The La’s – There She Goes

Woodcray 1988, Lillywhite remix, Liverpool jangle

In 1988, Go! Discs released There She Goes by The La’s, written by frontman Lee Mavers. Bob Andrews produced the recording at Woodcray Studios in Wokingham. The Liverpool line-up on the single featured Mavers on vocals and guitar, John Power on bass and backing vocals, John « Boo » Byrne on electric guitar, and Chris Sharrock on drums. A January 1989 chart run peaked at No. 59 in the UK. The song later opened a wider door when Steve Lillywhite remixed Andrews’ take for the 1990 self-titled debut album.

That remixed version was reissued as a single on 22 October 1990 and climbed to No. 13 in the UK, No. 2 on the US Modern Rock chart, and No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video shows the band moving through rundown Liverpool streets, shot quickly on a hand-held camera. What you hear is short and bright: ringing guitar, a clear vocal hook, and a rhythm that refuses to slow down for ornament.

Mavers was famously hard to please in the studio. The La’s worked with a string of producers before the album finally appeared, and Mavers later rejected much of the finished record. Even so, There She Goes (still rooted in the Andrews session) became the song that carried the band beyond Merseyside. Power left in 1991 to form Cast; The La’s never delivered a second studio album.