"There She Goes" is a song by English rock band the La's, written by the band's frontman, Lee Mavers. First released in 1988, the song reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart when it was re-issued in 1990.
Predating Britpop by four years,[3] the band's self-titled album was named one of the 40 greatest one-album wonders by Rolling Stone, with the magazine stating, "Whether about heroin or just unrequited love, the La's single 'There She Goes' off their self-titled debut has endured as a founding piece of Britpop's foundation."[4] It was listed at number 22 on NME's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[5] In 2007, NME had placed the song at number 45 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.[6]
Lyrics and meaning
The song contains no verses, only a single chorus repeated four times and a bridge.
"There She Goes" has gained a reputation for being about the use of heroin, possibly as a result of the lines: "There she goes again... racing through my brain... pulsing through my vein... no one else can heal my pain".[7] Several newspapers ran articles about the La's and their apparent ode to heroin.[8] When asked about the rumour in 1995, the group's bassist John Power replied: "I don't know. Truth is, I don't wanna know."[9] However, in the book In Search of The La's: A Secret Liverpool (2003) by MW Macefield, ex-La's guitarist Paul Hemmings denied the rumour. In an interview with Les Inrockuptibles, Mavers admits to trying heroin in 1990. The song therefore predated his experience as it was originally released in 1988. Mavers himself has also emphatically denied that the song is about heroin.[10]
The band's guitarist John Byrne said of the song, "I thought it would be big, a lot bigger than it was, but then forgotten like a lot of pop songs. In retrospect, the opposite happened."[11]
Release and reception
The first version of the song, produced by Bob Andrews, was released by the La's in 1988 and again on 2 January 1989. The 1989 release peaked at number 59 on the UK Singles Chart.[12] Andrews' production of the song was remixed by Steve Lillywhite in 1990 for inclusion on their debut album The La's.[13] This remixed version was issued as a single on 22 October 1990 and reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart.[14]
In May 2007, NME magazine placed "There She Goes" at number 45 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.[6] In 2008, it was also re-released as a vinyl single for its 20th anniversary. A precursor to Britpop, the album was listed at number 13 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 40 greatest one-hit wonders.[4] It was listed at number 22 on NME's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[5]
On NPR's All Songs Considered, musician Ben Gibbard selected "There She Goes" as his pick for "perfect song."[15] Gibbard observed that the song "defines the perfectly written pop song: an instantaneously recognizable melody and lyric set to simple, economic musical structure. It is such a simple song that it boggles the mind that someone hadn't already written it."[15]Eric Clapton also praised the song.[11]
In December 2021, Oasis's Noel Gallagher said it was his favourite song from the 1990s;[16] despite being released in 1988, the song didn't achieve widespread fame and acclaim until 1990.
Music videos
There are two music videos for this song: a UK version and an international version.
The first video, released in 1988 and directed by Jeff Baynes, was an amateur-style recorded on a camcorder, and was shot in the English countryside and in the band's hometown of Liverpool. It shows the band performing in an alleyway, a park, and on a hill, as well as footage from their concerts. The video ends with a shot of the drum logo.[17] This version was released exclusively for the UK, Irish, and Australian markets only but also aired in Canada for a brief period, and uses the UK-exclusive single version of the song. It is also incorrectly labeled as "US Version" on the band's YouTube channel.
To promote the album version of the song, which was released as a single worldwide, a second music video was released in 1990. Recorded on professional cameras and shot in Los Angeles, California, it was the band's first video to feature the new line-up, which consisted of lead guitarist Peter Camell and drummer Neil Mavers (Lee's younger brother). The second video shows them performing in the streets and neighboring towns of Los Angeles, as well as in front of the Los Angeles skyline, evidenced by the presence of the U.S. Bank Tower, while being interspliced with footage of a young woman, before ending with a shot of her face. This version, dubbed as "American version" and "International version", was released internationally and uses the Steve Lillywhite remix of the song.
The song was also used for the opening montage of the first episode of Channel 4's drama series This Is England '90, which also featured outgoing Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's resignation speech.[64]
The song was used frequently for slow-motion scenes with Nori in the U.S. TV series Me, Myself & I.
^There She Goes (UK cassette single sleeve). Sixpence None the Richer. Squint Entertainment, Elektra Records. 1999. E3728C, 7599-63728-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^There She Goes (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Sixpence None the Richer. Squint Entertainment, Elektra Records. 1999. 7559-64026-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^There She Goes (European CD single liner notes). Sixpence None the Richer. Squint Entertainment, Elektra Records. 1999. 7559-64026-9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^There She Goes (Australian CD single liner notes). Sixpence None the Richer. Squint Entertainment, Mushroom Records. 1999. MUSH01887.2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
