HOLLYWOOD
performed on:- INFORMATION TOUR (1987)
- SCIENCE TOUR (2001)
Lyrically, this song by Janet Kieran was certainly a return to the Plaastik of early gigs and portions of FUN GOLDFISH TOYS, but the surging bassline suggests funk, a route which the band would later take in full. The studio version of the track is unusual in that every instrument except the bass is constructed from loops of other recordings from the sessions. There was a version with live instruments that the band opted not to release. It is perhaps not coincidental that the song has never been a live favorite. It did appear three times on the Information Tour and on the first two nights of the Science Tour with a synthed-up arrangement, and the crowd was unmoved every time.
Asked about the reason for a song called "Child Actor" and one called "Hollywood" being side by side on the tracklist, Nick Parker confessed that "fame was on our minds" after the turbulent tour of 1983 which left the band psychologically exhausted.
subways and lite beer
by which I mean, revolution
my girl and I have the same hair
and we're tying the knots
untying the knots
tying the knots all day
on the road to hollywood
I got stopped
takin' a detour
on the road to hollywood
action in your eyes
adventure in your tears
drama in the things you drink
comedy is what you eat
horror is what I feel
suspense is what we need
on the road to hollywood
they pulled me over
then they gave me a map
to the homes of the stars
jumping the fence
where romance sleeps
over and over again
on the road to hollywood
I got stopped
takin' a detour
on the road to hollywood