Going Left Right
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| "Going Left Right" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 7" UK release | ||||
| Single by Department S | ||||
| A-side | "Going Left Right" | |||
| B-side | "She's Expecting You" | |||
| Released | 19 June 1981 | |||
| Genre | Post-punk | |||
| Label | Stiff Records | |||
| Songwriters | Vaughn Toulouse, Mark Taylor, Mike Herbage | |||
| Producer | David Tickle | |||
| Department S singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Going Left Right" is the second single by post-punk band Department S, released on 19 June 1981 on Stiff Records.[1][2] It was their second single, following "Is Vic There?", and was produced by David Tickle.[1][3]
The song reached No. 55 on the UK Singles Chart[4] despite considerable airplay.[5] Guitarist Mike Herbage later described the song as "an aggressive, trance and beat driven track"[5] but expressed surprise at the fact that it charted at all, calling its placing "probably higher than it had any right to, really". Vocalist Vaughn Toulouse was a bit more positive, saying, "I think 'I Want' and 'Going Left Right' are ... really representative of the band".[5] In a later interview, Herbage admitted that "Going Left Right" and third single "I Want" were both "very strong tracks" and added, "we worked so hard on '[Going Left Right]'"[5]
Retrospective reviews for the song were universally positive. Paolo Hewitt of Melody Maker said that it and "I Want" were "far superior" to "Is Vic There?",[5] Mimi von Tussle of Sputnikmusic called it "always a crowd-pleaser" and "sublime",[6] while Leonard's Lair said that it "matched 'Is Vic There?' for swagger and military precision".[7] Dave Thompson of AllMusic said that it "stands among the finest songs of the entire post-punk early '80s".[8]