Song of the Day 2/13: Marillion, “Gazpacho”

I admit I never thought I’d actually find a song called “Gazpacho,” but when Congressdope Marjorie Taylor Greene expressed her thoughts about the gazpacho police — I understand they only take cold cases — I looked for one out of due diligence. Here it is, though unlike Trout Fishing in America’s “Pico de Gallo,” it’s not about the actual comestible. It’s about what we nowadays call a toxic male.

The lyric that includes the title will give you an idea:

Did you carry out those threats I heard
Or were you only playing macho?
And the stains on her Versace scarf
Were they really just Gazpacho?

Before you click on the song, I should warn you that Marillion is a British band, formed in 1979, most often described as neo-progressive, which means that they listened to prog rock and liked it so much they decided to make more of it. Another warning sign: Their name was shortened from Silmarillion, the J.R.R. Tolkien opus. I appreciate the British understatement from their Wikipedia entry: “Despite unpopularity in the mainstream media and a consistently unfashionable status within the British music industry, Marillion have maintained a very loyal international fanbase.” In other words, they have never been the slightest bit cool, and their fans don’t care — sort of a Brit-prog Dave Matthews Band for nerds instead of frat-bros. That said, it’s not bad if you’re into prog.

That song came from the band’s second incarnation, with Steve Hogarth as lead singer. He joined after the group’s original frontman, Fish (nee Derek Dick), quit over the band’s rigorous touring schedule. They actually had some chart success on UK singles chart in this configuration — their LPs with either singer sold briskly, despite perpetual critical slagging — including this No. 2 hit from 1985.