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| "Young Parisians" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byAdam and the Ants | ||||
| A-side | "Young Parisians" | |||
| B-side | "Lady" | |||
| Released | 20 October 1978 | |||
| Recorded | Island studios, Basing Street,Notting Hill, 26 August 1978 | |||
| Genre | Music hall,punk,new wave | |||
| Length | 3:01 | |||
| Label | Decca Records | |||
| Songwriter | Adam Ant | |||
| Producers | Adam Ant & Jo Julian | |||
| Adam and the Ants singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Young Parisians" is the debut single fromAdam and the Ants, written byAdam Ant. Originally released on 20 October 1978, it was the band's only single onDecca Records.[1]
"Young Parisians" has been included onThe Very Best Of Adam And The Ants &Antmusic: The Very Best of Adam Ant. A demo version is the lead track on the first disc of theAntbox three CD set.[2]
At the time, the band were combining the punk sound of their earliest days with a more experimental ethos which would characterise their 1979 debutDirk Wears White Sox and, to some extent, its 1980 follow-upKings of the Wild Frontier (by which time only Adam Ant remained from the line-up of the debut single).
"Young Parisians" was an acoustic cabaret-style number that was deliberately chosen as a single to confuse people who viewed Adam and the Ants as a punk band. Ant later admitted that this was probably a mistake and that "Lady" should have been the leading track.
In December 1980, following the initial success ofKings of the Wild Frontier and its singles "Dog Eat Dog" and 'Antmusic', the single was re-promoted in the UK, reaching #9 on theUK Singles Chart.[3]
A new edition in white vinyl was released in October 2023 to commemorate the single's 45th anniversary. This reached number 15 on the UK singles sales chart (not including downloads).[4]
The B-side, written by Ant, demonstrated the band's capacity for fast-pacedpunk rock. In Australia, DJs on Sydney'sDouble J radio station preferred to play the B-side, which garnered enough attention for "Lady" rather than the A-Side to appear on the 1980 compilation albumIn the Bag.[5]
A demo version of "Lady", incorporating "Catch A Falling Star", written byPaul Vance andLee Pockriss appeared as track 2 on "Antbox" (2000)
It was produced by the band's singer Adam Ant and sessionpianist Jo Julian. At this point, the other permanent members of the band wereMatthew Ashman (guitar),Dave Barbarossa (drums) andAndy Warren (bass guitar).Saxophonist Greg Mason also appeared on theA-side.[6]
Damaged Goods Records released a12" single of "Young Parisians" & "Lady" in 1989. Both tracks appear on the A-side, while two "Dodgy Interviews" appear on the B-side. The first interview was conducted withZeroxFanzine inChelmsford 4 February 1979. The second was done forPogo Fanzine inItaly after the band's performance inMilan 17 October 1978. The A-side plays at 45 RPM, and the B-side plays at 33 RPM.[7]
