Hoover Factory

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Five miles out of London on the Western Avenue
Must have been a wonder when it was brand new
Talkin' 'bout the splendour of the Hoover factory
I know that you'd agree if you had seen it too

It's not a matter of life or death
But what is, what is?
It doesn't matter if I take another breath
Who cares, who cares?

Green for go, green for action
From Park Royal to North Acton
Past scrolls and inscriptions like those of the Egyptian age
And one of these days the Hoover factory
Is gonna be all the rage in those fashionable pages

Five miles out of London on the Western Avenue
Must have been a wonder when it was brand new
Talkin' 'bout the splendour of the Hoover factory
I know that you'd agree if you had seen it too

It's not a matter of life or death
But what is, what is?
It doesn't matter if I take another breath
Who cares, who cares, who cares, who cares?

Hoover Factory
Written byElvis Costello
Performed byElvis Costello
Produced byElvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, all instruments
RecordedMarch 1980, Am-Pro Studios, London
ReleasedNovember 1980
AlbumsGet Happy!! (Rykodisc/Demon reissue), 1994
Get Happy!! (Rhino/Edsel reissue), 2003
SinglesClubland, 1980
CollectionsTaking Liberties, 1980
Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers, 1980
Singles, Volume 2, 2003
PromosTen Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers promo, 1980
Length1:44

First known performance:
August 7, 1977, London, England
Last known performance:
February 9, 2023, New York, NY
     (24 known performances)


Alternate versions

Hoover Factory (Live 1977)
Performed byElvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocal, guitar
RecordedAugust 7, 1977, London, England
ReleasedSeptember 11, 2007
AlbumsMy Aim Is True: Deluxe Edition, 2007
Length2:01

Hoover Factory (Alternate Version)
Performed byElvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, guitar
Steve Nieve (?) - keyboards
Recordedlate 1980-early 1981, Eden Studios, London
ReleasedJuly 28, 2003
AlbumsTrust (Rhino/Edsel reissue), 2003
Length1:43
Taking LibertiesTL album cover 200.jpg

Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers10BM album cover 280.jpg

Clubland UK 7" single front sleeve.jpg

Get Happy!!GH album cover large.jpg

TrustTrust album cover large.jpg

Singles, Volume 2Singles Volume 2 album cover.jpg

Covers

Tori Amos performed live, 2005-06-03, Apollo Hammersmith, London 2005 thedent.comYouTube
Jon Brion performed live, 2003-03-27, EC tribute, Knitting Factory, Los Angeles 2003 archive.org
Handshake Squad performed live, 2001-08-17, Costello tribute, Tampa, Florida 2001 handshakesquad.com
Steve Nieve instrumental, performed live, 2020-04-07, The Daily Improvisation, France 2020 Facebook - 5:20
Erich Sellheim home studio production, sung in German 2015 YouTube
Zachapat performed live, 2017-03-16, Costello Tribute, Harlow's, Sacramento, California 2017 YouTube

Internal links

External links