La folie (album)
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La folie is the sixth studio album by English new wave band The Stranglers. It was released on 9 November 1981, through record label Liberty; their first album on the label.
Background
The Stranglers had initially been the most commercially successful band of the punk/new wave period in Britain, but by 1981, their success had waned noticeably. La folie was a conscious attempt to deliver a more commercial product. The band's record company, EMI, sent them into the studio with the record producer, Tony Visconti, giving him a brief to "produce each song as if it was a hit single".[citation needed]
The album's French language title literally translates to "madness". In various interviews, the band related that this referred to "The Madness of Love" and that conceptually, each of the songs on the album was intended to explore a different kind or aspect of "love".[1] The title track is also said to be based upon the story of Issei Sagawa.[citation needed] Hugh Cornwell related in The Stranglers – Song by Song that the correct title of the album's opening track was "Non Stop Nun", and he apparently had been unaware that the record company had printed it as simply "Non Stop".[2]
There has been much controversy surrounding the lyrics to "Golden Brown". In his 2001 book The Stranglers Song By Song, Hugh Cornwell states "'Golden Brown' works on two levels. It's about heroin and also about a girl". Essentially, the lyrics describe how "both provided me with pleasurable times".[3]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by The Stranglers (Hugh Cornwell, Jean-Jacques Burnel, Dave Greenfield, Jet Black), except "Ain't Nothin' to It", by Milton Mezz Mezzrow; all music is composed by The Stranglers
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Non Stop" | 2:29 |
| 2. | "Everybody Loves You When You're Dead" | 2:41 |
| 3. | "Tramp" | 3:04 |
| 4. | "Let Me Introduce You to the Family" | 3:07 |
| 5. | "Ain't Nothin' to It" | 3:56 |
| 6. | "The Man They Love to Hate" | 4:22 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Pin Up" | 2:46 |
| 8. | "It Only Takes Two to Tango" | 3:37 |
| 9. | "Golden Brown" | 3:28 |
| 10. | "How to Find True Love and Happiness in the Present Day" | 3:04 |
| 11. | "La folie" | 6:04 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Cruel Garden" | 2:14 |
| 13. | "Cocktail Nubiles" | 7:08 |
| 14. | "Vietnamerica" | 4:01 |
| 15. | "Love 30" | 3:55 |
| 16. | "You Hold the Key to My Love in Your Hands" | 2:40 |
| 17. | "Strange Little Girl" | 2:40 |
Release
La folie was preceded by the release of the album's first single, "Let Me Introduce You to the Family", released on 2 November 1981 and reaching No. 42 in the UK Singles Chart.[4] La folie was released seven days later.
Upon its release, La folie looked set to be the band's lowest-charting album, but, buoyed by the success of the album's second single, "Golden Brown", released 10 January 1982 and reaching No. 2 in the singles chart,[4] the album eventually peaked at No. 11 in the UK Albums Chart, spending eighteen weeks in the chart.[4] The single would go on to become EMI's highest-selling single for many years. One more single was released from the album, the album's title track "La folie", on 20 April 1982, which reached No. 47.[4]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Rock 82 | (favorable)[6] |
Trouser Press wrote of the album: "Subtle, effective, mature and energetic – but no outstanding songs."[7]
Personnel
- Hugh Cornwell - guitar, lead and backing vocals
- Dave Greenfield - keyboards, backing vocals
- Jean-Jacques Burnel - bass, backing and lead vocals
- Jet Black - drums, percussion [8]
References
- ^ Buckley, David (1997). No Mercy: The Authorised and Uncensored Biography of The Stranglers. London: Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-0-340-68062-9.
- ^ Cornwell, Hugh (2001). The Stranglers: Song by Song. London: Sanctuary. ISBN 978-1-86074-362-7.
- ^ Cornwell, Hugh; Drury, Jim (2001). The Stranglers Song By Song. Sanctuary Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-86074-362-5.
- ^ a b c d "Stranglers | Artist | Official Charts". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
- ^ Cleary, David. "La folie – The Stranglers : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. AllRovi. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
- ^ Vesić, Dušan. "La Folie, The Stranglers". Rock 82 (in Serbian) (13). Belgrade: NIP Politika: 7.
- ^ Robbins, Ira. "trouserpress.com :: Stranglers". trouserpress.com. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/Stranglers-La-Folie/release/5444998