The La's formed in 1984, with original member Mike Badger stating that the band name occurred to him in a dream, as well as it being Scouse for "lads", and having obvious musical connotations. The band existed briefly as an arthouse/skiffle-type outfit with a few tracks released on local compilations. Lee Mavers joined in 1984 as rhythm guitarist, eventually gaining songwriting prominence and emerging as the band's enduring figurehead. Longtime bassist John Power joined the group in 1986, having met Badger on a local council-run musicianship course. Badger however left the group in late 1986, to form The Onset.
The band attracted the attention of several record labels after a series of performances in their home town in 1986, and demo tapes copied from a session at the Flying Picket rehearsal studio in Liverpool began circulating. One of these demo tapes was sent to Underground Magazine. A journalist there with the task of reviewing unsigned bands gave the cassette to Andy McDonald at Go! Discs. Several record labels later became interested in signing the band. The band chose to sign with Go! Discs.
The band's first single Way Out was mixed with producer Gavin MacKillop. When it was released in October 1987, it broke in to the top 100 and was praised by The Smiths' frontman Morrissey in the music magazine Melody Maker, but attracted little notice. The band continued to perform around the UK and gained success as a live act, drawing comparisons to The Beatles due to their origins, vaguely Merseybeat sound, and Mavers' expressive lyrics.
There She Goes was released in 1988 with the B-sides "Come In Come Out" and "Who Knows". The song garnered moderate attention and airplay, but performed poorly in the charts. The music video for "There She Goes" features The La's scampering through run-down Liverpool streets and was filmed in an afternoon on a handheld camera. It was later re-released a number of times, the earliest being 1990's Steve Lillywhite mix. After working with producer Jeremy Allom at the Pink Museum Studio in Liverpool in May 1989, the band were set to release "Timeless Melody" as a single. While test pressings had been sent out for review, and was nominated for "record of the week" in the NME, Mavers was reportedly unhappy with the production and the single release was scrapped.
The La's then spent two years fruitlessly recording and re-recording their intended album, with a constantly changing band lineup, where only the core of Mavers and Power remained the same. Discarded producers included The Smiths' producer John Porter, as well as John Leckie and Mike Hedges. Both Leckie and Hedges in interviews have been very complimentary about the band's songs and their respective sessions.
The previously volatile band lineup settled in 1989 with Lee's brother, Neil Mavers on drums, and Peter "Cammy" Camell as lead guitarist. The group then entered London's Eden Studios in December 1989 to again record their debut album with Simple Minds and U2 producer Steve Lillywhite. Despite this lineup being arguably the most stable, and press interviews from the time painting them as extremely confident, the sessions still did not satisfy Mavers. In one instance Mavers was reported to have rejected a vintage mixing desk, claiming it did not have the right sound because "it hasn't got original Sixties dust on it" although this claim has since been revealed as apocryphal. The Eden sessions with Lillywhite would become the band's final attempt at recording the album. The frustration of not achieving the right sound and mood in their songs, as well as increasing friction with Go! Discs, who had spent a considerable sum of money on recording sessions for the album, led to them simply giving up on the sessions. Lillywhite pieced together the recordings he had made with the group into what became the eventually released album. The band, particularly Lee Mavers, were not pleased with this decision.
Among the band's complaints were that Lillywhite used vocal guide tracks on the LP and that he did not "understand" their sound. Mavers would later go on to claim that the band had played poorly deliberately during the sessions in the hope that the material would not be released, as they did not gel with Lillywhite from day one.
However, recognition, at least critically, came for The La's in 1990 when the self-titled album, The La's, was released. The album reached #30 in the UK charts and received a Silver certification, but the album did not fare as well overseas. The album only reached #196 on the Billboard 200 and to date has sold fewer than 50,000 copies in the U.S.
The album included, among new material, re-recorded versions of all the previous singles, including a remixed version of "There She Goes" which was then re-released as a single. This time around, the song reached number 13 in the UK singles chart and remains the most visible and enduring of all the band's songs.
