Whippin' Piccadilly

Album: Bring It On (1998)
Charted: 35
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The third single from Bring It On, "Whippin' Piccadilly" was Gomez's UK Top 40 debut.
  • The song was inspired by two people: the musician Beck and an unhinged friend of the band. Gomez singer, guitarist and keyboard player Tom Gray explained to NME:

    "The story goes, we all went to see Beck at Manchester Academy in 1995 on the 'Odelay' tour. Beck was ruling the world at that point in time, he was just incredible and his band were the best band I'd ever seen. The person that was 'dressed in a suit looking like a lunatic' in that song was Beck and the other person was our mate who took the string out of the bottom of his coat and he was literally whipping the floor of Piccadilly station that night. He was completely on one that night."
  • Bring It On won the 1998 Mercury Music Prize for best album, beating the favorites The Verve's Urban Hymns and Massive Attack's Mezzanine.

Comments: 1

  • Laurence from SheffieldThe main protagonist of the video (guy in the suit) is Toby Jones.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Def Leppard Quiz

Def Leppard QuizMusic Quiz

Can you name Def Leppard's only #1 hit in America? Get rocked with this adrenalized quiz.

Vanessa Carlton

Vanessa CarltonSongwriter Interviews

The "A Thousand Miles" singer on what she thinks of her song being used in White Chicks and how she captured a song from a dream.

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.

Wolfgang Van Halen

Wolfgang Van HalenSongwriter Interviews

Wolfgang Van Halen breaks down the songs on his debut album, Mammoth WVH, and names the definitive Van Halen songs from the Sammy and Dave eras.

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."