I just had a flashback. About 6 years ago I was working in Germany for a month. One day I saw a guy playing guitar on a street corner and listened to him for a while. Most of the songs were in german and I don’t speak german. But there was one song in english, and many in the crowd knew the chorus and sang along. I had never heard it in America (not that all english music has to come from America), and it was doubly surprising that the germans, most of whom didn’t seem to speak much english, knew the english words. Anyway, the chorus that everyone sang went
Alice - Alice - Who the F— is Alice?
Anyone got the scoop? This wasn’t actually a german song was it?
The song is called “Living Next Door To Alice”, originally released by an English band called Smokie in 1976. It was re-released in the nineties ('96, at a guess) by Smokie and Roy “Chubby” Brown, the latter contributing the “Who the F-is Alice?” line.
I work with some guys from Germany and I think they were surprised I didn’t know this song as they have it completely memorized. So not sure why it was a huge hit in Germany but not in the States but go figure – it is kind of a funny and sad – the idea of this guy who has had a secret crush on his neighbor for 20 years and is distraught when she moves away, his unsympathetic friends having never heard him mention her before and wonder who the bleep he is talking about.
It was '96, as I remember - it got some heavy airplay in St. Petersburg the year I was there. Also saw it on some German TV station, advertising a Smokie compilation CD. Hated it then, hate it now. Which is why it sticks in my brain like so much molten tar.
Is she related to the restaurateur? Should we just go and ask her? Damn, now I have two songs floating around in my head. And to think, she doesn’t even live here anymore! (I think she got a job as a waitress in Phoenix.)
Well, I’m shocked anyone else has heard this, but that was before I heard it was a actually distrubuted song in Germany.
My story about this song occured about 4 years ago. A big group of friends, assembled from across the midwest all met up in Breckenridge CO. All along the way in the Quad Cities, in St Louis and several other major cities had billboards that obnoxiously exclaimed “Alice is Coming”, ala the Simpson’s “Gabbo”. This turned out to be a chain of radio stations starting in each city. Before it was revealed the big group of us had gotten quite drunk in the bar at the base of peak 9 in Breck. This bar always has a one-man-band who plays drinking songs and generaly group participation sing along songs. He referenced these billboards in his build up before singing “Who the Fuck is Alice”. Ever since we’ve all had that song memorized, until now I’d credited him with writing it.
Actually, Lil’ Nemo, already had that in my head (i.e. - why don’t we just go and ask her.) But now that you mention it, I do have a few medical questions I’d like to have answered. I think I will just Go Ask Alice.
