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Following the mysterious failure of 'Ordinary Angel' which only reached No. 42, the Kane brothers finally achieved their second Top 20 single in Britain with 'Looking For Linda'... Had reached no. 16 by 19th February.That reference to "mysterious failure" is of course because 'Ordinary Angel' found its way onto Now XIII, putting Hue And Cry among the acts with more Now appearances than Top 40 hits. 'Looking For Linda' is a definite hit; though not technically their biggest it's possibly the song most associated with them. I certainly remember it being a bit of a running gag at my school, although I can't really remember why.
At the time I couldn't really piece together the storyline, but listening back it sounds like Linda ran away from a possibly abusive partner, got drunk, got on a train at Leeds and then met Pat Kane (or at least the protagonist of this song) and snogged him, then got off at Paisley. When you actually think about it in those terms it's a bit awkward lyrically: can't quite decide whether it's social commentary or wistful male fantasy. Luckily, the music is strong enough to sweep you along and P. Kane, annoying though he can be as a media presence, is a genuinely good singer. All it really needed was a bit more grit in the production to be truly impressive. Best avoid the hammy video though.
Also appearing on: Now 10, 14, 15, 24
Available on: Top Of The Pops - Eighties
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