"Daddy's Gone" is a song by Scottish

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band

Glasvegas Glasvegas are a Scottish indie rock band from Glasgow. The band consists of James Allan (musician), James Allan (vocals), Rab Allan (lead guitar) and Paul Donoghue (bass guitar), with Swedish drummer Jonna Löfgren joining the group in 2010 unt ...

. The song was written and composed by the band's singer and guitarist James Allan. "Daddy's Gone" was originally released as a limited edition 7" and a

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single through Sane Man on 5 November 2007. The song received mostly positive reception from music journalists, with single reviews praising its lyrical content and production. The single was re-released as part of the promotion for ''

''. The newer version has a slower tempo and slightly rougher sound. It was released on 25 August 2008 as a CD, a download EP, and two different 7" singles. It entered the UK Singles Chart at number 12 and the

Scottish Singles Chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...

at number two on the chart dated 31 August 2008. It also found minor popularity in Flemish Belgium, appearing on the Ultratip chart at number 12. The song featured in the hit American TV Series 'Chuck', Season 2 Episode 19.

Origins and recording

James Allan wrote and composed the song prior to the recording sessions at Central Sound Studios in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, where the band recorded their previous single, " Go Square Go!." James Allan handled all production duties as well as its B-side, "Flowers & Football Tops."

Musical content

"Daddy's Gone" is in

A major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...

and in 4/4 time. The song is based around I-VI-IV-V and I-III-VI-V chord progressions for the verses and the choruses, respectively.

Formats and B-sides

The song was first released as a 7" single, limited to 1000 copies, and a

through Sane Man on 5 November 2007. A promo CD was also released. The artwork featured on the sleeve of the 7" is by Rob Biddulph, and was designed in the style of singles from the 1960s. Biddulph also designed the artwork for the band's following single, " It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry," in the same style. The 2008 re-release CD and one of the 7" singles has a new song called "A Little Thing Called 'Fear'" as the b-side, while the alternate 7" single has a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

's " Come as You Are." All three formats feature the album version of "Daddy's Gone."

Critical reception

During professional reviews, "Daddy's Gone" received positive reception. James McMahon of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' named the song Track of the Week and praised the song's subject matter, stating "the love between a young man and his absent dad is rarely visited ..which makes this second single from Glasvegas ..all the more touching." McMahon also referred to the band's genre, stating "they sound like an amalgamation of every great single Creation Records released pre-

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid, who are the two founders and only consistent members of the ...

, The Pastels and Saint Etienne), while at the same time managing to tap into the disparate brilliance of the likes of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

, early-

Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

The Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist I ...

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and The Proclaimers." ''NME'' later awarded the song number two in a list of Best Tracks of 2007. Andrew Farley of Drowned in Sound praised the song; hailing it as "fantastic," noting the song's individuality, saying, "it's not every day you come across a song of this stature," and referred to the production, stating "

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

would be proud." Farley also describes it as "one of the breakthrough tracks of 2007." ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' rock critic Neil McCormick was extremely impressed with the song, going as far as placing it at number 18 in his list of the 100 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2009. He described the track as an "epic, emotional, boldly prosaic rock and roll ballad of paternal abandonment.". In October 2011, ''

'' placed it at number 123 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".

Track listings

''All songs written by James Allan, except where noted.''

2007 version

7" vinyl (SAN001); download; CDR promo # "Daddy's Gone" – 4:08 # "Flowers & Football Tops" – 5:38

2008 version

Promo CD (GOWOW006) # "Daddy's Gone" (Clean Radio Edit) – 3:41 # "Daddy's Gone" (Radio Edit) – 3:41 # "Daddy's Gone" (Album Version) – 4:25 # "Daddy's Gone" (Instrumental) – 4:25 CD (GOWOW007) # "Daddy's Gone" – 4:25 # "A Little Thing Called 'Fear'" – 3:43 7" No. 1 (GOWOW008) * ''Limited numbered edition red-colored vinyl.'' # "Daddy's Gone" – 4:25 # "A Little Thing Called 'Fear'" – 3:43 7" No. 2 (GOWOW009) # "Daddy's Gone" – 4:25 # "Come as You Are" (written by

Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...

) – 3:22 Download EP # "Daddy's Gone" – 4:25 # "A Little Thing Called 'Fear'" – 3:43 # "Come as You Are" – 3:22 # "Daddy's Gone" (Live Acoustic Version) – 4:17

Credits and personnel

Glasvegas * James Allan – guitar, vocals, * Rab Allan – electric guitar * Paul Donoghue – bass * Caroline McKay – drum Production * James Allan – Producer * Kevin Burleigh –

Engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

Charts

References

{{authority control 2007 singles Glasvegas songs 2008 singles Songs written by James Allan (musician) 2007 songs