Aretusa Loser

Album: The Best of Peter Sarstedt (1969)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Running to 3 minutes 41 seconds, this witty uptempo infectious song was the B-side of "Frozen Orange Juice." It is a bit surprising it was not chosen as the A-side, and very surprising that it didn't fall foul of the censor, because the British state could be very heavy-handed with musicians at the tail end of the Swinging '60s. If the reason why is not entirely clear to you, the clue is in the rhymes, in particular the ones ending in "uck."

    Curiously, it includes the title of a later ABBA song on a broadly similar theme.
  • This is a song with which every red-blooded non-alpha male will identify as realization dawns that he has set his sights too high, and may have to settle for taking home "some poxy hag" rather than the homecoming queen. Aretusa (or Arethusa) was a nymph in Greek mythology; she is said to have fled from the river god Alpheus when she realized he had his eye on her, which is probably the point of the song. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Max Cavalera of Soulfly (ex-Sepultura)

Max Cavalera of Soulfly (ex-Sepultura)Songwriter Interviews

The Brazilian rocker sees pictures in his riffs. When he came up with one of his gnarliest songs, there was a riot going on.

History Of Rock

History Of RockSong Writing

An interview with Dr. John Covach, music professor at the University of Rochester whose free online courses have become wildly popular.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

British Invasion

British InvasionFact or Fiction

Go beyond The Beatles to see what you know about the British Invasion.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.