Hey Matthew
| "Hey Matthew" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Karel Fialka | ||||
| from the album Human Animal | ||||
| B-side | "The Things I Saw" | |||
| Released | August 1987 | |||
| Studio | The Old Barn (Croydon) | |||
| Genre | Synth-pop | |||
| Length | 3:25 | |||
| Label | I.R.S. | |||
| Songwriter | Karel Fialka | |||
| Producers |
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| Karel Fialka singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Hey Matthew" on YouTube | ||||
"Hey Matthew" is a song by the British synth-pop musician Karel Fialka, released as a single in August 1987 by I.R.S. Records. It was later included on his second studio album, Human Animal (1988).[1]
The song has minimal instrumentation with only synthesizers and a drum machine being used. The song consists of Fialka questioning his stepson about what he sees on television, to which Matthew responds "Dallas, Dynasty, Terrahawks, He-Man, Tom and Jerry, Dukes of Hazzard, Airwolf, Blue Thunder, Rambo, Road Runner, Daffy Duck and The A-Team";[2] and what he wants to be as a profession when he grows up: "soldier, street fighter, a police man, a captain of a boat (... big boat), magic man, a cowboy, train driver, high jump champion, a fireman, a pilot, I want to be your friend".[3][4]
The music video follows the plot of the song, with the camera making it appear that the viewer is looking in on the family through the television.
The song was Fialka's biggest chart hit, peaking at number 9 on the UK singles chart and spending eight weeks in the listings.[5] It also reached number 15 in Germany and number 29 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart.
In 1997, both Karel and Matthew appeared on the comedy panel game show Never Mind the Buzzcocks in the Identity Parade line-up. Both were identified successfully.[6]
Background and recording
[edit]Fialka published his recollection of the background of the song's history:
"I wrote Hey Matthew on a toy Yamaha keyboard but needed better sounds and also a way of recording those instrumental parts and vocals…I met Nick Magnus at a friends birthday party and he, as well as being an exceptionally nice guy and a superb musician, had some mouth-watering music gear including great rackmounts and a Fostex R8 [8-track recorder], …and a Roland mc500 sequencer…the first I'd seen.
Nick put in the great bass line and always gets big thanks for the time, energy and expertise he gave me on this track and on other later projects.
I was stony broke at this time and working as a gardener near Newbury[disambiguation needed] to keep my family fed and housed but I was convinced of the commercial potential of the song and so I used the first lump sum of money I received to pay for a cheap 24 track studio which had been recommended to me. This was The Old Barn Studios in Croydon which was owned and run by Matthew Fisher who had played keyboards in Procol Harum."[7]
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1987–1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Iceland (Íslenski listinn)[8] | 7 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[9] | 7 |
| Israel (IBA)[citation needed] | 4 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] | 13 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[11] | 9 |
| US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[12] | 29 |
| West Germany (GfK)[13] | 15 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Human Animal - Karel Fialka | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
- ^ "Karel Fialka – Hey Matthew". Genius.com. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ "KAREL FIALKA - Hey Matthew". Retrieved 15 March 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Hey, Matthew lyrics - Google Search". Google. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 207/8. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Season 2. Episode 4. 1997-10-06. Event occurs at 20:47. BBC Two.
- ^ https://www.karelfialka.com/the-singles
- ^ "Topp 10". DV (in Icelandic). 6 November 1987. p. 43. ISSN 1021-8254. Retrieved 10 August 2020 – via Timarit.is.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Hey Matthew". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "Karel Fialka – Hey Matthew". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ^ "Search results for "Karel Fialka" | Official Chart". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Hey Matthew (song by Karel Fialka) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
- ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts (West Germany)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name.
External links
[edit]- "Hey Matthew" at Discogs (list of releases)
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