"Walls Come Tumbling Down!" is a song by English band The Style Council which was their ninth single to be released. It was written by lead vocalist Paul Weller, and released in 1985. It is the first single from the band's second studio album, Our Favourite Shop (1985). Our Favourite Shop was renamed Internationalists for the U.S. market.
| "Walls Come Tumbling Down!" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Style Council | ||||
| from the album Our Favourite Shop | ||||
| Released | 1985 | |||
| Genre | Northern soul[1] | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Paul Weller | |||
| The Style Council singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Walls Come Tumbling Down!" on YouTube | ||||
The song "Blood Sports", which appeared on the single, is about anti-hunting and anti-animal blood sports. Its writing royalties went to the Bristol Defence Fund for two hunt saboteurs jailed for anti-blood sports activities, including attempted murder of a teenage rider and animal cruelty.[3]
The music video was filmed in Warsaw, Poland.
Reception
editMatthew Bingham of Hucknall Life called the song, "an irresistible call to arms.. a soul stomper to believe in "[4]
Compilation appearances
editAs well as the song's single release, it has featured on various compilation albums released by The Style Council. The song was included on The Singular Adventures of The Style Council, The Complete Adventures of The Style Council, and Greatest Hits.
Track listing
edit- 12" single (TSCX 8)
- "Walls Come Tumbling Down!"
- "Spin Drifting"
- "The Whole Point II"
- "Blood Sports"
- 7" single (TSCX 8)
- "Walls Come Tumbling Down!" – 3:25
- "The Whole Point II" – 2:50
- "Blood Sports" – 3:25
Charts
edit| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 19 |
| Irish Singles Chart[5] | 6 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart[6] | 15 |
| UK Singles Chart[7] | 6 |
Cover versions
editAustralian indie band Screamfeeder covered the song on their 1999 album Home Age (The Hypnotized Label, HIP035), and reissued in 2004 on Introducing: Screamfeeder Singles & More 1992-2004 (Shock, SCREAM1CD).
Golden Earring frontman Barry Hay released a big band cover on The Big Band Theory, a 2008 collection of covers recorded with Metropole Orkest (Blue Note, 50999 2364972 9).
References
edit- ^ Bradley, Larry (November 4, 2014). "The 1980s: The Style Council - "Walls Come Tumbling Down". The Alternative Jukebox. Cassell. p. 149. ISBN 978-1-84403-789-6.
- ^ a b Gibbs, Ryan (November 15, 2022). "An introduction to Sophisti-pop". In Between Drafts. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
- ^ "Internationalists 1985". Wellerworld.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 October 2004. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
- ^ Matthew Bingham (September 1985). "Singles". Hucknall Dispatch. No. 5. p. 32.
- ^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 537. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
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