Released: 12 May 1997

Genre: Indie Pop

The early material of indie Scottish band, Belle & Sebastian, is absolutely essential for anyone who enjoys witty, folk-infused pop music with a particularly relatable charm. Over the years, the group have released several great albums, and at least a couple near-masterpieces. Yet, quite unusually, the band have often remained equally loyal to the EP format, and released 4 EPs over the span of just a couple years. Often, EPs suffer from either being inconsistent or lacking the focus that an album often requires. On the other hand, the EPs released by Belle & Sebastian are remarkably consistent and infested with some of the band’s very best material. Today’s ‘Gem’ comes from their debut EP, and is one of the earliest recordings in the band’s career.

‘String Bean Jean’ is the third and penultimate track on the band’s debut EP, ‘Dog On Wheels‘. The band have never been particularly interested in creating iconic riffs for their songs, which makes ‘String Bean Jean’ somewhat of a anomaly, albeit a welcomed one. One of the song’s most iconic features is its fantastic surf guitar riff, played by Gerry Campbell, a Beatbox course tutor. Surf rock is not the first thing anyone would associate Belle & Sebastian with, yet the riff works, especially when combined with the song’s simple, but brilliant chord progression and melody.

However, it’s the lyrics that truly elevate this song to become a classic Belle & Sebastian track. Stuart Murdoch produces some of his sharpest, humorous lyrics to paint a particular time in his life. He narrates his everyday life at the time; “I went up to the country park and hung around till after dark / Til the girls got home”. That’s it. No sudden twist, no unexpected venture. It’s a song depicting ordinary life and nothing more. It’s tempting to instantly compare Murdoch to Morrissey, whose own everyday observations make him an obvious comparison. But, whereas Morrissey would still attempt to provide some sort of emotional escapism, Murdoch is unrelenting in his realism. Which is not to say the lyric is dull, as Murdoch’s random bits of details, slang and humour make it a thoroughly engaging listen.

Some background about the song’s context: Stuart was living a flat shared by Joanne and her friend Helena. They often visited a nearby cafe on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow, and Stuart used to leave the apartment keys with a woman at the cafe so Joanne could pick them up (they only had one pair between them). He would do this in the mornings before heading to Beatbox, which he refers to as the “school of rock” in the song.

That is essentially the entire premise of the song, and it’s amazing how banal of a premise it is when lacking Murdoch’s treatment. Yet, there is something incredibly endearing about the whole thing. Paying the “leccy bill”, buying “the shopping” and still having “some for the cinema” is a small feat compared to most accomplishments in the world, yet anyone who has lived in ‘student poverty’ can relate to the delirious excitement of being able to afford the essentials and still have some leftover cash to use. The fact that the entire chorus is dedicated to explaining how he has to leave the keys at the cafe before catching a bus to Beatbox has always been a great source of humour for me. It’s a detailed depiction of an ordinary life with ordinary characters, told with casual slang and completely rid of any pretentious epiphany.

The combination of humour and humanity gives the song its effortless depth. In the final stanza, the reasoning behind the song title is revealed; “we call her String Bean Jean because the label on her jeans says seven to eight years old / well that’s pretty small”. It’s a funny lyric, but as Murdoch repeats the line and grows more timid in his performance on each repetition, the emotional weight of the line increases substantially. I’ve always found that the revelation of Jo’s potential eating disorder casts a different mood on the final chorus, almost as if he feels guilty for leaving each morning and it adds an entirely new layer to the emotional depth of the song. It’s a bittersweet walk down memory lane, filled with nostalgia, regret and youthful enthusiasm that I’m sure we can all relate to. When combined with a strong melody and an iconic surf guitar riff, it becomes a stand-out track.

– The White Album