There She Goes (The La's song)

"There She Goes" is a song by English rock band the La's, written by the band's frontman, Lee Mavers. First released in 1988, the song reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart when it was re-issued in 1990. It was listed at number 22 on NME's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".^[3] In 2007, NME had placed the song at number 45 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.^[4]

"There She Goes"
Artwork for 1990 reissue
Single by the La's
from the album The La's
B-side	"Come In, Come Out" "Who Knows" "Man I'm Only Human" "All by Myself"
Released	1988
Studio	Woodcray (Wokingham, England)
Genre	Jangle pop[1] dream pop[2]
Length	2:42 (album version) 2:31 (single version)
Label	Go! Discs
Songwriter(s)	Lee Mavers
Producer(s)	Bob Andrews
The La's singles chronology
"Way Out" (1987) "There She Goes" (1988) "Timeless Melody" (1990)
"Timeless Melody" (1990) "There She Goes" (1990) "Feelin'" (1991)
"There She Goes (2nd Re-issue)" (1999) "There She Goes (3rd Re-issue)" (2008)
Audio
"There She Goes" on YouTube

Lyrics and meaning

The song contains no verses, only a single chorus repeated four times and a bridge.

"There She Goes" has gained a reputation for being about the use of heroin, possibly as a result of the lines: "There she goes again... racing through my brain... pulsing through my vein... no one else can heal my pain".^[5] Several newspapers ran articles about the La's and their apparent ode to heroin.^[6] When asked about the rumour in 1995, the group's bassist John Power replied: "I don't know. Truth is, I don't wanna know."^[7] However, in the book In Search of The La's: A Secret Liverpool (2003) by MW Macefield, ex-La's guitarist Paul Hemmings denied the rumour. In an interview with Les Inrockuptibles, Mavers admits to trying heroin in 1990. The song therefore predated his experience as it was originally released in 1988. Mavers himself has also emphatically denied that the song is about heroin.^[8]

The band's guitarist John Byrne said of the song, "I thought it would be big, a lot bigger than it was, but then forgotten like a lot of pop songs. In retrospect, the opposite happened."^[9]

Release and reception

The first version of the song, produced by Bob Andrews, was released by the La's in 1988 and again on 2 January 1989. The 1989 release peaked at number 59 on the UK Singles Chart.^[10] Andrews' production of the song was remixed by Steve Lillywhite in 1990 for inclusion on their debut album The La's.^[11] This remixed version was issued as a single on 22 October 1990 and reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart.^[12]

In May 2007, NME magazine placed "There She Goes" at number 45 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.^[4] In 2008, it was also re-released as a vinyl single for its 20th anniversary. It was listed at number 22 on NME's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".^[3] On NPR's All Songs Considered, musician Ben Gibbard selected "There She Goes" as his pick for "perfect song."^[13] Gibbard observed that the song "defines the perfectly written pop song: an instantaneously recognizable melody and lyric set to simple, economic musical structure. It is such a simple song that it boggles the mind that someone hadn't already written it."^[13] Eric Clapton also praised the song.^[9]

In December 2021, Oasis's Noel Gallagher said it was his favourite song from the 1990s;^[14] despite being released in 1988, the song didn't achieve widespread fame and acclaim until 1990. Gallagher once declared that "Oasis want to finish what The La's started".^[15]

Music videos

There are two music videos for this song: a UK version and an international version.

The first video, released in 1988 and directed by Jeff Baynes, was an amateur-style recorded on a camcorder, and was shot in the English countryside and in the band's hometown of Liverpool. It shows the band performing in an alleyway, a park, and on a hill, as well as footage from their concerts. The video ends with a shot of the drum logo.^[16] This version was released exclusively for the UK, Irish, and Australian markets only but also aired in Canada for a brief period, and uses the UK-exclusive single version of the song. It is also incorrectly labeled as "US Version" on the band's YouTube channel.

To promote the album version of the song, which was released as a single worldwide, a second music video was released in 1990. Recorded on professional cameras and shot in Los Angeles, California, it was the band's first video to feature the new line-up, which consisted of lead guitarist Peter Camell and drummer Neil Mavers (Camel's younger brother). The second video shows them performing in the streets and neighboring towns of Los Angeles, as well as in front of the Los Angeles skyline, evidenced by the presence of the U.S. Bank Tower, while being interspliced with footage of a young woman, before ending with a shot of her face. This version, dubbed as "American version" and "International version", was released internationally and uses the Steve Lillywhite remix of the song.

Formats and track listings

All songs were written by L.A. Mavers.

1988 7-inch: Go! Discs / GOLAS 2 (UK), 870 987-7 (France) Side one "There She Goes" – 2:31 Side two "Come In, Come Out" – 2:10 1988 7-inch EP: Go! Discs / LASEP 2 (UK) Side one "There She Goes" – 2:31 "Who Knows?" – 3:27 Side two "Way Out" (New Version) "Come In, Come Out" – 2:10 1988 12-inch: Go! Discs / GOLAS 212 (UK) Side one "There She Goes" – 2:31 "Come In, Come Out" – 2:10 Side two "Who Knows" – 3:27 "Man I'm Only Human" – 4:50 1988 CD: Go! Discs / LAS CD2 (UK) "There She Goes" – 2:31 "Come In, Come Out" – 2:10 "Who Knows" – 3:27 "Man I'm Only Human" – 4:50

