Topside Down Party

This song is difficult to fathom, and carries a somewhat ungainly melody which perhaps accounts for it being placed last in the songbook Look Here as well as all three albums it has so far featured on. While the title suggests a political subject, the lyric at first seems to be about an actual party, with dancing and drinking. Leon himself, though, has indicated it has a religious connection, which is curious but puts into context the lines about trumpets blowing down walls, adapted from "There's Gonna Come A Morning", and suggesting it is about the Second Coming.

It seems that "Topside Down Party" originally featured a reprise of its first verse at the end, but as recorded for Hugga Mugga... this has been dropped.

"This is a more sophisticated version of 'There's Gonna Come A Morning', for which I make no excuses."  -  LR (Look Here (songbook), 1968) 

“A song which, in content and word play, is very 60s-ish.”  -  LR (sleevenotes to The World Turned Upside Down (CD box set), p15)


Recordings

Version 1 (1968)  


Sheet music