To mark 30 years of Shed Seven’s signature hit single Going for Gold, we recently sat down with frontman Rick Witter to explore the song’s curious making and enduring popularity.
On Going for Gold’s Suspicious Minds-recalling central guitar motif, Witter explained to us that it was no coincidence. “We were accused so much of ripping off Suspicious Minds that we thought, ‘why not just play it anyway?’”
“We probably thought it was very similar [to Suspicious Minds], but it’s just the opening riff and then it turns into its own lovely beast. Over the years, people have mentioned the Elvis connection, but I can think of a lot worse people to pay homage to,” said Witter.
Augmenting the song with brass, this Elvis-inspired flavour was made more overt…
“That’s exactly what we were after [a sound reminiscent of Elvis Presley’s late ‘60s Memphis recordings] and a lot of it was a fluke - we probably had discussions while we were recording it: ‘Shall we put a bit of this or that on it?’ We had the time and the money because the record company would throw it at you.”
The incredibly catchy tune would become Shed Seven’s biggest hit, peaking at number eight in the UK Top 40. Its popularity means it's still a regular spin down the indie disco.
Surely it’s high time then that this gold-plated classic gets a shot at landing placement during coverage of the Olympics?
To Witter’s chagrin, it’s seemingly always Spandau Ballet (with, it must be said, bona fide classic Gold) who pip them to the post…
“I had a bit of a moan about that one summer,” he admits. “We were playing a festival, and I think the Olympics must’ve been on… I had a moan on stage about why it’s always Spandau Ballet. We’re always the bridesmaid to Gary Kemp!”
At a Shed Seven gig, though, there’s only one 24-carat banger that matters…
“It’s a standard, really - there are certain songs that we couldn’t not play as part of a setlist, and that’s one of them. Other songs come and go, depending on how we feel at the time, but Going For Gold has to be in the set every time, and it always goes down well. Everyone looks like they’re absolutely loving hearing it. We’re a very lucky band in the respect that we could be in Blackburn on a Monday night, or London on a Saturday night, and, inside that venue, for two hours, the atmosphere is always incredible.”
Read the full story of Shed Seven’s Going for Gold and interview with Rick Witter here.