1990 7-inch: Go! Discs / GOLAS 5 (UK) Side one "There She Goes" – 2:45 Side two "Freedom Song" – 2:26 1990 12-inch: Go! Discs / GOLAS 512 (UK) Side one "There She Goes" – 2:45 "Freedom Song"- 2:26 Side two "All by Myself" – 5:53 1990 Cassette single: Go! Discs / LASMC 5 (UK) "There She Goes" – 2:45 "Freedom Song" – 2:26 1990 CD: Go! Discs / LASCD 5 (UK) "There She Goes" – 2:45 "Freedom Song" – 2:26 "All by Myself" – 5:53 Limited Edition 7-inch EP: Go! Discs / GOLAB 5 (UK) Side one "There She Goes" – 2:45 "Freedom Song"- 2:26 Side two "All by Myself" – 5:53

Other reissues

CD single (1999) "There She Goes" "Come In, Come Out" "Who Knows?" "There She Goes" (video)

7-inch single (2008) "There She Goes" (John Leckie version) "There She Goes" (original single version) "Way Out" (original single version)

Personnel

The La's^[17]

• Lee Mavers – lead vocals and backing vocals, acoustic guitar
• John Power – bass and backing vocals
• John "Boo" Byrne – electric guitar
• Chris Sharrock – drums and tambourine

Production^[17]

• Bob Andrews – producer
• Dave Charles – engineer
• Jeremy Allom – engineer, producer (on "All by Myself")
• Mike Haas – engineer (on "All by Myself")
• Steve Lillywhite – producer, mixing (on "Freedom Song"), remixing (on "There She Goes" 1990 version)
• Mark Wallis – additional producer, engineer (on "Freedom Song")

Other personnel

• Ryan Art – design

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1989) Peak position UK Singles (OCC)[10] 59 Chart (1990–1991) Peak position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[18] 40 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[19] 46 Ireland (IRMA)[20] 18 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[21] 8 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] 57 UK Singles (OCC)[12] 13 US Billboard Hot 100[23] 49 US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[24] 2 Chart (1999) Peak position Scotland (OCC)[25] 62 UK Singles (OCC)[26] 65

Year-end charts Chart (1991) Position US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[27] 10

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[28]	2× Platinum	1,200,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Sixpence None the Richer version

"There She Goes"
Single by Sixpence None the Richer
from the album Sixpence None the Richer
B-side	"Kiss Me" (acoustic)
Released	12 July 1999 (1999-07-12)
Length	2:43
Label	Squint Elektra
Songwriter(s)	Lee Mavers
Producer(s)	Steve Taylor Matt Slocum
Sixpence None the Richer singles chronology
"Kiss Me" (1998) "There She Goes" (1999) "I Can't Catch You" (2000)
Music video
"There She Goes (Official)" on YouTube

American Christian alternative rock band Sixpence None the Richer released a cover version of the song in July 1999 as the second single from their third studio album, Sixpence None the Richer (1997). The band's rendition of the song reached number two in Iceland, number 12 in Canada, number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, and number 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Track listings

UK CD and cassette single^[29][30]

1. "There She Goes" (LP version) – 2:42
2. "There She Goes" (Ben Grosse mix) – 2:42
3. "Kiss Me" (acoustic version) – 3:12

UK 7-inch single and European CD single^[31][32]

A. "There She Goes" (LP version) – 2:42

B. "Kiss Me" (acoustic version) – 3:12

Australian CD single^[33]

1. "There She Goes" (album mix) – 2:42
2. "There She Goes" (remix) – 2:42
3. "Kiss Me" (live in Hollywood, 12 February 1998) – 3:28

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[34]	47
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[35]	14
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[36]	12
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[37]	5
Canada CHR (Nielsen BDS)[38]	18
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[39]	50
Germany (GfK)[40]	67
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[41]	2
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[42]	17
Scotland (OCC)[43]	12
UK Singles (OCC)[44]	14
US Billboard Hot 100[45]	32
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[46]	19
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[47]	7
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[48]	13

Year-end charts

Chart (1999)	Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[49]	54
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[50]	46
New Zealand (RIANZ)[51]	35
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[52]	37
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[53]	58

Chart (2000)	Position
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[54]	39
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[55]	55

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[56]	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref(s).
United States	12 July 1999	Alternative radio	Squint Elektra	[57]
	2 August 1999	Adult contemporary hot adult contemporary modern adult contemporary radio		[58][59]
	3 August 1999	Contemporary hit radio		[58]
United Kingdom	6 September 1999	7-inch vinyl CD cassette		[60]

In media

It has appeared on several film soundtracks, including The Parent Trap; Fever Pitch; Girl, Interrupted; Cold Case; The Adventures of Pete and Pete; Snow Day; and So I Married an Axe Murderer (where both the original and The Boo Radleys version appear). It also opens the "Pilot" episode of Gilmore Girls. Sixpence None the Richer's version of the song was used in Family Guy and the commercials for birth-control company Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo from 2004 to 2005.^[61]

The song was also used for the opening montage of the first episode, "Spring", of Channel 4's drama series This Is England '90, which also featured outgoing Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's resignation speech.^[62]

The song was used frequently for slow-motion scenes with Nori Sterling (Reylynn Caster) in the U.S. TV series Me, Myself & I.

The BBC comedy drama There She Goes was named after the song, as the show’s creator Shaun Pye listened to it whilst writing the first script.^[63]