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Walls Come Tumbling Down

by Show Me Where It Hurts

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about

‘Walls Come Tumbling Down’ is a song by The Style Council written by Paul Weller and originally released in 1985 as a hit U.K. single from the second Style Council album, Our Favourite Shop.

Show Me Where It Hurts, in a week's burst of inspired fervour, cut the song at home in the time-honoured immediacy of Lennon's 'Instant Karma'-tradition, for free online release in the final week leading up to the 2014 New Zealand general election (on Saturday, September 20).

The sentiment of the song is clear and explicitly political in its expression of faith in the ability of people to change those in power or even the system itself when unified.

Show Me Where It Hurts - in strong belief in the expression of faith in this idea in such a killer (not to forget U.K. no. 6 hit) song - felt compelled to work the song up themselves.

Tracking the song at Ronny’s and Josh’s respective homes in Waimauku, north west of Auckland, they then invited New Telepathics’, Loud Ghost and Hallelujah Picassos’ musical and production wizard Darryn Harkness to lay the bass track and mix the song in the spirit of immediacy it inspires - and Chris Chetland at Kog said he'd master it in a heartbeat when the band hit him up.

It's got stonking Phil Spector-style production featuring lashings of wall-of-sound slap-back delay, reverb, and call-and-response backing vocals! Ronny 'Growler' Haynes plays drums and sings lead, Josh Hetherington plays Fender Rhodes and sings back-up, and there's a shit load of handclaps and rocking, stomping, swinging revolutionary fucking spirit in it.

At a time when NZ looks to the polls to decide between the retention of the current status quo – which Show Me Where It Hurts believes is a dangerous, divisive, socially destructive and debilitating, economically irresponsible and unsustainable approach and ethos by the current National-led government – or for real change in a direction which looks to put people and our responsibility as New Zealanders to a sustainable, fairer and more socially equitable society and economy, first once again – democratically instigated revolution is indeed within our grasp and power.

There's a line in the original song, 'Are you gonna be threatened by the public enemies, Number 10'? - with its overt reference to Downing St - which we've amended in our version to '... the public enemies up on floor nine'. This refers, of course, to certain offices on the ninth floor of the Beehive, recently made notorious by PM John Key's quote with regard to a 2011 briefing the prime minister had been given by then head of the SIS, Warren Tucker: 'The prime minister means the prime minister's office').

When Paul Weller wrote the first lines to the song 'Are you gonna take this crap? Are you gonna sit back and relax? You can actually try changing it', it's undeniable he had the Thatcher regime well and truly in his sites. That the specific and the universal notion of the rights, responsibilities, abilities and power of the people to effect change in the face of the injustice of any and every oppressive regime – be they elected or otherwise – are expressed so directly, eloquently, uncompromisingly, poetically and rousingly in this song, stands in tribute to the power, vision, passion, determination and will of Weller the artist.

In the spirit of such triumphant expression of this noble notion by Weller and The Style Council, Show Me Where It Hurts pay tribute with their own spirited take on this northern-soul stomper of song. We hope you like our version - it’s rough and ready and ragged, but it kicks like a mule and it makes you wanna dance your arse off, pump your fist in the air and storm the fucking Bastille!

Most importantly we hope you agree with Weller's sentiment and ours, and this Saturday let's vote these bastards out!

Vive la Revolution (de la Démocratie)!

'Governments crack and systems fall
'Cause unity is powerful
Lights go out, walls come tumbling down' (Paul Weller)

lyrics

Walls Come Tumbling Down

You don't have to take this crap
You don't have to sit back and relax
You can actually try changing it

I know we've always been taught to rely
Upon those in authority
But you never know until you try
How things just might be
If we came together so strongly

Are you gonna try to make this work?
Or spend your days down in the dirt
You see, things can change
Yes, an’ walls come tumbling down

Governments crack and systems fall
'Cause unity is powerful
Lights go out, walls come tumbling down
Yes they do, yes they do, yes they do

The competition is a colour TV
We're on still pause
With a video machine
That keep you slave to the H P

Until the unity is threatened by
Those who have and who have not
Those who are with and those who are without
And dangle jobs, like a donkey's carrot
Until you don't know where you are

Are you gonna get to realise
The class war's real and not mythologised
And like Jericho
Yes, walls can come tumbling down

Governments crack and systems fall
'Cause unity is powerful
Lights go out, walls come tumbling down

Down! They'll be too weak to fight it.
Down! Ah, let us unite, yeah
Down! Ah, will you unite?

Are you gonna be threatened by?
The public enemies, No 10
Those who play the power game
They take the profits, you take the blame
When they tell you there's no rise in pay

Are you gonna try to make this work?
Or spend your days down in the dirt
You see, things can change
Walls can come tumbling down

Governments crack and systems fall
'Cause unity is powerful
Lights go out, walls come tumbling down

Governments crack and systems fall
Yes they do
'Cause unity is powerful
Lights go out, walls come tumbling down

Governments crack and systems fall
'Cause unity is powerful
Lights go out, walls come tumbling down

Paul Weller

credits

released September 15, 2014
Ronny Haynes: vocals and drums
Josh Hetherington: vocals, Rhodes, acoustic guitar
Darryn Harkness: bass

Mixed by Darryn Harkness
Mastered by Chris Chetland at Kog

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about

Show Me Where It Hurts Auckland, New Zealand

Hip-shakin' duo featuring Josh Hetherington on vocals and Fender Rhodes electric piano and Ronny Haynes on drums and vocals.

Stepping out in all their finery – finest of threads, finest of tunes – the two peddle a sweet and savoury smorgasbord of swingin’ sass and soul, and fingerpoppin’ rock-a-rolla!

With a hands-on-hips line on the groove, Show Me Where It Hurts gonna make you wanna move
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