The Pope is a Dope

Album: The Living Legends (1982)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was released by The Living Legends to commemorate the Pope's visit to London in 1982. Classic Pop nonsense, lyrics include "the Vatican has a painted ceiling in my house the walls are peeling."
  • The Living Legends were formed in South Wales by singer and songwriter Ian Bone. The band, who preferred to be known as the Living Leg Ends, featured two teenage school girls on vocals who, it is rumored, went to London on weekends to work in a brothel. Ian Bone went on to form Class War and became a political irritant, leading many marches and demonstrations and publishing many papers and books against Margaret Thatcher's government.

Comments: 1

  • Roland Cleaver from SwanseaHilariously non-factual: 1) Confusion of The Living Legends of Swansea, Cardiff, London then Bristol in the UK with the Californian hip-hop group that stole.our.name. 2) 'Classic Pop nonsense' . ROFLMAO! Ian would ask for the plodding bass lines as a parody of bad 70's cabaret. 3) Why would anyone compare the opulence of the Vatican with cruddy social housing? Hmmm... meaningless. Actually, the cops were so afraid Bone would cause trouble during the pope's visit that they lifted him, took him to some godforsaken pub, miles up the South Wales Valleys and force-fed him beer, poor lad.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"They're Playing My Song

Armed with a childhood spent devouring books, Mike Scott's heart was stolen by the punk rock scene of 1977. Not surprisingly, he would go on to become the most literate of rockers.

Songs About Movies

Songs About MoviesSong Writing

Iron Maiden, Adele, Toto, Eminem and Earth, Wind & Fire are just some of the artists with songs directly inspired by movies - and not always good ones.

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.

Brenda Russell

Brenda RussellSongwriter Interviews

Brenda talks about the inspiration that drove her to write hit songs like "Get Here" and "Piano in the Dark," and why a lack of formal music training can be a songwriter's best asset.

Grateful Dead Characters

Grateful Dead CharactersMusic Quiz

Many unusual folks appear in Grateful Dead songs. Can you identify them?

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn YankeesSongwriter Interviews

Revisit the awesome glory of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees: cheesily-acted videos, catchy guitar licks, long hair, and lyrics that are just plain relatable.