149

Track listing

# "There Ain't No Sanity Clause" (Scabies, Sensible, Vanian, Dadamo) # "Hit or Miss" (Scabies, Sensible, Vanian, Gray) # "Looking at You (Live)" (

MC5 MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...

)

Track listing - 1983 Version

7" Version: # "There Ain't No Sanity Clause (Remix)" (Scabies, Sensible, Vanian, Dadamo) # "Looking at You (Live)" (MC5) 12" Version: # "There Ain't No Sanity Clause (Remix)" (Scabies, Sensible, Vanian, Dadamo) # "Looking at You (Live)" (MC5) # "Anti-Pope (Fiddling About Version)" (Sensible, Vanian, Scabies, Ward)

Production credits

;

Producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

* Hugh Jones ;

Musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

s *

Dave Vanian David Vanian (born David Lett, 12 October 1956) is an English rock musician, and lead singer of the punk rock band the Damned. Formed in 1976 in London, the Damned were the first British punk band to release a single, release an album, have a ...

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vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

Captain Sensible Raymond Ian Burns (born 24 April 1954), known by the stage name Captain Sensible, is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. Captain Sensible co-founded the punk rock band The Damned (band), the Damned, originally playing bass before switc ...

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guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

Rat Scabies Christopher John Millar (born 30 July 1955), known by his stage name Rat Scabies, is a musician best known as the drummer for English punk rock band the Damned. Career Millar was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. He played drums with Tor ...

−

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

s * Paul Gray −

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

References

External links

* {{The Damned 1980 singles The Damned (band) songs Songs written by Rat Scabies Songs written by Captain Sensible Songs written by David Vanian British rock songs 1980 songs Cultural depictions of the Marx Brothers