My Perfect Cousin

"My Perfect Cousin" is a song by Northern Irish punk rock band the Undertones. The song – inspired by an actual cousin of one of the band members^[1] – was written during the summer of 1979 and recorded at Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum in December 1979.^[2]

"My Perfect Cousin"
Single by The Undertones
from the album Hypnotised
Released	28 March 1980 (1980-03-28)
Recorded	December 1979
Genre	Punk rock
Length	2:36
Label	Sire Records
Songwriter(s)	Damian O'Neill Michael Bradley
The Undertones singles chronology
"You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It?)" (1979) "My Perfect Cousin" (1980) "Wednesday Week" (1980)
Music video
"My Perfect Cousin" on YouTube

"My Perfect Cousin" was the first of two singles to be released from the band's Hypnotised LP (the second being "Wednesday Week"), and was released on 28 March 1980.^[3] The single reached number 9 in both the UK Singles Chart^[4] and Irish Singles Chart, making the song the band's only top 10 single.^[5]

"My Perfect Cousin" was voted number 30 in the 1980 NME singles of the year poll.^[6]

Background

The song was the sixth single released by the Undertones, and the first single to be written by Damian O'Neill and Michael Bradley.^[7] The music video to the song was largely filmed at the home of the O'Neill brothers, and was directed by Julien Temple.^[8] The song was performed on Top of the Pops on two occasions: 10 April and 24 April 1980.^[9][10]

Sleeve artwork

The artwork for the single sleeve depicts a Subbuteo figure in the colours of the band's local football club, Derry City. The lyrics to the song are printed on the rear cover of the sleeve.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Written by	Length
1.	"My Perfect Cousin"	Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley	2:36

Side two

No.	Title	Written by	Length
1.	"Hard Luck (Again)"	John O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill, Feargal Sharkey, Billy Doherty	4:11
2.	"I Don't Wanna See (You Again)"	John O'Neill	0:48

References

1. "When Illusions are Shattered". The Ulster Herald. 8 February 2013. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
2. Sleeve notes for 2009 Salvo Music re-release of Hypnotised.
3. "The Undertones Discography". Connollyco.com. 1 January 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
4. "Official Singles Chart Top 40 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
5. "The Irish Charts: All There is to Know". irishcharts.ie. 15 June 2008. Archived from the original on 9 June 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
6. "Rocklist.net: NME End Of Year Lists 1980..." www.rocklistmusic.co.uk.
7. Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone p. 174
8. Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone p. 173
9. "Top of the Pops 10/04/1980". bbc.co.uk. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
10. "The Undertones Ultimate trainspotter's Guide: TV & Radio". theundertones.com. 11 November 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2016.^{[dead link]}

External links

• The Undertones official website