There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis

"There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" is a song by British singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl, which was released as the lead single from her debut studio album Desperate Character. The song was written by MacColl and Philip Rambow, and produced by Barry Farmer. It reached No. 14 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the charts for nine weeks.^[1] In the US, the song's British chip shop reference was changed to truck stop.

"There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis"
Single by Kirsty MacColl
from the album Desperate Character
B-side	Hard To Believe There's a Guy... (Country version)
Released	May 1981
Genre	Country pop
Label	Polydor
Songwriter(s)	Kirsty MacColl Philip Rambow
Producer(s)	Barry Farmer
Kirsty MacColl singles chronology
"Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" (1981) "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" (1981) "See That Girl" (1981)

Norwegian singer Elisabeth Andreasson covered the song on her 1981 country album Angel of the Morning, with lyrics in Swedish by Hasse Olsson as "Killen ner' på Konsum svär att han är Elvis" ("The guy down Konsum swears he's Elvis").^[2]

Critical reception

On its release, Simon Ludgate of Record Mirror considered the song a "catchy little number" and "ultimately a tale of betrayal". He added, "Imagine Dave Edmunds singing a song by Chris Sievey and you'll get the idea".^[3] Fred Dellar of Smash Hits considered the song "just an average sample of rocked-up country music" but commented on the "wonderful" title.^[4]

Track listing

7" single

1. "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" - 3:07
2. "Hard to Believe" - 2:19
3. "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" (Country version) - 3:44

7" single (US release)

1. "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" - 3:45
2. "Over You" - 2:35

Personnel

Production

• Barry Farmer - producer, mixing
• Kirsty MacColl - mixing

Other

• Rob O'Conner - sleeve design
• Chalkie Davies - front cover photography
• Frank Murray - front cover model
• Alan Ballard - back cover photography

Charts

Chart (1981)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5]	37
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[6]	16
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7]	31
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[8]	13
UK Singles (OCC)[9]	14

References

1. "KIRSTY MACCOLL | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 2012-12-31. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
2. Information at Svensk mediedatabas
3. Ludgate, Simon (6 June 1981). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 11.
4. Dellar, Fred (11 June 1981). "Reviews: Singles". Smash Hits. p. 28.
5. "Kirsty MacColl – There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
6. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Kirsty MacColl" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
7. "Kirsty MacColl – There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
8. "Kirsty MacColl – There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
9. "Kirsty MacColl: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.