A Trick of the Tail (song)
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Trident Studios, London
| "A Trick of the Tail" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Genesis | ||||
| from the album A Trick of the Tail | ||||
| B-side | "Ripples" | |||
| Released | 12 March 1976[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1975 Trident Studios, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:35 | |||
| Label | Charisma/Phonogram (UK) Atco (US) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Tony Banks | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Genesis singles chronology | ||||
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"A Trick of the Tail" is a song by the progressive rock band Genesis taken from the 1976 album of the same name. It was written by the band's keyboard player Tony Banks.
The song was released as a single with "Ripples" as the B-side but failed to make any significant chart impact. The majority of the song was written in 1972 and was originally intended for the Foxtrot album. The song's rhythm, according to Banks, is partly influenced by The Beatles' "Getting Better.[2]
The lyrics are inspired by the 1955 novel The Inheritors by British author William Golding.[2] Like much of the album A Trick of the Tail, the song's lyrics focus on a specific character: the "Beast" who leaves his own kingdom and enters the world of humans. He is captured and put on display in a freak show after his captors refuse to believe in his kingdom. The Beast laments his decision to leave his home, describing it as a paradise covered in gold. His captors then release him in exchange for leading them to his world. However, just as they see what appears to be a "spire of gold", they find that the Beast has vanished, though they do hear his voice.
