Victoria (Dance Exponents song)
| "Victoria" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Dance Exponents | ||||
| from the album Prayers Be Answered | ||||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Format | 7 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:26 | |||
| Songwriter(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 in Christchurch, with the name Victoria used as a pseudonym whilst her real name was Vicky.[2] She successfully ran an escort agency but lived with an abusive man: Luck questioned her relationship with the line "What do you see in him?".
Victoria was 23 and earned [sic] 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[3]
The band moved to Auckland before the release of the song. 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.[4]
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.[5]
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.
- ↑ Anderson, Vicki (28 May 2016). "Whatever happened to Victoria?". The Press. Christchurch. p. C5. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ↑ "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