The 1980s have often been referred to as the golden age for pop music. Whilst I do think there’s just as much good pop music now, there was something brilliant about the kind of song that could become a hit single back then. Songs like ‘Ghosts’ by Japan, ‘O Superman’ by Laurie Anderson and any of those early Adam & The Ants hits would stand out on the radio today. ‘Party Fears Two’ and ‘Club Country’ by Associates were two of the most adventurous and unusual singles that made the top 20 in 1982. My brother once came home from work where they’d been listening to Radio 2 all day. When ‘Party Fears Two’ had been played, a woman in his office said, “Are they playing this at the wrong speed?”. I think this says a lot about its originality.
In 1981, Billy Mackenzie and Alan Rankine signed a deal to put out five singles. Most of the money was spent on drugs, but they still managed to finish the recordings. The five singles they recorded still sound unique. From the chaotic and terrifying ‘Kitchen Person’ to the paranoid electronic throb of ‘White Car In Germany’, these were not average synth pop songs. When they came up with the main piano hook for ‘Party Fears Two’ around that time, they referred to it as music for a soap powder advert. They chose to keep it for the following year, as they knew it was a hit. As Billy described it, they had gotten people to put their records on the stereo, and with ‘Party Fears Two’ they wanted people to keep their records on there. ‘Party Fears Two’ became Associates’ big pop moment. Unlike some other groups of that era, they didn’t sacrifice any of their creativity to have their biggest hit.
‘Party Fears Two’ is a mysterious song. The title was coined from a story from one of Billy Mackenzie’s family members about a local party that had been crashed by two girls who ended up injuring themselves; lyrically the song doesn’t fit that theme. Like a lot of Mackenzie’s lyrics, the listener is left to guess at the meaning, for example, “My manners are failing me/I’m left feeling ugly/And you say it’s wonderful to live with/I never will”. Those lines are joined by cryptic lyrics such as, “I’m standing still/And you say I dress too well/Still standing still/I might, but it’s hard to tell.” He had one of those voices where he could make anything sound captivating.
I still remember the first time I ever heard the chorus, “Awake me.” I was in awe of how simple and catchy it was in the middle of a very complex song. It offers up the perfect release to the tension built up in the pre-chorus. When Mackenzie’s voice takes off towards the end of the song, it’s one of the most striking and powerful moments in pop music.
‘Party Fears Two’ came from their third album, Sulk, which remains one of the most brilliant and ambitious albums of all time. Stories of how they experimented to find new sounds have become legendary. They filled guitars with urine and the drum kits with water just to see if it sounded different. Sulk is a dense record full of atmospherics that have stood up remarkably well. ‘Party Fears Two’ offers the light on a very dark album. Alan Rankine was an inspired musician who was a perfect match for Mackenzie’s mischievous and unconventional nature. The input of the rest of the group can’t be ignored either: Michael Dempsey’s rubber-band bassline gives this song part of its charm.
‘Party Fears Two’ isn’t just the sound of two people at the height of their creative powers, it’s the sound of one incredible and underrated singer getting his big shot at being the star he was born to be. The Top Of The Pops performances from this era show what a charismatic man Billy Mackenzie was – he enjoyed his moment in the spotlight whilst not taking himself too seriously; each of their performances got sillier. It started with Mackenzie watching himself on a screen instead of singing to the audience and ended with him flirting with their backing singer Martha, snatching her microphone to show they were both miming whilst Rankine played a chocolate guitar.
Billy Mackenzie took his own life in January 1997. Since then, the pop world has been a less colourful place. He left behind some of the most original pop music ever made, including ‘Party Fears Two’.
