WHERE DID ALL THE LOVE GO?

Album: West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Released as a single: August 17 2009

Highest chart position: 30

Written by: Pizzorno

Single Releases

Paradise 63 (promo CD)
Paradise 64 (CD single)
Paradise 65 (10” vinyl)

Remixes

Burns remix

Where Did All the Love Go? 10” vinyl

Video

It is directed by Charles Mehling. Serge describes it as ‘a surreal circus with us playing in the middle of it, based on one of those old ‘60’s American variety shows. It’s all seen through the eyes of a couple of kids who sneak under the canvas walls of a large tent set in an abandoned warehouse and see the madness taking place. It’s a constant bombardment of images and ideas, total overload. We wanted it to have a disorientating feel so you’re not sure what’s coming next, like when you’re jet-lagged and you’re more receptive to things. Stylistically it’s inspired by (’60s’ auteur) Kenneth Anger in films like Scorpio Rising, Busby Berkeley and French cabaret. It’s very surreal- there are Black Panthers in it, a knife thrower with a Union Jack cape, pigs painted with Euro signs, the lot! It was another one of those Spinal Tap moments. I’d be standing there next to a Hells Angel and a belly dancer and a donkey would walk past!’

Live performances

It has consistently been performed live for WRPLA tour, always after Underdog and followed by Swarfiga. The places with Underdog have been swapped for 2011 warm up and festivals tour. During the Velociraptor! tour a longer instrumental intro was added to the song.

There are some acoustic performances of the song, including a performance only by Serge (for Sky Arts Songbook).

Other

Serge about the song: ‘It’s like holding up a mirror to the country…It can be very sombre, played slow on an acoustic guitar it sounds like a Neil Young song, but on the record it’s really uplifting’. Tom, in contrast, thinks that it’s a ‘really sad song’.