Victoria (Dance Exponents song)
"Victoria" is a song by New Zealand rock band The Exponents from their 1982 album Prayers Be Answered and their debut single. Released in 1982 it reached Number 6 on the New Zealand singles chart.[1] The song was selected by a panel of New Zealand songwriters to have been the #8 top 100 New Zealand songs of all time.
| "Victoria" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Dance Exponents | ||||
| from the album Prayers Be Answered | ||||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:26 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jordan Luck | |||
| The Dance Exponents singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
"Victoria" was inspired by Luck's landlady in Christchurch, with the name Victoria used as a pseudonym whilst her real name was Vicky.[2] She successfully ran an escort agency but lived with an abusive man: Luck questioned her relationship with the line "What do you see in him?".
Victoria was 23 and earned [sic] the whole apartment block. She was a hard worker. And yes, she read Alvin Toffler. But we'd wake up in the morning and she'd be bruised because her boyfriend was beating her up.
— Jordan Luck, New Zealand Herald[3]
The band moved to Auckland before the release of the song. After the single became a success, Luck visited 'Victoria' in Christchurch and was happy to find that she not only loved the song but had also split from her abusive boyfriend.[4]
Music video
The video was funded by the New Zealand Broadcasting Association but, unusually for the time, included a story rather than just a studio performance. Shot in the band's hometown of Christchurch, it features Jordan Luck as "Victoria's" taxi driver.[5]
Alternate Versions
The recording of "Victoria" on the Prayers Be Answered album differs from the original single. Another version was also included on the 1985 Amplifier album.
References
- "Victoria: charts.nz". charts.nz. charts.nz. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
- Anderson, Vicki (28 May 2016). "Whatever happened to Victoria?". The Press. Christchurch. p. C5. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- "The National Anthems". NZ Herald. November 3, 2001. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- "Through the Eyes of Love (documentary)". Documentary. NZ on Screen. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
- "Victoria: NZ On Screen". NZ On Screen. NZ on Screen. Retrieved 22 September 2012.