Sit Down

Sit Down is a James single released in 1989 and 1991. The second release hit number 2 in the UK charts for four weeks. It appears on the reissued version of Gold Mother from May 1991.

It is undoubtedly James’ most famous track, originally released on Rough Trade in 1989, reaching no 85 and seeing James being told by Geoff Travis, MD of the soon to be bankrupt label, that they were not a viable commercial proposition beyond an audience of 20,000. The opening piano intro to the 12″ version was Mark’s first recording with James.

It had been written at the time when the band were unable to release any material due to their Sire contract, from whom they held the song back, only airing it at shows in Autumn 1988 and on a Radio 1 Andy Kershaw session.

Larry and Tim talked extensively about the song’s creation to The Guardian in 2014.

The song’s lyrics are a thank you from Tim to two women who had profoundly influenced him – the author Doris Lessing and singer Patti Smith.

Two years later, Sit Down spent four weeks at no 2, kept off top spot by Chesney Hawkes “The One And Only”.

After the success of the Best Of, Sit Down was remixed by Apollo 440 and rereleased in November 1998, reaching number 7 (their biggest hit since the 1991 release).

Three acoustic versions of the song have been released – a Hilversum Meter Dutch radio session from 1991 on a radio station CD, a GLR session from 1998 on the Sit Down 98 single and a live version from 1992 on the 2016 Greenpeace Palace Concert Record Store Day release.

Live versions appear on the Come Home live video and DVD as well as the Getting Away With It Live CD and DVD.

There is an awful out-of-tune cover by Voice of the Beehive on their Perfect Place single and Carter USM apparently played it at some shows in 1992 although no known recordings of this exist.

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