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Home » 1994-1996, Info, Songs

Spying Glass

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Primarily Found On:

Protection


Also Found On:

The links below will take you either to the Collector section of MASSIVEATTACK.IE, or to an external website - either amazon.com or discogs.com, where you can find out more about all the the album (s)/release (s) that this particular Massive Attack song appears on.

Mission Impossible – OST


First Released On:

26th September 1994


Duration:

05:20


Variations/Remixes:

I Spy - This is another one of the Mad Professor’s reconstructions of the songs off Protection. Included only on No Protection.


Credits:

Written by Andrew Vowles, Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall, Nellee Hooper and Horace Andy

Produced by Andrew Vowles, Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall and Nellee Hooper

See Protection info section for further credit details by clicking here.


Sampled:

Spying Glass is a cover of one of Horace Andy’s classic songs from the 1970’s which was similarly titled Spying Glass. It is now available on Dance Hall Style which was reissued in 2007.


Covered:

N/A


Vocalist(s):

Horace Andy


Lyrics:

Spy at thy neighbor
Spying glass
You live in the city
You stay by yourself
You a-find all weakness
Still some people they brand you ya
Just because you are rasta
You move to the country
You live in the hills
You invite all company
When you check it them-a use spying glass
They want to know all your business
Spy at thy neighbor
Spying glass
Spy at thy neighbor
You live in the city
You mind your own business
What you see you don’t see
But some people they always see
They never mind their own business
You move to the country
You live in the hills
You think you’re far from the weak
When you check it them-a use spying glass
They want to know rasta business
Spying Glass!
Spying Glass!
Yeah

History:

Spying Glass began as simply a suggestion from Horace Andy to cover one of his own songs from the past like what had been done with One Love on Blue Lines. Once this had been suggested it was Daddy G’s impetus that decided to pick Horace Andy’s old Spying Glass song for a remake.


Additional Info:

There is an interesting similarity between the keyboard/synthesizer loop heard in the last half minute of Spying Glass and the secret (Untitled) bassline track which is heard at the end of Antistar on 100th Window. Rather Massive Attack based the (Untitled) bassline on the end of Spying Glass has not been revealed and is debatable.


Live Appearances:

Spying Glass was played extensively throughout all the tours from 1995-1999, hardly ever been left off the setlist. This changed however on the 2003 tour when Spying Glass was dropped completely for that tour making Karmacoma the only song from Protection to be played on that tour. It would make its comeback though for the 2004 tour where it was played once again on all dates. For the 2006 tour it was once again dropped.


Quotes:

N/A

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