Mayor of Simpleton explained

"Mayor of Simpleton" is a song written by Andy Partridge of the English band XTC, released as the first single from their 1989 album Oranges & Lemons. The single reached No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, No. 1 on its Alternative Songs chart, and No. 15 on its Mainstream Rock chart,^[2] becoming the band's best-performing single in the United States.^[3]

Background

The song began as a reggae tune and went through numerous iterations. Partridge settled on its final arrangement after discovering a C major to D major picking pattern that he thought resembled Blue Öyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (1976). Unlike many other XTC songs, he instructed a specific bass part to Colin Moulding: "Colin had to work very hard to get that bass line. It's very precise. It took me a long time to work it out, because I wanted to get into the J.S. Bach mode of each note being the perfect counterpoint to where the chords are and where the melody is. The bass is the third part in the puzzle." Its lyrics are sometimes criticised for its similarity to Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World" (1960), but Partridge denied copying the song intentionally.^[4]

Lyrically, the song describes a man who is looked down upon by his girlfriend's peers for being reportedly uneducated and non-intellectual, stating that despite this, he is devoted to her; one lyric from the chorus is "I may be the mayor of Simpleton, but I know one thing and that's I love you."

Charts

Chart (1989)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[5]	89
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6]	42
US Billboard Hot 100[7]	72
US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)[8]	15
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[9]	1

See also

• List of Billboard number-one alternative singles of the 1980s

External links

• "Mayor of Simpleton" on Chalkhills
• What makes this song great? - Rick Beato

Notes and References

1. Oranges & Lemons - Geffon. CMJ New Music Report. 24 February 1989. 164.
2. Web site: Billboard > Artists / XTC > Chart History > Mainstream Rock Songs. Billboard. 17 September 2016.
3. Web site: Raggett. Ned. The Mayor of Simpleton. AllMusic.
4. Web site: Bernhardt. Todd. Andy discusses 'Mayor of Simpleton'. Chalkhills. 7 January 2007.
5. Web site: Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 12 September 2016. Imgur. 17 September 2016.
6. http://rpmimages.3345.ca/pdfs/Volume+49-No.+25-April+17-22%2C+1989.pdf RPM Top Singles - April 17, 1989, p. 6
7. Billboard Hot 100. Billboard. 20 May 1989. 4 September 2023.
8. Mainstream Rock Airplay. Billboard. 29 April 1989. subscription. 4 September 2023.
9. Alternative Airplay. Billboard. 1 April 1989. 4 September 2023.