Maggie Maggie Maggie! Sing Sing Sing!

Swayne, Adam

About the work

Like her or loathe her, it is impossible to ignore the cultural impact in Great Britain of Margaret Hilda Thatcher, who was Conservative Prime Minister from 1979 – 1990. Dubbed ‘The Iron Lady’ Mrs. Thatcher was famous for challenging political and social institutions at home and abroad whilst sporting an ornately baroque coiffure and rather menacing handbag.

In ‘Maggie Maggie Maggie! Sing Sing Sing! I have used a recording of one of Mrs. Thatcher’s final performances at the despatch box. I have selected small speech samples that are reasonably clearly pitched and used them as musical material for the performers in order to create the effect of Mrs. Thatcher singing.

I have also used punk-based driving rhythms to represent the kind of music that became an anthem for the 3 million people that were unemployed when Mrs. Thatcher was Prime Minister.

What I create during Maggie Maggie Maggie! Sing Sing Sing! is the situation for a free-for-all musical battle of the kind that occurs each week in the British House of Commons and also of the kind that occurs within the kind of society (?) that Mrs. Thatcher created during her turbulent era.

The electronic tape is by Aaron Holloway-Nahum, to whom this piece is dedicated with great thanks.