Zandra

(1)

Zandra
Come on come on 
Pack it in
Come on come on come on 
Just pack it in
Come on come on come on
Just pack it in
Zandra, Zandra 

Give it up Zandra
Give it up Zandra

Everybody you love
Is covered in loot

Zandra, Zandra
Come on come on come on 
Just pack it in
Come on come on come on
Just pack it in

Zandra, Zandra
The world is not Old Nick (2)
It is not your oyster
You cannot collate it
So give up that dope shit

Zandra, Zandra

Give it up, Zandra
Give it up, Zandra

Come on come on come on
Just pack it in 
Come on come on come on 
Just pack it in
Come on come on come on
Just pack it in 

Hello Zandra
From the planet Redundra

Come on come on come on
Just pack it in 
Come on come on come on 
Just pack it in
Come on come on come on
Just pack it in 

I'm stretched out
I'm talked out

1. This may or may not be addressed to someone who is on dope, since MES may or may not say "give up that dope shit" (the Lyrics Parade also allows for the possibility that it is "give up that dumb shit," but it sounds more like "dope" to me). The "planet Redundra" probably means something redundant or repetitive is going on. Otherwise, these lyrics are surpassingly vague and could be addressed to just about any situation. This makes "Zandra" a decidedly minor effort, as nothing about the music jumps out either; it's a pretty generic affair. But that's just my opinion; I give those once in a while, especially when the notes are otherwise thin, but please don't just take my word for it.

Zack suggests:

"As long as there has been music on Earth there have been songs named after women, so it's interesting to note that The Fall never wrote such a song until 1990 when they released two of them: 'Hilary' and 'Zandra.' My pet theory is that when The Fall covered The Kinks' 'Victoria' in 1988 it reminded MES of this particular songwriting trope. Female names lend themselves well to melodies, and Early 90s Fall is full of similar character sketches about women: 'Sing! Harpy,' 'Butterflies 4 Brains,' 'The Littlest Rebel,' etc."

According to one of our regulars, harleyr:

"An old pal of mine, Guy, and some friends of his found themselves being welcomed into Smith's house sometime in 1989 or 1990. One of said friends was called Zandra. The single came out not long after. Not saying the song is about her, but the visit may have given Smith the title for the song."

I wish we knew the date! It seems likely that MES got the name from harleyr's Zandra because--"Zandra"?! Also, there does seem to be one famous-ish Zandra (not that I'd ever heard of her), some sort of fashion designer named Zandra Rhodes.

^

2. "Old Nick" is an agnomen for the devil. He also gets called by this name in "2x4," and "the breath of Nick" is mentioned in "The Unutterable."

^ 

Zandra: Fall Tracks A-Z

The Story of the Fall: 1990