"By the late seventies Middleton had become a very dull and insular place to live. Although nearby Manchester has always been a fresh and interesting place to hang out, whenever I was skint, which was most of the time, I'd feel very trapped in Middleton. The first section really refers to people I found myself surrounded by early on in the band's development, all of which served to remind me of the depth of the rut we had all seemingly fallen into. The song as a whole was inspired by what the author Colin Wilson described as "the triviality of everydayness". Ironically, several years later, Middleton's nickname with those that lived in other areas around Manchester was 'Monkeytown'."
Mark's note from their official site (thechameleons.com):
"By the late seventies Middleton had become a very dull and insular place to live. Although nearby Manchester has always been a fresh and interesting place to hang out, whenever I was skint, which was most of the time, I'd feel very trapped in Middleton. The first section really refers to people I found myself surrounded by early on in the band's development, all of which served to remind me of the depth of the rut we had all seemingly fallen into. The song as a whole was inspired by what the author Colin Wilson described as "the triviality of everydayness". Ironically, several years later, Middleton's nickname with those that lived in other areas around Manchester was 'Monkeytown'."