Victoria
The Dance Exponents Lyrics
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Sent salutations that can′t be repeated
She's become a social institution
Prepares her prey like an execution
Victoria
What do you want from him?
Want from him
What do see in him?
See in him
She′s up in time to watch the soap opera
Reads Cosmopolitan and Alvin Toffler
Meeting in the places that she's never been to
She's got a mind, but it′s the clothes they see through
Victoria
What do you want from him?
Want from him
Victoria
What do see in him?
See in him
She lives with a man who sees her as money
Laugh′s at his lines that aren't even funny
She′s in bed but she's not sleeping
Is he a customer that′s really worth keeping?
Victoria
What do you want from him?
Want from him
Victoria
What do see in him?
See in him
There's no such thing as romance blooming
Sunday′s are for washing and doing the hoovering
Talking to her friends on the telephone
Another jerk rings up who won't leave her alone
Victoria
What do you want from him?
Want from him
Victoria
What do see in him?
See in him
Victoria
What do you want from him?
Want from him
Victoria
What do see in him?
See in him
The Dance Exponents’s “Victoria” is a melancholic song about the character Victoria, who is a woman that lives a repetitive and mundane life. From the lyrics, we get the impression that Victoria is a beautiful woman, who has become a social institution, and has numerous admirers, yet there is a sense of emptiness in her life. The lyrics describe her as being up in time to watch soap opera, and read magazines, but there is an absence of depth in her life. The only man that she lives with sees her as a way to earn more money, and while she is in bed she is not sleeping as she sees her life as being a cycle of meeting clients and being lonely.
Despite the surface-level images of beauty and apparent success, the song reveals the vacuity and loneliness that many people like Victoria experience, making the song both poignant and thought-provoking. The lyrics consist mainly of two questions that ask what Victoria wants from her male suitor and what she sees in him. These questions are reflective of how Victoria has a somewhat cynical view of relationships and perhaps does not fully understand the motivations of others. The repetition of these two questions creates a deeper sense of meaning and questioning.
Line by Line Meaning
She gets glances since they first greeted
People have been giving her looks ever since they first met
Sent salutations that can't be repeated
She greeted him in a way that was too inappropriate to say again
She's become a social institution
She's known by everyone and an integral part of social scene
Prepares her prey like an execution
She carefully plans and strategizes before making any move
She's up in time to watch the soap opera
She wakes up early to watch TV show every day
Reads Cosmopolitan and Alvin Toffler
She reads fashion magazine and also some intellectual books
Meeting in the places that she's never been to
She goes to unfamiliar locations to meet people
She's got a mind, but it's the clothes they see through
She is intelligent, but most people only judge her by her appearance
She lives with a man who sees her as money
The man she lives with only values her for the money she brings in
Laugh's at his lines that aren't even funny
She pretends to find his jokes amusing, even when they're not
She's in bed but she's not sleeping
She's lying in bed awake and unable to sleep
Is he a customer that's really worth keeping?
She questions whether the man she is with is worth staying with
There's no such thing as romance blooming
There is no genuine romantic connection between her and anyone
Sunday's are for washing and doing the hoovering
She spends her Sundays doing household chores
Talking to her friends on the telephone
She spends time talking to her friends on the phone
Another jerk rings up who won't leave her alone
An unwanted caller keeps bothering her
Victoria, What do you want from him? Want from him, Victoria, What do see in him? See in him
Repeating lines questioning why she is with the man who only values her for her money
Writer(s): Jordon William Luck
Contributed by John N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jordanhill4205
THE STORY BEHIND THE EXPONENTS’ SONG ~ Victoria ~
It all began as a bit of joke. The sound of her walking along in her high heels would be the first sign that she was about to appear at the edge of the nearby car park. Then there would be a scramble to the window so her, always unusual, wardrobe could be analyzed as she passed by – her face always coated with heavy make-up.
One of those at the window was poet/songwriter Jordan Luck, a naïve Canadian born 18 year old, who would soon learn that the make-up covered bruises; the beatings from her boyfriend sometimes so bad that the make-up was also used on her arms and legs. Her name was Vicky – landlady and local madam. She was only 23 years old and the year was 1980.
Luck (whose girlfriend lived in one of Vicky’s flats) began to get to know Vicky very well. He started to help around the property and she never seemed to mind him hanging around the place. He also got to see Vicky at her most unguarded moments – the violence she endured only disguised when she would go outside.
Luck moved to Christchurch from Timaru in September 1981 and amongst his belongings was a verse from a song only known as ‘The Deb’s Flat Song’. Deb Coupland (who went on to own ‘The Wunderbar’ in Lyttelton) had lived on Hewlings Road in Timaru and was dating one of Luck’s friends. It would be in Christchurch that ‘The Dance Exponents’ would form; what would be their debut single to the world was not yet finished. Luck would later recall that it took a long time to write but once Vicky became Victoria, the rest of the song just flowed.
By the time the ‘Dance Exponents’ took to the stage in their first gig on 15th October 1982 at the Hillsborough Tavern, ‘Victoria’ was ready to perform, and according to talent scout Mike Chunn, the song had the audience “riveted…they reached out and took the room…” and the band were signed to Mushroom Records that very night. ‘Victoria’ hit the New Zealand charts at #6 and remained there for 9 weeks.
The band never looked back, eventually opening for such acts as The Rolling Stones and David Bowie.
A year later, Luck returned to Vicky’s flat on Springfield Road, the traffic from Bealey Ave roaring away in the background. He was welcomed in for a cup a tea. She thanked him for the song and as she switched on the jug and added that she ‘…got rid of the bastard…’. It was a moment that Luck would never forget.
Sadly, he has no idea where Vicky is today. ‘Victoria’ is #8 in New Zealand’s Top 100 songs of all time.
Now the lead singer in the ‘Jordan Luck Band’, Luck became a face of encouragement during the aftermath of the 4th September 2010 earthquake. In front of an audience of 100,000 at the ‘Band Together’ concert in Hagley Park, Luck made the Cantab crowd fall in love with the city again when he sang the 1985 hit ‘Christchurch ( In Cashel Street I wait)’. Written in 1983 while waiting in Cashel Street for his girlfriend, he got thinking about Christchurch being built ‘…the whole swamp site, pukekos, and just the landscape of what Christchurch would have been like before it became a city and a place…’
Luck now lives in Auckland but Christchurch has always remained a special place to him. He was the first inductee in the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame and is a member of the ‘Order of Merit’ for his service to Music in 2012.
@FAMEROB
the only good thing about being on hold trying to call IRD
@deathya1
+Rob And Dave Dobbyn's Loyal.
@jeffey6669
hard bro
@spaea2062
Churrrrr!
@mariamoeke5252
😂😂
@coreyc4770
You right 😂
@Sunrize068Zeb
Just watched a movie about these guys the other night. I'd never heard of them. Seriously love their music! I can see from the comments they are fondly remembered in NZ. I can see why. Love this song 🎵 ❤️
@magicmike6961
yeah these guys are wel loved in New Zealand
@fidget2020
What movie?
@willowbrooke1215
Omg I need to see it. Loved this band along with my 30 yr old Aussie kids