"Lydia" is a song by New Zealand band

Fur Patrol Fur Patrol were a New Zealand rock band, which formed in Wellington in May 1996 by Andrew Bain on bass guitar, Simon Braxton on drums, Julia Deans on lead vocals and guitar, and Steve Wells on lead guitar. Their debut studio album, '' Pet'' (Se ...

from their debut studio album, ''

Pet A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive/ cute appearances, inte ...

'', released in 2000. Written by lead vocalist

Julia Deans Julia Mary Deans (born 27 August 1974) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter best known as the lead singer of rock band Fur Patrol. Banshee Reel In the early '90s, Deans joined Wellington-based Celtic rock band Banshee Reel. The group releas ...

, the song is about a woman who observes that her ex-lover is in a new relationship with another woman—Lydia. The song spent 19 weeks on the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official Aotearoa Music Charts, formerly the Official New Zealand Music Chart (), is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The M ...

, peaking at number one on 24 December 2000. In 2001, it was voted the 19th-best New Zealand song of all time by APRA. The song also won two awards at the 2001 New Zealand Music Awards: Single of the Year and Best Songwriter (awarded to Deans). "Lydia" was released in Australia on 18 March 2002 but did not chart.

Background and release

Deans said of the song, "It's a classic story. The jilted ex, and it's not necessarily an ex, walks into a cafe or bar and sees the significant other at a table with another other. We have all been there. It was drawn as much from one's own relationships as it was from other people's. When you are young, you end up being that person sitting in a bar and watching your recent beloved getting cosy with someone else. So I guess the song is about that moment when you know a relationship is over but are faced with the reality of it, that someone you thought you loved and thought loved you, has moved on." In New Zealand and Australia, "Lydia" was issued as a CD single containing four tracks: the original version of "Lydia", an acoustic version as the closing track, and two other songs from ''

'' recorded during sessions with New Zealand radio manager Helen Young—"Andrew" and "Holy".

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the ''Pet'' liner notes. Studio * Recorded and mixed at Marmalade Studio A (

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, New Zealand) * Mastered at 301 Sydney (

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia) Fur Patrol * Fur Patrol – writing **

– writing, vocals, guitar, keyboards ** Steven Wells – guitar ** Andrew Bain – bass keyboards ** Simon Braxton – drums, percussion Other personnel * David Long – production * Mike Gibson – recording * Sam Gibson – mixing, mastering * Steve Smart – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lydia (Song) 2000 singles 2000 songs APRA Award winners Number-one singles in New Zealand Warner Music Group singles