Panther wrote:

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Would someone remind me why they didn't put it out and why they changed it to Glory Days? Which I also prefer (and love, in fact).

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I suppose it was judged too political by the band or the management, but some people on here might have better answers.

 

Here's what the NME had to say about it then

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Pulp have launched an attack on Britain's Labour Government in the lyrics to track included on their next single.

'Cocaine Socialism', a track on the B-side of the 'A Little Soul' single (released date June 8), follows Jarvis Cocker's previous criticisms of Tony Blair in NME's March 14 issue. Pulp bassist Steve Mackey says the song was written by Jarvis after the Labour Party tracked the singer down while he was on holiday in New York last year and asked him to support them in their election campaign. Jarvis apparently told the party representative to "piss off".

'Cocaine Socialism' is reminiscent of 'Common People' and includes similar lyrical references: "I'd just like to tell you that I love all of your albums/Could you sign this for my daughter/She's in hospital/Her name is Miriam/Now I'll get down to the gist/Do you want a line of this/Are you a socialist Well you sing about common people/So can you bring them to my party and get them all to sniff this and all I'm really saying is 'Come on and rock the vote for me'/All I'm really saying is come on/Roll up that note for me/Your choice in all of this is: do you want hits or do you want misses?/Are you a socialist? And we've waited such a long time for the chance to help our own kind/So now please come on and toe the party line".

After reading the full transcript, Labour press representative Julie Crowley says: "I don't even understand half of it, to be honest. It's up to people whether or not they support the Labour Party. He's entitled to his views."

Jarvis is currently in South America filming a Channel 4 documentary and was unavailable for comment. However, talking to NME recently about his decision to shun the Labour invite, he commented: "I've always voted Labour, but I wasn't prepared to use my position in that way. It's not appropriate, in the same way that it's not appropriate for Tony Blair to give awards at the Brits and stuff like that. To me it just stinks of, 'Come on kids, I'm hip'."

Meanwhile, Pulp have announced the support acts for their Finsbury Park show on July 25. The bill comprises Bernard Butler, Bentley Rhythm Ace, Catatonia, Ultrasound plus special guests.

'Cocaine Socialism' ) Island/EMI

Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/pulp/244#Cgpjwo8KlBcjKapC.99 

Jarvis explains why Cocaine Socialism didn't come out at the time in his sleevenotes for TiH deluxe. Basically in his damaged and wary post-Britpop comedown state he couldn't stomach the thought of coming out again as Mr Controversial shooting his mouth off about the issues of the day. I think CS works better than GD, although I'm not sure it would have been the right thing for the climate of spring 1997. As someone who suffered under 18 years of the Tories and, by his own admission, never got involved in politics through the '80s, I think it would have been a bit unfortunate if Jarvis' sole response to finally getting a Labour gov't (for all their well documented flaws) had been to try and shout them down before they even arrived. I like the concept of Glory Days but the introspective/downbeat nature of the lyrics doesn't really fit with the glossy anthemic music. Plus the lyrics could maybe have been drawn out a bit more - if Jarvis hadn't explained it at some point I wouldn't have a clue what it was about. Plus from "these glory days can take their toll" onwards he just seems to be singing any old fucking bollocks as far as I can tell.

Eamonn wrote:

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 Having said all that I still prefer Glory Days.

-- Edited by Eamonn on Thursday 24th of December 2015 12:34:34 PM

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I fall into the Glory Days camp too. I just don't like Jarvis' overtly political lyrics - they sound forced and at times smug.

That's not to say I dislike this song, or that it isn't very funny in places or that its message isn't valid (because I do, and it is). But I find the social commentary, pastiche and satire of his other writing more politically subversive. As such, Glory Days is more powerful - doubly so because it is less specific in its targets. Who can't relate to Glory Days? It's got the same 'subjective' appeal as those inter-song links Jarvis used to make on stage, when he weaved several songs into the story of a night out. 

As for the arrangement, for me its a qualitative difference - Glory Days is subtle and rich, Cocaine Socialism bombastic and exciting.

Sturdy wrote:

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Plus from "these glory days can take their toll" onwards he just seems to be singing any old fucking bollocks as far as I can tell.

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I pretty much agree. The lines "just as long as it tells us where we are / that where we are is where we're meant to be" are completely unnecessary which is a shame because I think that the third verse (particularly the part about the Space Race) contains some of the best lyrics on the album.

calumlynn wrote:

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I can't even listen to Glory Days. I knew Cocaine Socialism first, and to me Glory Days is Pulp destroying one of their best songs for no particular reason. 

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Do you stick your fingers in your ears and shout when you play Hardcore? I never heard Cocaine Socialism until it turned up on the B side of A Little Soul, so to me Glory Days is the "original".   Personally, I find Glory Days to be a better more profound song, and the lyrics of Cocaine Socialism sound like a first draft. The self referencing of Pulp songs harks back to Bowie and Slade doing similar.  Cocaine Socialist is a fine track, but I don't think Glory Days destroys it, simply because both have been recorded, and you can listen to one or the other or both.  Best to just think of them as two different tracks with a similar tune.