The 1990s anthem that makes Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders “feel sick”
Some songs simply refuse adoration. ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ by Billy Ray Cyrus immediately comes to mind, as does ‘Mr Blobby’ by Mr Blobby – both songs that can convince even the most affable listener to tear off their own ears, stitch them to a frisbee and toss them over a rainbow. But for Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders, there is one song infinitely more offensive.
When Tom Booth sat down to write ‘Sit Down’ (look at me making jokes), the James bandleader was having a difficult time. It was 1988, and the nights were drawing in. Lonely and depressed, Booth found comfort in Doris Lessing’s literature and Patti Smith’s music, both of which helped him realise his emotions were shared by countless others – that he wasn’t alone. ‘Sit Down’ was written as a thank you to both Lessing and Smith. “Sit Down is about me feeling so alone in my 20s and reading books by a writer called Doris Lessing which made me realize I wasn’t,” Booth said in 2004. “It was about being awake at 4 am and having no one to talk to.”
‘Sit Down’ was released and re-released three times in ten years. The original seven-minute version came out in 1989 via Rough Trade, peaking at number 77 on the UK singles chart. Two years later, James had cemented themselves in the thriving Madchester music scene, and an edited version of the song found a new audience in clubs like The Hacienda. This shortened version was released in 1991. Then, in 1998, it was remixed by Apollo 4040 for use in Manchester’s Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.
On re-release in 1991, ‘Sit Down’ became a huge hit. It was, for a time, inescapable – the sonic equivalent of that gurning MDMA fanatic that won’t stop talking about our need to love each other while you’re trying to go for a wee at a party. That same year, Matt Helders told NME that the number two single made him feel queasy. “I can’t listen to ’Sit Down’, it makes me feel sick,” he said.
Adding: “That’s not because it’s a bad song, it’s just bad memories. It reminds me of things I don’t want to remember. Nothing bad, just a long journey to Glossop. I can’t even listen to it now.” Don’t worry, James, it could have just been car sickness.
