Virginia Plain
by
Roxy Music

2012
Remi Vales

(Intro)
Virginia Plain is a song that debuted in late 1972, as Roxy Music's first single and becoming a UK Top 10 hit at #4. It has been released on their “Greatest Hits” albums. However, it did not appear on their debut album (Roxy Music)(1). The song is fast-paced, and while I prefer the odd sounds, heavier focus on the instruments and slower pace of If There Is Something, Virginia Plain is a good song in its own right.

(Notable Guitar Elements)

The guitar, backed up by a Hohner pianet , starts out at a very low volume, but makes a sudden increase at 15 seconds in. The saxophone has the spotlight until roughly one minute in, when the guitar starts playing in the absence of Bryan Ferry's voice. The guitar solo was improvised by Phil Manzanera.(1) The guitar, along with the other instruments, starts to “build-up” tension by playing the same riff over and over, then finally proceeding to the final verse.

(Notable Lyrical Elements)

Ferry's singing is not as deeply passionate as in If There Is Something, but a greater majority of the song involves singing. The overall tone is more fun, or loose than If There Is Something, and that is a contributing factor to the short length of the song. There are references to Warhol Superstar Baby Jane Holzer, in the early middle and end of the song, (“Can you see that Holzer mane.&rdquo(1)
The distinctive “vibrato” that Ferry does with his voice is not utilized to the extent it was in If There Is Something, though you can find it if you are listening for it.

(Links to Other Songs)

This is the shortest song I've written about to date, and it does not really share many elements with the How Does It Feel (Slade) or If There Is Something (Roxy Music) besides genre and author. The band did not explore any odd noises, such as in If There Is Something.

(Lessons About Life)

As far as one can tell, the only lesson is that one should go out and live, travel, party. There is no real lesson to be taken from the song though, regardless of the era we are in now or the one they belonged to.

(Elements That Have Led to a Classic Status)

Being a commercially successful single, and from the same “era” of the band's history and music are contributing factors to its “classical” status, similar to If There Is Something. However, the song does not really stand out much to me, when compared to If There Is Something, or some other music that I listen to. The song does not have too much going for it, though some people might appreciate the song for its references to Andy Warhol and one of his superstars. So, having said that, I can say that this is a song where it you have to possess appreciation certain outside elements to fully enjoy this song.

Sources
1-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Plain