Discography
LOVE'S A LONELY PLACE TO BE
back
index
next
sleeve
  • lonely7
  • lonely12rear
  • lonely12label
ret
  • SINGLES 1982-1987
  • ALBUMS 1982-2021
  • COMPILATIONS
formatseven twelve blank2 blank2a blank3 additional songwords press blank6 blank6 additional
CATALOGUE WFI001
FORMAT 7" SINGLE
LABEL WHY FI
RELEASE DATE JANUARY 1983
SLEEVE DESIGN Town & Country Planning
 
CURRENT VALUE £10
TRACK LISTING WRITERS PRODUCER RECORDED
LOVE'S A LONELY PLACE TO BE Virginia Astley Jon Astley & Phil Chapman Hammersmith, London
SOARING Russell Webb Jon Astley & Phil Chapman Hammersmith, London
A SUMMER LONG SINCE PASSED Virginia Astley Virginia Astley & Russell Webb Barley Break, Moulsford
IT'S TOO HOT TO SLEEP Virginia Astley Virginia Astley & Russell Webb Barley Break, Moulsford

NOTES

'Love's A Lonely Place To Be' emerged during sessions at the home studio of producer/engineer Phil Chapman in 1982. Co-engineered & produced with Jon Astley (Virginia's musician/producer brother), it marked the second release on the Why-Fi label, following the A Bao A Qu 10" EP back in January 1982.

Commenting on the song in a piece for the NME at the time, Virginia said: “It was just saying that it is pathetic to stay with someone that you spend half your time hating and rowing with.”

'Soaring' was written by Russell Webb, who also worked with Virginia on her 1983 debut album From Gardens Where We Feel Secure. There was some friction in the studio between Webb and Chapman over the best direction for this track which resulted in two different versions. Here, 'Soaring' uses more bass guitar and has a more dynamic feel to it, whereas the version that ended up on the Promise Nothing album is much smoother.

'A Summer Long Since Passed' and 'It's Too Hot To Sleep' has been recorded during the previous spring and would eventually see release on Virginia's debut album From Gardens Where We Feel Secure in the summer of 1983.

'Love's A Lonely Place To Be' reached No. 7 in the UK Independent charts.

Initial copies of the single featured a card insert with a picture of Virginia and the lyrics to 'Love's A Lonely Place To Be'..

 

TRIVIA

The cover is of the River Thames at Sonning Bridge.

Russell Webb was also a member of The Skids and The Armoury Show.

"People say all these things about my music" commented Virginia in a piece for City Limits magazine in 1985, "I get accused of "soppy" writing but they don't see it as double-edged, which it is. I remember a friend said he'd bought 'Love's A Lonely Place To Be' for his girlfriend. It made me laugh cos it's really quite cynical."

Random Facts

Had I The Heavens was originally titled The Woodlanders after the novel by Thomas Hardy. Virginia had worked on a possible musical based on the book and some of the songs on this album were an offshoot of that original idea.

Site Design by Arc23