Song · The Housemartins
“The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death” by The Housemartins
From the album The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death (1987)
“The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death” by The Housemartins appears on 1 radio countdown from 1 station in 1991. It was first released in 1987 on the album The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death. Its best result is #199 on the CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #4,492 alternative song of all time.
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The title song of the Housemartins' second and last album, "The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death" arrived in 1987 with the British royal family in its sights, and the tabloids took the bait, lumping the band in with other troublemakers like the Sex Pistols, the Smiths and the Stone Roses.
Paul Heaton wrote the words and Stan Cullimore the music, and the band co-produced it with John Williams, with Phil Bodger engineering. Dave Hemingway is on drums, Guy Barker blows trumpet and Pete Wingfield sits in on piano as a guest. There was never a third album, which leaves this as the song that named their farewell record: a jab at the palace on the way out the door.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 199 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) | 1002 |
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