Lay Down
"Lay Down" is a song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1973 album Bursting at the Seams. Their first hit single, it had peaked at No. 12 in the UK Singles Chart late the previous year.
| "Lay Down" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Strawbs | ||||
| from the album Bursting at the Seams | ||||
| B-side | "Backside" | |||
| Released | October 13, 1972 | |||
| Genre | Progressive folk, progressive rock | |||
| Length | 4:31 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Dave Cousins | |||
| Producer(s) | Strawbs | |||
| Strawbs singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The lyrics are loosely based on the 23rd Psalm in the Old Testament and the song was widely considered to be writer Dave Cousins's most commercial and radio-friendly offering to date. Indeed, some aficionados accused Cousins and the band of "selling out", especially as the band later appeared on Top of the Pops dressed in glittery "glam rock" outfits and wearing make-up (with drummer Richard Hudson unusually placed at the front of the stage).
The single was described, in the original A&M Records Press Release, as ".. the Strawbs first real attempt to crack open the singles market." It featured strong rock guitar riffs from the band's new guitarist Dave Lambert. The album version features an additional guitar solo, making it about thirty seconds longer than the single.
The song was brought to the public's attention again in 2007 when it featured on the BBC television series "Life on Mars". It was, however, unaccountably absent from the DVD boxset soundtrack.
B-Side
The B-side "Backside" is attributed to "Ciggy Barlust and the Whales from Venus", an obvious allusion to David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars".
It was actually a Strawbs composition credited to all members of the band at that time.
Other recordings
The song was re-recorded (with different personnel) for the 2003 Strawbs album Blue Angel and also the 1979 Dave Cousins and Brian Willoughby album Old School Songs.
Personnel
- Dave Cousins – lead vocals, electric guitar
- Dave Lambert – lead guitar, backing vocals
- John Ford – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Blue Weaver – mellotron[1]
- Richard Hudson – drums, backing vocals
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | October 13, 1972 | A&M | 7" single | AMS7035 | |
| Denmark | 1973 | Sonet | 7" single | T 7265 | |
| United States and Canada | 1974 | A&M | 7" single | AM 1451 | B-side "The Winter and the Summer" |
| Netherlands | A&M | 7" single | 12396 AT | ||
| Germany | 1973 | A&M | 7" single | 12396 AT | |
| Spain | 1973 | A&M/Hispavox | 7" single | HS 897 | B-side "Mañana (Tomorrow)" |
| New Zealand | 1973 | A&M | 7" single | AMK 4927 | B-side "The Flower and the Young Man" |
| Japan | 1973 | A&M | 7" single | AM 186 | B-side "The Winter and the Summer" |
| Israel | 1972 | A&M | 7" single | AMS 7035 | |
| Portugal | 1972 | A&M | 7" single | 006 94136 |
Notes
- Awde, Nick 2008, p225-226
References
- "Lay Down" at Strawbsweb
- Sleeve notes to CD 540 936-2 (A&M) Bursting at the Seams
- Awde, Nick. Mellotron: The Machine and Musicians That Revolutionised Rock, Desert Hearts, 2008. ISBN 978-1-898948-02-5