Victoria (Dance Exponents song)
"Victoria" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by The Dance Exponents | ||||
from the album Prayers Be Answered | ||||
Released | 1982 | |||
Format | 7 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 03:26 | |||
Writer(s) | Jordan Luck | |||
The Dance Exponents singles chronology | ||||
|
"Victoria" is a song by New Zealand rock band The Exponents from their 1982 album Prayers Be Answered and their debut single. Released in 1982 it reached Number 6 on the New Zealand singles chart.[1] The song was selected by a panel of New Zealand songwriters to have been the #8 top 100 New Zealand songs of all time.
Background
"Victoria" was inspired by Luck's landlady (though Victoria was used as a pseudonym) in Christchurch. She was successfully running an escort agency but living with an abusive man: Luck directly expressed his opinion of her relationship with the line "What do you see in him?".
Victoria was 23 and earned the whole apartment block. She was a hard worker. And yes, she read Alvin Toffler. But we'd wake up in the morning and she'd be bruised because her boyfriend was beating her up.— Jordan Luck , New Zealand Herald[2]
The band moved to Auckland before the song was released. After the single became a success, Luck visited 'Victoria' in Christchurch and was happy to find that she not only loved the song but had also split from her abusive boyfriend.[3]
Music video
The video was funded by the New Zealand Broadcasting Association but, unusually for the time, included a story rather than just a studio performance. Shot in the band's hometown of Christchurch, it features Jordan Luck as "Victoria's" taxi driver.[4]
Alternate Versions
The recording of ""Victoria"" on the Prayers Be Answered album differs from the original single. Another version was also included on the 1985 Amplifier album.
References
- ↑ "Victoria: Charts.org.nz". charts.org.nz. Charts.org.nz. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
- ↑ "The National Anthems". NZ Herald. November 3, 2001. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ↑ "Through the Eyes of Love (documentary)". Documentary. NZ on Screen. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
- ↑ "Victoria: NZ On Screen". NZ On Screen. NZ on Screen. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
External links
- Victoria Music Video (New Zealand On Screen)
- Victoria - the evolution of a great pop song, Radio New Zealand