Additional singles from the album included the LP versions of Timeless Melody and Feelin'. Both sold reasonably well, reaching chart placings around the top 40. A short promotional tour proceeded, accompanied by television appearances on shows such as Top of the Pops. Press interviews conducted during this period were generally confused in tone, owing to the fact the critics generally adored the album yet Mavers was assuring journalists that he "hated" the album and it was "like a snake with a broken back".
1991 promotional tour dates were fulfilled in the UK and Europe including a few festivals, a well-received US tour. Bassist John Power left the group on the 13 December 1991, frustrated with having played essentially the same set of songs since 1986, and resurfaced a year later with his band Cast. The remainder of the 1991 concerts were performed with James Joyce on bass as well as a handful of 1992 dates. The band stopped touring and rehearsing in 1992 until further short-lived reunions, with various line-ups, throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
The band disbanded in 1992, with Mavers restarting the band various times in the years since (one between 1994 and 1996 and again in 2005). The band reunited in June 2011 as a duo consisting of Mavers and bassist Gary Murphy.
Doledrum
The La's Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh no, don't go down to Doledrum
If you know what's good for you
Then you know what you can do
Just get up a fuss and shout
Get on the bus get out of Doledrum
All my life goes by in Doledrum
I can't see much down for me
I think I'll run away to see
I'll just get on my coat and shout
Get on the boat get out of Doledrum
If you know what's good for you
Then you know what you can do
Just get up a fuss and shout
Get on the bus get out, get out of Doledrum
Oh no, don't go down to Doledrum
Oh no, don't go down to Doledrum
If you know what's good for you
Then you know what you can do
Just get up a fuss and shout
Get on the bus get out
The La's's song 'Doledrum' is a commentary on the monotony and hopelessness of living in a small, working-class town facing high levels of unemployment, or 'Doledrum' (on the dole). The lyrics are a warning to those who are considering staying in the town, telling them not to go down to 'Doledrum' and instead to get out while they still can. The repetition of the refrain "If you know what's good for you, then you know what you can do" emphasizes the urgency of leaving the town and finding a better life elsewhere.
The song's protagonist is resigned to a life of mediocrity in this town, with the lyric "All my life goes by in Doledrum, I'll see ninety-five in Doledrum" implying that time passes slowly and without purpose. However, he still has a glimmer of hope and suggests that he might "run away to see". The repeated exhortation to "get up a fuss and shout" and leave by bus or boat suggests that this is not an easy decision to make, but one that is necessary for a better life.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh no, don't go down to Doledrum
The singer is warning someone not to go to Doledrum, implying that it is a bad place to be.
If you know what's good for you
The singer suggests that there is a reason why someone should avoid going to Doledrum and that they should be aware of this reason.
Then you know what you can do
The singer implies that there is a solution to avoiding Doledrum and that it is up to the other person to take action to avoid it.
Just get up a fuss and shout
The artist suggests that making a scene or being vocal about avoiding Doledrum is a good way to ensure that you do not end up there.
Get on the bus get out of Doledrum
The artist suggests that physically leaving Doledrum is the best way to avoid it altogether.
All my life goes by in Doledrum
The singer is conveying a sense of feeling trapped or stuck in Doledrum, implying that life seems to pass by without any change or progression.
I'll see ninety five in Doledrum
The singer is conveying a sense of hopelessness, suggesting that they will be stuck in Doledrum for the rest of their life until they pass away at an old age.
I can't see much down for me
The artist is conveying a sense of pessimism or negative outlook on their future while living in Doledrum.
I think I'll run away to see
The artist is suggesting that they need to escape from Doledrum to see the world and gain a better perspective on life.
I'll just get on my coat and shout
The artist is indicating that they are ready to leave Doledrum at a moment's notice and are willing to make a scene or be vocal about it if needed.
Get on the boat get out of Doledrum
Similar to earlier, the singer is emphasizing the importance of physically leaving Doledrum to avoid it and find a better life elsewhere.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LEE MAVERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind