"Tart Tart" is a

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

single by the

Madchester Madchester was a musical and cultural scene that developed in the English city of Manchester in the late 1980s, closely associated with the indie dance scene. Indie-dance (sometimes referred to as indie-rave) saw artists merging indie music w ...

band

Happy Mondays Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up was Shaun Ryder (vocals), his brother Paul Ryder ( bass), Gary Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry later joined t ...

. It was the first single to be released from their album ''

Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out) ''Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out)'' is the debut studio album by English rock band Happy Mondays. It was released in mid-April 1987 through Factory Records. After finalising their line-up, th ...

'' in March 1987. The B-side, "Little Matchstick Owen's Rap" was voiced by the sound engineer, Mike Bleach.

Inspirations

According to a commentary accompanying the film ''

24 Hour Party People ''24 Hour Party People'' is a 2002 British biographical comedy-drama film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Win ...

'', the first verse of "Tart Tart" is about

Martin Hannett James Martin Hannett (31 May 1948 – 18 April 1991), initially credited as Martin Zero, was an English record producer, musician and an original partner/director at Tony Wilson's Factory Records. Hannett produced music by artists including Joy ...

, who later produced the band's second album ''

Bummed ''Bummed'' is the second studio album by English rock band Happy Mondays, released in November 1988 on Factory Records. During 1987 and early 1988, the band discovered house music and the rave drug ecstasy. Factory producer Martin Hannett was ...

''. The second verse is explained in Bez's ''Freaky Dancin'' (p. 198–200):

Track listing

12"

#"Tart Tart" – 4:18 #"Little Matchstick Owen's Rap" – 4:15

References

{{Authority control 1987 singles Happy Mondays songs Song recordings produced by John Cale