"Victoria" is a song by the

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

rock band The Exponents from the band's 1982 album '' Prayers Be Answered''. Released in June 1982 as the band's first single, it reached Number 6 on the New Zealand singles chart. The song was selected by a panel of New Zealand songwriters to have been the #8 top 100 New Zealand songs of all time.

Background

"Victoria" was inspired by Jordan Luck's landlady in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, with the name ''Victoria'' used as a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

(her real name was Vicky). She successfully ran an escort agency but lived with an abusive man: Luck questioned her relationship with the line "What do you see in him?". The band moved to

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

before the release of the song. After the single became a success, Luck visited "Victoria" in Christchurch and was happy to find that she not only loved the song but had also split up with her abusive boyfriend.

Music video

A video was funded by the New Zealand Broadcasting Association but, unusually for the time, included a story rather than just a studio performance. Shot in the band's hometown of Christchurch, it shows Luck as "Victoria"'s taxi driver and Al Park, a singer-songwriter sometimes credited as the father figure for the "Lyttelton Sound" and the first person to bring punk music to Christchurch. In 2019, Luck covered Park's "I Walked Away" for the covers collection ''Better Already - The Songs Of Al Park''.

Alternative versions

The recording of "Victoria" on the ''Prayers Be Answered'' album differs from the original single. Another version was also included on the 1985 ''

Amplifier An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It is a two-port electronic circuit that uses electric power from a power su ...

'' album.

Charts

References

External links

Victoria Music Video (New Zealand On Screen)

Victoria - the evolution of a great pop song
Radio New Zealand {{The Exponents 1982 singles APRA Award winners The Exponents songs 1982 songs