There She Goes (The La's song)


"There She Goes" is a song by English rock band The La's, written by the band's frontman, Lee Mavers. The song reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart when it was re-issued in 1990.
In May 2007 NME magazine placed the song at number 45 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever. Predating Britpop by four years, the band's self-titled album was named one of the 40 greatest one hit 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."

Lyrics and meaning

Structurally, the song is very simple and 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". Several newspapers ran articles about The La's and their apparent ode to heroin. 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." However, in the book by MW Macefield, ex-La's guitarist Paul Hemmings denied the rumour and added: "Jeremy Fisher, you don't know what you are talking about." In an interview with Les Inrockuptibles, Lee 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.
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."

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, but failed to chart. Andrews' production of the song was remixed by Steve Lillywhite in 1990 for inclusion on their debut album The La's. This remixed version was issued as a single on 22 October 1990 and hit number 13 in the UK Singles Chart.
In May 2007, NME magazine placed "There She Goes" at number 45 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever. 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.
On NPR's All Songs Considered, musician Ben Gibbard selected "There She Goes" as his pick for "perfect song." 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." Eric Clapton also praised the song.

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 recorded on a camcorder, and was shot in the English countryside and in the band's home town of Liverpool. It shows the band performing in an alleyway and on a hill, as well as footage from their concerts. The band are also seen in a park. The video ends with a shot of the drum logo. This version was released exclusively for the UK and Irish markets only.
The second music video, released in 1990, was shot in Los Angeles, California. It is the band's first video to feature new lead guitarist Peter Camell and drummer Neil Mavers. It shows the band performing in the streets and neighboring towns of Los Angeles, interspliced with footage of a young woman. The band is also shown performing infront of the Los Angeles skyline as evidenced by the U.S. Bank Tower. The video ends with a shot of the woman's face. This version, dubbed as "American version" and "International version", was released internationally.

As soundtrack

It has appeared on several film soundtracks, including The Parent Trap; Fever Pitch; Girl, Interrupted; Cold Case; The Adventures of Pete and Pete; Snow Day and So I Married an Axe Murderer. It also opens the "Pilot" episode of Gilmore Girls. Sixpence None the Richer's version of the song was used in the commercials for birth control company Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo from 2004-2005. The song was also used for the opening dream sequence at the Peach Pit in episode of 4 of BH90210.
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.
The song was used frequently for slow motion scenes with Nori in the U.S. TV series Me, Myself & I.

Formats and track listings

1988 7": Go! Discs / GOLAS 2, 870 987-7
Side one
  1. "There She Goes" – 2:31
Side two
  1. "Come In, Come Out" – 2:10
1988 7" EP: Go! Discs / LASEP 2
Side one
  1. "There She Goes" – 2:31
  2. "Who Knows?" – 3:27
Side two
  1. "Way Out"
  2. "Come In, Come Out" – 2:10
1988 12": Go! Discs / GOLAS 212
Side one
  1. "There She Goes" – 2:31
  2. "Come In, Come Out" – 2:10
Side two
  1. "Who Knows" – 3:27
  2. "Man I'm Only Human" – 4:50
1988 CD: Go! Discs / LAS CD2
  1. "There She Goes" – 2:31
  2. "Come In, Come Out" – 2:10
  3. "Who Knows" – 3:27
  4. "Man I'm Only Human" – 4:50
1990 7": Go! Discs / GOLAS 5
Side one
  1. "There She Goes" – 2:45
Side two
  1. "Freedom Song" – 2:26
1990 12": Go! Discs / GOLAS 512
Side one
  1. "There She Goes" – 2:45
  2. "Freedom Song"- 2:26
Side two
  1. "All by Myself" – 5:53
1990 Cassette single: Go! Discs / LASMC 5
  1. "There She Goes" – 2:45
  2. "Freedom Song" – 2:26
1990 CD: Go! Discs / LASCD 5
  1. "There She Goes" – 2:45
  2. "Freedom Song" – 2:26
  3. "All by Myself" – 5:53
Limited Edition 7" EP: Go! Discs / GOLAB 5
Side one
  1. "There She Goes" – 2:45
  2. "Freedom Song"- 2:26
Side two
  1. "All by Myself" – 5:53

    Other reissues

CD single
  1. "There She Goes"
  2. "Come In, Come Out"
  3. "Who Knows?"
  4. "There She Goes"
7" single
  1. "There She Goes"
  2. "There She Goes"
  3. "Way Out"

    Personnel

The La's
Production
Other personnel
Chart Peak
position

Chart Peak
position

Certifications

Sixpence None the Richer version

released a cover version of the song in 1999 as the second single from their self-titled album, Sixpence None the Richer. The band's rendition of the song reached number two in Iceland, number 12 in Canada and Scotland, number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and number 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Track listing

  1. "There She Goes" – 2:42
  2. "There She Goes" – 2:42
  3. "Kiss Me" – 3:12

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts