Sit Down (song)

"Sit Down" is a song by English band James, originally released in 1989 by Rough Trade Records. The song's lyrics were written in the autumn of 1988 as a homage to author Doris Lessing and singer Patti Smith, who had inspired the lead singer of James, Tim Booth. In its seven-and-a-half-minute original form, the song only reached number 77 on the UK Singles Chart (although it did make number eight in John Peel's Festive Fifty of that year).

"Sit Down"
Single by James
Released19 June 1989[1]
RecordedAutumn 1988
GenreMadchester
Length
  • 7:39 (original)
  • 4:05 (re-release)
LabelRough Trade/Mercury
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Gil Norton
James singles chronology
"Ya Ho"
(1988)		 "Sit Down"
(1989)		 "Come Home"
(1989)
Re-release cover
Cover of the 1991 release on Mercury
James re-release singles chronology
"Lose Control"
(1990)		 "Sit Down (re-recording)"
(1991)		 "Sound"
(1991)
James late-1990s singles chronology
"Runaground"
(1998)		 "Sit Down '98 (Apollo 440 mix)"
(1998)		 "I Know What I'm Here For"
(1999)

After experiencing success as part of the Madchester music scene, a new version was released in March 1991 that was shorter and with new lyrics. It reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, spending three weeks there. It was the 20th best-selling single of 1991 in the UK.[2]

In 2013, the song placed 4th in a poll by BBC Radio 2 and the Official Charts Company to find the greatest track to miss out on the number one spot in the UK charts.[3] In the same year, James performed the song with Peter Kay for Comic Relief. On March 30, 2017 a version of the song was used in the promo of the seventh season of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones.[4]

Background

In an interview with Dave Simpson of The Guardian on the effect of the song, James guitarist Larry Gott stated, “Sit Down is one of those songs that encourages people to put their arms around strangers. As soon as we launch into the opening bars, they start smiling. Then they turn to someone next to them or their girlfriend or boyfriend and hug them, and then they start singing every single word. As a musician, that's incredibly humbling.”[5]

In 2006, Sit Down was used as a featured song in BBC Three's Manchester Passion, in which lead singer Tim Booth also appeared as Judas Iscariot. Darren Morfitt, in the role of Jesus, sang a less upbeat rendition of the piece to his resting disciples while the presenter signalled the audience to sit down. Booth sang the song in an encore after the credits.

On 4 June 2017, Coldplay performed "Sit Down" at the One Love Manchester benefit concert for the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing, before performing their song "Fix You".[6][7]

Fans of Premier League club Liverpool rewrote the lyrics of this song in 2018 as a new terrace chant for 2017-18 Premier League Golden Boot winner Mohamed Salah.[8] James' lead singer Tim Booth thought the version was witty and welcomed its use for one of the world's best footballers.[9]

The chorus of "Sit Down" was sung in the CBeebies programme Show Me Show Me, when trying to see which toy would come sit next to presenter Chris, except the last line "in sympathy" was replaced with "next to me".

Track listing

1989 original release
  1. "Sit Down" (7" and 8:31 extended version on 12")
  2. "Goin' Away" (12" and CD)
  3. "Sound Investment" (12" and CD)
  4. "Sky Is Falling" (7", 12" and CD)

1991 release
  1. "Sit Down" (new version) (7", 12" and CD)
  2. "Tonight" (12" and CD)
  3. "Sunday Morning" (Canadian CD)
  4. "Sit Down" (live at G-Mex) (7", 12" and CD)

Sit Down '98

CD1:

  1. "Sit Down '98" (Apollo 440 remix)
  2. "Sit Down" (original)
  3. "China Girl" (Radio One Iggy Pop tribute)

CD2:

  1. "Sit Down '98" (Apollo 440 remix)
  2. "What For" (Glr Session)
  3. "Sit Down" (Glr Session)

12" promo:

  1. "Sit Down '98" (Apollo 440 Remix)
  2. "Sit Down '98" (Oh Zidane Oh Zidane)

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] Platinum 600,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Sit Down – Press Release" (Press release). United Kingdom: Rough Trade Records. June 1989.
  2. "1991 Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 11 January 1992. p. 20.
  3. "Ultravox's Vienna tops 'number two' poll". BBC News.
  4. Roots, Kimberly (March 30, 2017). "Game of Thrones: Watch the Haunting First Season 7 Teaser Trailer Now". TVLine. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  5. "Tim Booth and Larry Gott of James: how we made Sit Down". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  6. https://twitter.com/wearejames/status/872096453937827842
  7. Newman, Vicki (4 June 2017). "People are being reduced to tears by Coldplay's rendition of Fix You at One Love". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  8. "Liverpool fans have brilliant Mohamed Salah song". Liverpool Echo. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  9. "Salah's Kop song gets official James seal of approval". Liverpool FC. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  10. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  12. "Austriancharts.at – James – Sit Down" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  13. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8 no. 18. 4 May 1991. p. 25. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  14. "Offiziellecharts.de – James – Sit Down". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Sit Down". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  16. "Dutchcharts.nl – James – Sit Down" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  17. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  18. "James Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  19. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  20. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  21. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8 no. 51–52. 21 December 1991. p. 21. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  22. "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1998 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  23. "British single certifications – James – Sit Down". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
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