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Five Get Over Excited is a song by The Housemartins released as a single from their album The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death.

The follow-up to their #1 UK hit "Caravan of Love" (although it was preceded by the USA-only release of "Flag Day"), it peaked at #11 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1987.[2][3]

Although it was the first single without drummer Hugh Whitaker, who left the band before this song and album were recorded,[3] Whitaker appears in the music video for the track, where he is kidnapped by new drummer Dave Hemingway.

Music writer Rikki Rooksby notes that the track's "anti-hyperbolic title" is "positively revolutionary", as the use of hyperbole in pop lyrics is pervasive but never admitted.[4] In 2007, the Manchester Evening News described the tune as "another corking chart hit that stands as a beacon amongst the dross of the 1980s."[5]

7 inch single track listing

  • "Five Get Over Excited"
  • "Rebel Without The Airplay"

12 inch/cassette single track listing

  • "Five Get Over Excited"
  • "So Glad"
  • "Hopelessly Devoted To Them"
  • "Rebel Without The Airplay"

Charts

Chart (1987) Peak
position
Dutch Singles Chart 96
Irish Singles Chart 4
UK Singles Chart 11

References

  1. ^ Smith, Robin (9 May 1987). "Index". Record Mirror. p. 5. ISSN 0144-5804.
  2. ^ "Five Get Over Excited", Chart Stats, retrieved 2010-02-10
  3. ^ a b Strong, Martin C. (2002) The Great Rock Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-312-1, p. 489
  4. ^ Rikki Rooksby. The title may also be a reference to Enid Blyton 's Famous Five novels. Lyrics: Writing Better Words for Your Songs (2006) (ISBN 978-0879308858)
  5. ^ "Releases: Music". Manchester Evening News. November 6, 2007.
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