Kayleigh worst song ever

      It's interesting how successful tracks, from bands outside of the mainsteam, get picked on. Sure, sometimes it's a sellout, but that's not always the case. This is an example of a good tune, by a good band, somehow getting through. It may not be the strongest cut from the album, but hits rarely are. It is also essential to the entire piece. I was very happy when this became a hit. In a way, it justified my love of a group that no one else around me had heard of.
     What I found particulary amazing was that Heavy Metal fans liked it. I'll never forget going into a metal bar with a friend, and hearing the band cover "Kayleigh."

If charts were stuffed by Kayleigh-esque songs, I'd be a very happy camper!

sleeper wrote: How can you skip Kayleigh, its the start of the story!

Blacksword wrote: I didn't like it when I first heard it. I expected `something more proggy from Marillion at the time. I've since grown to love it and think it's one of the best hit singles of the 80's. The lyrics are excellent, the melodies are strong and Rothery's guitar work is brilliant. Marillion didn't sell out, though. Misplaced Childhood is a great prog concept album, and Kayleigh was just an advert for that album, luring in many non prog fans into the world of Marillion. For that reason it was a triumph.

I don't think that this thread would exist if Kayleigh hadn't been such a big hit single. It's a comparatively straightforward song, but there's nothing wrong with that, and as Andy pointed out the lyrics and guitar work are excellent. Misplaced Childhood was where Fish really found his own voice as a lyricist, and Marillion rose up to the challenge of creating equally powerful music admirably. With many albums the hit single is the strongest song - on Misplaced Childhood Kayleigh fits the mood and the nattative perfectly and in context doesn't sound like an obvious hit. Plus it meant Marillion were on daytime radio and Top Of The Pops, which was a big bonus.

I can't so I know it... I may have heard it, but I wouldn't know...

I happen to like Blue - Song 2 as well!  Great tune.  I do like some "popular" tunes.

stonebeard wrote: That's better.  But, being seeing how I find no faults at all in MC from my perspective, I disagree with you.

Mariah Carey?!

Flip_Stone wrote: Kayleigh just screams out "Yeah, we put this on the album because the record company demanded that we have a hit single."

Have to disagree with this. 

First, parts of the song, such as the opening guitar riff, were written even before the Misplaced Childhood project began, so it can hardly be described as being put together on the record label's orders. Second, if the band really were writing a song with the single goal of getting radio airplay, why would they have given it a great, well developed guitar solo, only to cut it from the single edit? Third, Fish's lyrics are always deeply personal and on this track more than any other - it deals with the breakdown of his previous relationship. I doubt he would want such an emotional subject put into a song that he didn't like. 

As you can probably tell from my previous comments, I love this song - well structured, sincere, superbly played music. Ok, perhaps it does have a little of the 'sound of the 80s', but then again so does most of the rest of the album, as did most music written at the time.  

From a prog point of view, "Kayleigh" really sucks. Otherwise, I think it is a good pop song.

it's just ok, I like the couple section but not the refrain that much

not a masterpiece comparing with other Marillion songs