"Do the Strand" is the first song from English rock band

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone and ...

's second album, '' For Your Pleasure''. In contrast to the songs from Roxy Music's eponymous debut album, this song starts suddenly without any instrumental fanfare. Like the rest of the album, the song was recorded at AIR Studios, Oxford Street, London.

Lyric

''Do the Strand'' was written by Roxy Music frontman

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry and ...

. Ferry said of the song's origins, "I had long been a fan of

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

and other songwriters from his era. ''Do the Strand'' was an attempt to emulate that style of writing, with a lot of cultural references that I found interesting." In the mode of early-1960s 'dance craze' songs such as ''The Twist'', the song tries to convince the listener to dance the Strand, which takes its name from a

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

advertisement for Strand cigarettes. The lyric includes, as is typical for early Roxy Music, references to notable art, including The Sphinx, the ''

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a Half length portrait, half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described ...

'', ''

Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Hum ...

'' and Picasso's ''

Guernica Guernica (, ), official name (reflecting the Basque language) Gernika (), is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lumo) of the m ...

''. Bryan Ferry described his idea for ''The Strand'' as "the 'dance of life' – thus bringing to mind earlier dance phenomena, such as the avant-garde passion and exuberance of both The

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Russian Revolution, Revolution ...

and the controversial Jazz Age dance craze the

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

." The song gives no instructions on how the Strand should be danced. Simon Puxley, writing in 1973, suggested the dance was "indefinable" and best thought of as "where it's at, whatever turns you on. The buzz, the action, the centre, the quintessence, the energy."

Single

"Do the Strand" was released as a single in 1973 in some countries but not in the UK. That same year, however, the band performed the song on the UK television music show ''

The Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music show. The show was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough and aired on BBC2 from 1971 to 1988. ...

''. It was released as a single in the UK in 1978 to promote Roxy Music's ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

'' album, but it failed to chart. Despite this, the song remains one of the most popular amongst the band's fans, especially at live concerts.

Covers

The German synthpop band Alphaville recorded a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...

of "Do the Strand" for their 2003 album '' CrazyShow''. The American pop band

Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters were an American pop rock band formed in 2001. Its members include Jake Shears and Ana Matronic as vocalists, Babydaddy as multi-instrumentalist, Del Marquis as lead guitar/bassist, and Randy Real (who replaced Paddy Boom) ...

recorded another cover version for the War Child charity's 2009 charity album '' War Child Presents Heroes''.

Musicians

* Andy Mackay: oboe and saxophone *

: voice and keyboards *

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

: synthesizer and tapes *

Paul Thompson Paul Thompson may refer to: Education *Paul Thompson (professor) (born 1951), British management professor at the University of Strathclyde *Paul B. Thompson (philosopher) (born 1951), American philosopher at Michigan State University *Paul H. Tho ...

: drums *

Phil Manzanera Phillip Geoffrey Targett-Adams (born 31 January 1951), known professionally as Phil Manzanera, is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music, and was the lead guitarist with 801, and Quiet Su ...

: guitar * John Porter: bass

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Do The Strand Roxy Music songs Songs written by Bryan Ferry 1973 songs Song recordings produced by Chris Thomas (record producer) Song recordings produced by John Anthony (record producer) Island Records singles Warner Records singles Polydor Records singles