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Last Night in Soho (song)

This article is about the song. For the film, see Last Night in Soho.

"Last Night in Soho" is a single by English pop band Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, released by Fontana on 28 June 1968. Written by the band's regular songwriters Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, it was the follow-up to the chart topper "The Legend of Xanadu" and gave the band their final top-ten placing on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 8.[2]

"Last Night in Soho"
Cover of the single released in Italy
Single by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
B-side"Mrs. Thursday"
Released28 June 1968
Recorded31 May 1968[1]
StudioPhilips Studios, Stanhope House, London
GenrePsychedelic pop
Length3:17
LabelFontana
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Steve Rowland
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich singles chronology
"The Legend of Xanadu"
(1968) 		"Last Night in Soho"
(1968) 		"The Wreck of the 'Antoinette'"
(1968)

Composition

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"Last Night in Soho" is described in Colin Larkin's Encyclopedia of Popular Music as "a leather-boy motorbike saga portraying lost innocence in London's most notorious square mile".[3] Songwriters Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley wrote the song with "a strong visual image" in mind, prompted by a comment made by Dave Dee.[4][5] The duo were keen to write a song about a British city to counter the many famous songs about cities like New York and Paris.[4] In contrast to the exotic themes of the band's previous singles "Zabadak!" and "The Legend of Xanadu", the song is set in Soho, an area in the West End of London renowned for much of the 20th century as a base for the city's sex industry and night life. It concerns an ex-convict who attempts to go straight for the sake of his lover, but succumbs to temptation after reuniting with his hoodlum friends.[6] The final verse finds him heading for a prison sentence and bidding a regretful farewell to his lover.[7][8] Writer Rob Chapman has described the song as "a psycho-drama set in Gangland" with "a middle eight straight out of Lionel Bart and Joan Littlewood".[8]

The song incorporates a dramatic orchestral arrangement by Reg Tilsley. A detuning hammond organ signifies the arrival of the police.[4] Frontman Dave Dee considered the song more serious than previous hits for his band, telling Disc and Music Echo "Nobody can say that we've made repetitive records in the past. They were gimmicky but always different from each other. But there comes a time when you must progress and try something a little straighter". The song was Dee's favourite of his band's hits.[9]

Release

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"Last Night in Soho", backed with the band's own composition "Mrs. Thursday", was released by Fontana on 28 June 1968.[10] The band were photographed with a motorcycle in front of a Soho strip bar in promotion of the single[9] and performed it on the 4 July edition of Top of the Pops.[11] The song peaked at number 8 on the UK Singles Chart, ultimately spending eleven weeks on the chart. It was Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich's final top ten single.[2]

Reception and legacy

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The song received praise from Peter Jones of Record Mirror, who noted "the constant switching of style that keeps this group right there at the top".[12] Chris Welch of Melody Maker considered the song not as commercial as "The Legend of Xanadu", deeming it "well away from their usual gimmick-laden performances".[13] Ray Davies, whose Kinks single "Days" was in the charts at the same time as "Last Night in Soho", declared in Disc and Music Echo's "Hit Talk" column "I don't like "Last Night in Soho". "Xanadu" was not a favourite of mine and neither is this".[14] Interviewed for the Melody Maker column "Blind Date", The Who's Keith Moon commented "I prefer this to the Hungarian Beer Chants they usually do".[13]

Following the single's success, Dave Dee expressed his wish to become an actor, telling Disc and Music Echo "it's okay to keep turning out hits, but it reaches the point where you have nothing particular to aim for. If you have no challenge life becomes very dull and boring and you end up making duff records".[9] Dee left the band over a year later in September 1969 and appeared in the 1970 comedy film Every Home Should Have One starring Marty Feldman.[15]

Having heard "Hold Tight", a 1966 hit single for Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, used in the Quentin Tarantino film Death Proof, film director Edgar Wright came upon "Last Night in Soho". His 2021 psychological horror film is named after the song.[16] The song plays over the film's end credits.[17]

Charts

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Chart (1968) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[18] 61
Germany (GfK)[19] 13
Ireland (IRMA)[20] 11
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] 15
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] 15
New Zealand (Listener)[23] 4
Singapore (Radio Singapore)[24] 1
UK Singles (OCC)[2] 8

References

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  1. ^ "Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick, & Tich – May 1968". 11 November 2016. Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick Tich: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. 5th Concise Edition: Omnibus Press. p. 516.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. ^ a b c Kutner, Jon. "Last Night In Soho (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich)". Jon Kutner. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  5. ^ Altham, Keith (December 1968). "Dave Dee's Happy To Make Instant Hits". New Musical Express. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Ex-cop Dave Dee turns crook!" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo: 6. 22 June 1968. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Soho Song". Runcorn Weekly News: 20. 27 June 1968. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  8. ^ a b Chapman, Rob (2015). Psychedelia and Other Colours (1st ed.). Faber & Faber. p. 555. ISBN 978-0-571-28200-5.
  9. ^ a b c Farmer, Bob (3 August 1968). "Dave Dee... from Soho to Pantomime, just for the challenge" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo: 13. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  10. ^ "More Big Name 45's" (PDF). New Musical Express. 22 June 1968. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Disc News" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo: 4. 6 July 1968. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  12. ^ Jones, Peter (29 June 1966). "Your guide to this week's new singles" (PDF). Record Mirror. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  13. ^ a b Welch, Chris (6 July 1968). "Pop Singles" (PDF). Melody Maker. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  14. ^ Davies, Ray (17 August 1968). "Hit Talk" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo: 3. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  15. ^ Matthews, Simon (27 October 2016). Psychedelic Celluloid: British Pop Music in Film & TV 1965 - 1974. Oldcastle Books. p. 192. ISBN 9781843444589. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  16. ^ Nicholson, Tom (30 October 2019). "Edgar Wright On 'Last Night In Soho', Quentin Tarantino And 'Baby Driver 2'". Esquire. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  17. ^ Sokol, Tony (29 October 2021). "Last Night in Soho Soundtrack List Captures the Dreams of '60s Music Mod Life". Den of Geek. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  18. ^ Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-44439-5.
  19. ^ "Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich – Last Night in Soho" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  20. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Last Night in Soho". Irish Singles Chart.
  21. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  22. ^ "Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich – Last Night in Soho" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  23. ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". www.flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  24. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 19 October 1968. p. 77. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
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