National Express (song)

"National Express"
Single by The Divine Comedy
from the album Fin de Siècle
B-side	"Going Downhill Fast", "Radioactivity", "Famous", "Overstrand"
Released	25 January 1999
Format	CD
Genre	Britpop
Length	5:05
Label	Setanta
Writer(s)	Neil Hannon
Producer(s)	Jon Jacobs
The Divine Comedy singles chronology
"The Certainty of Chance" (1998) "National Express" (1999) "The Pop Singer's Fear of the Pollen Count" (1999)

"National Express" is a song by The Divine Comedy. It was released as the third single from the album Fin de Siècle and reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart.

The song is based on Neil Hannon's observations of life from the window of a National Express coach. Some critics have criticised Hannon for "sneering" at the working classes on the track, but he has vehemently dismissed this notion.^[1]

The official video for the song examines, with some irony, the UK National Health Service from the viewpoint of a patient (portrayed by Hannon) in a psychiatric hospital who is about to undergo treatment.

Track listing

All tracks written by Neil Hannon; except where indicated.

• CD1 (SETCDA069)

1. "National Express (Radio Edit)"
2. "Going Downhill Fast"
3. "Radioactivity" (Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Emil Schult) (Kraftwerk cover version)

• CD2 (SETCDB069)

1. "National Express (Full Album Version)"
2. "Famous" (Stephen Merritt) (The Magnetic Fields cover version)
3. "Overstrand"

• Cassette (SETMC069)

1. "National Express (Full Album Version)"
2. "The Heart of Rock And Roll"

References

1. musicOMH.com - Music - Interviews - The Divine Comedy - Neil Hannon (1999)

External links

• Divine Comedy - National Express - official video clip on YouTube
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
• Take the National Express - article about the song's importance to National Express Coach's brand recognition