Living Next Door To Alice

Album

Midnight Café

Label

RSO Records

Genre

Soft Rock

Composer(s)

Nicky Chinn;Mike Chapman

Entered Chart

Dec 4, 1976

Peak Date

Feb 26, 1977

Released

12 August 1976

Recorded

1976

Catalog #

RSO 860

B-Side

When My Back Was Against The Wall

Written by the regular team of Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, the men who wrote hits for Suzie Quatro, Sweet and (the one they don't talk about) Gary Glitter, "Living Next Door To Alice" was recorded initially by New World in 1972. In November 1976, it was released by Smokie, a group Chapman and Chinn were producing, for whom it was a massive hit, topping the charts in no fewer than seven countries. Curiously, this was a double A-side, the other side being "Night Moves" by Bob Seger. In 1995, the Dutch project Gompie decided to add an unfortunate refrain to it: "Alice, Alice, who the f--k is Alice?" This version topped the Netherlands chart. >> In this song, the singer is heartbroken because Alice, his neighbor for 24 years, is moving away. He never expressed his feelings for her, but he clearly thought about her a lot. In the last verse, his other neighbor, Sally, says that she's been waiting 24 years for him, and she's still here, but he ignores her and continues to pine for Alice.

Sally called, when she got the word
She said "I suppose you've heard about Alice"
Well, I rushed to the window, and I looked outside
And I could hardly believe my eyes
This big limousine pulled slowly into Alice's drive

Oh, I don't know why she's leaving, or where she's gonna go
I guess she's got her reasons but I just don't want to know
'Cause for twenty four years I've been living next door to Alice
Twenty four years, just waitin' for a chance
To tell her how I'm feeling, maybe get a second glance
Now I've gotta get used to not living next door to Alice

Grew up together, two kids in the park
Carved our initials deep in the bark me and Alice
Now she walks to the door, with her head held high
Just for a moment, I caught her eye
As the big limousine pulled slowly out of Alice's drive

Oh, I don't know why she's leaving, or where she's gonna go
I guess she's got her reasons but I just don't want to know
'Cause for twenty four years I've been living next door to Alice
Twenty four years, just waitin' for a chance
To tell her how I'm feeling, maybe get a second glance
Now I've gotta get used to not living next door to Alice

Sally called back, and asked how I felt
She said "I know how to help, you get over Alice"
She said "Now Alice is gone, but I'm still here
You know I've been waiting twenty four years"
And the big limousine disappeared

I don't know why she's leaving, or where she's gonna go
I guess she's got her reasons but I just don't want to know
'Cause for twenty four years I've been living next door to Alice
Twenty four years, just waitin' for a chance
To tell her how I'm feeling, maybe get a second glance
Now I'll never get used to not living next door to Alice
No, I'll never get used to not living next door to Alice