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Walls Come Tumbling Down!

{{Infobox song

| name = Walls Come Tumbling Down!

| cover = Wallscometumblingdown!.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = the Style Council

| album = Our Favourite Shop

| B-side = * "Spin Drifting"

  • "The Whole Point II"
  • "Blood Sports"

| released = 1985

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Northern soul{{cite book|title= The Alternative Jukebox|first=Larry|last=Bradley|date= November 4, 2014|chapter= The 1980s: The Style Council - "Walls Come Tumbling Down|page= 149|publisher=Cassell|isbn=978-1-84403-789-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w_phoAEACAAJ}}

  • British soul{{cite web|first= Ryan|last= Gibbs|title= An introduction to Sophisti-pop|website= In Between Drafts|date= November 15, 2022|url= https://inbetweendrafts.com/an-introduction-to-sophisti-pop/|accessdate= October 12, 2024}}
  • new wave
  • pop{{AllMusic |class=album|id=mw0000544599|title= The Style Council - The Best of Style Council (2001) Review|last= Dedina|first= Nick|access-date= January 23, 2025}}

| length =

| label = Polydor

| writer = Paul Weller

| producer =

| prev_title = Soul Deep

| prev_year = 1984

| next_title = Come to Milton Keynes

| next_year = 1985

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|k5HfOipwvts|"Walls Come Tumbling Down!"}}}}

}}

"Walls Come Tumbling Down!" is a song by the English pop band the Style Council which was their ninth single. It was written by their lead vocalist Paul Weller, and released in 1985 by Polydor Records. It is the first single from the band's second studio album, Our Favourite Shop (1985). Our Favourite Shop was renamed Internationalists for the US market.

The song "Blood Sports", which appeared on the single, is about anti-hunting and anti-animal blood sports. Its writing royalties went to the Bristol Defence Fund for two hunt saboteurs jailed for anti-blood sports activities, including attempted murder of a teenage rider and animal cruelty.{{cite web|accessdate=2018-09-08|url=http://www.wellerworld.co.uk/Internationalists.htm|title=Internationalists 1985|website=Wellerworld.co.uk|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041021134545/https://www.wellerworld.co.uk/Internationalists.htm|archivedate=21 October 2004}}

The music video was filmed in Warsaw, Poland.

Critical reception

John Leland of Spin called the song, "a brassy take on the sort of '60s soul pop Elvis Costello mined on Get Happy!!, but Weller's reading suffers from its 'look at me' ebullience. Limp stuff."{{cite magazine |magazine=Spin |title=Singles |author=John Leland |date=September 1985 |issue=5 |page=32 |url=https://archive.org/details/spin-05-september-1985/page/32/mode/1up}}

Compilation appearances

As well as the song's single release, it has featured on various compilation albums released by The Style Council. The song was included on The Singular Adventures of The Style Council (1989), The Complete Adventures of The Style Council (1998), and Greatest Hits (2000).

Track listing

  • 12" single (TSCX 8)
  1. "Walls Come Tumbling Down!"
  2. "Spin Drifting"
  3. "The Whole Point II"
  4. "Blood Sports"
  • 7" single (TSCX 8)
  1. "Walls Come Tumbling Down!" – 3:25
  2. "The Whole Point II" – 2:50
  3. "Blood Sports" – 3:25

Charts

class="wikitable sortable"
Chart (1985)

! Peak
position

Australian Singles Chart

| align="center" | 19

Irish Singles Chart{{Cite web |title=The Irish Charts - All there is to know |url=http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=www.irishcharts.ie}}

| align="center" | 6

New Zealand Singles Chart{{cite web|author=Steffen Hung |url=https://charts.nz/search.asp?cat=s&artist=the+s&artist_search=starts&title=&title_search=starts |title=New Zealand charts portal |publisher=charts.nz |date= |accessdate=2012-04-19}}

| align="center" | 15

UK Singles Chart{{cite book

| first= David

| last= Roberts

| year= 2006

| title= British Hit Singles & Albums

| edition= 19th

| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited

| location= London

| isbn= 1-904994-10-5

| page= 537}}

| align="center" | 6

Cover versions

Australian indie guitar pop band Screamfeeder covered the song on their 1999 studio album Home Age (The Hypnotized Label, HIP035), and reissued in 2004 on Introducing: Screamfeeder Singles & More 1992–2004 (Shock, SCREAM1CD).

Golden Earring frontman Barry Hay released a big band cover on The Big Band Theory, a 2008 collection of covers recorded with the Metropole Orkest (Blue Note, 50999 2364972 9).

References

{{Reflist}}

Externals links

  • {{discogs master|type=single|36820}}

{{The Style Council}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walls Come Tumbling Down!}}

Category:1985 singles

Category:The Style Council songs

Category:Songs written by Paul Weller

Category:1985 songs

Category:Polydor Records singles

{{1980s-pop-song-stub}}