View source for This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us

{{short description|1974 single by Sparks}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us
| cover      = Starks  - TTABEFTBOU.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Sparks (band)|Sparks]]
| album      = [[Kimono My House]] and [[Plagiarism (Sparks album)|Plagiarism]] ''(1997 re-recording with [[Faith No More]])''
| B-side     = Barbecutie
| released   = April 1974
| recorded   = 1974
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = * [[Glam rock]]<ref>{{cite news|first= Jon |last= Savage |author-link= Jon Savage |title= The 20 best glam-rock songs of all time |newspaper= [[The Guardian]] |url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/feb/01/20-best-glam-rock-songs-all-time |date= 1 February 2013 |access-date= 15 May 2016}}</ref>
* [[hard rock]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/2011/04/groundbreaking_rock_band_spark.html|title=Groundbreaking rock band Sparks remains influential, 40 years after debut album|last=Rose|first=Lisa|date=April 29, 2011|website=[[NJ.com]]|access-date=June 21, 2025}}</ref>
* [[progressive pop]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Reed|first=Ryan|date=20 November 2019|title=A Guide to Progressive Pop|url=https://tidal.com/magazine/article/a-guide-to-progressive-pop/1-57187|access-date=13 January 2021|website=[[Tidal (service)|Tidal]]}}</ref>
* [[synth-pop]]<ref name="Bradley 2014">{{cite book|title= The Alternative Jukebox|first=Larry|last=Bradley|date= November 4, 2014|chapter= The 1970s: Sparks - "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us|page= 69|publisher=[[Cassell (publisher)|Cassell]]|isbn=978-1-84403-789-6|url=https://books.google.com/books/about/BBC_Radio_6_Music_s_Alternative_Jukebox.html?id=w_phoAEACAAJ}}</ref>
| length     = 3:06
| label      = [[Island Records|Island]]
| writer     = [[Ron Mael]]
| producer   = [[Muff Winwood]]
| prev_title = Girl from Germany
| prev_year  = 1972
| next_title = [[Amateur Hour (song)|Amateur Hour]]
| next_year  = 1974
| misc       = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = [[Faith No More]]
 | type       = single
 | prev_title = [[Stripsearch (song)|Stripsearch]]
 | prev_year  = 1997
 | title      = This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us
 | year       = 1998
 | next_title = [[I Started a Joke#Faith No More version|I Started a Joke]]
 | next_year  = 1998
}}
{{External music video|{{YouTube|eUJ_ifjKopM|"This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us"}}}}
}}
"'''This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us'''" is a song by American [[Pop music|pop]] and [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Sparks (band)|Sparks]]. Written by [[Ron Mael]], it is the opening track on their third studio album ''[[Kimono My House]]'' (1974), and was the lead single from the album. 
Although it did not chart on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" achieved major success in Europe, peaking within the top ten of the charts in the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In the latter country, the song peaked at number two on the [[UK singles chart]], where it remained for two consecutive weeks.<ref name="UK"/> The song has become the highest-charting for Sparks on the UK singles chart, held off from the top spot by [[the Rubettes]]' [[Bubblegum music|bubblegum pop]] song "[[Sugar Baby Love]]".

== Background ==
The original idea for the song was that after each verse [[Russell Mael]] would sing a movie dialogue [[cliché]], one of which was "This town ain't big enough for both of us", used in the [[Western film|Western]] film ''[[The Western Code]]'' (1932). They dropped the idea of having different phrases and instead used only the one in the title. The original working title of the song was "Too Hot to Handle".{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

The song's record producer [[Muff Winwood]] used distinctive Western-style gunshots on the recording after Ron and Russell "went through a whole [[BBC]] library and found the perfect gunshot for that song."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/people/sparks|title=Sparks}}</ref>

The Maels frequently told the story that Winwood had bet his friend [[Elton John]] that the song would become a top-five hit on the [[UK singles chart]] and that John, saying it would not, lost the bet.<ref name="Easlea2010" /> However, in his Sparks biography ''Talent Is an Asset'' (2009), Daryl Easlea reports that this was a "great tale" propagated by the Mael brothers but contradicted by Winwood himself. Winwood said that he was unsure of how commercial the track would be, so he played it to John, who told him, "Listen, I'll bet you a hundred quid that that makes the Top 3". Winwood's wife agreed, and his doubts were allayed.<ref name="Easlea2010">{{cite book|author=Daryl Easlea|title=Talent Is An Asset: The Story Of Sparks|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7n515ucve20C|date=7 April 2010|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|isbn=978-0-85712-237-7}}</ref>

== Musical style ==
The song was written without any regard for the vocal style of Russell Mael. Songwriter Ron Mael has explained:
<blockquote>
"This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" was written in [[A (musical note)|A]], and by God it'll be sung in A. I just feel that if you're coming up with most of the music, then you have an idea where it's going to go. And no singer is gonna get in my way.
</blockquote>

Russell Mael has claimed in reply:
<blockquote>
When he wrote "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us", Ron could only play it in that key. It was so much work to transpose the song and one of us had to budge, so I made the adjustment to fit in. My voice ain't a "rock" voice. It's not soulful, in the traditional rock way; It's not about "guts". It's untrained, unschooled, I never questioned why I was singing high. It just happened, dictated by the songs. Ron has always written Sparks' lyrics and never transposed them into a rock key for me to sing. He always packed each line with words and I had to sing them as they were.<ref>[[The Word (UK magazine)|The Word]], No. 36, February 2006.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Re-recordings ==
An acoustic version of the song was recorded in 1985 for the [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] of the "Change" single.

In 1997, Sparks recorded two new versions of the song for their 17th studio album ''[[Plagiarism (Sparks album)|Plagiarism]]''. The first was an orchestral reworking arranged and conducted by [[Tony Visconti]] which reinstated a verse that Winwood had cut from the original. The other was as a collaboration with [[Faith No More]], which was released as a single and peaked at number 40 on the UK singles chart.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Record Producers: Tony Visconti|url=http://allsparks.com/the-record-producers-tony-visconti/|website=allsparks|accessdate=4 April 2017}}</ref>

== Critical reception ==
''[[The Guardian]]'' said the song "was like a three-minute warning that Sparks were a band different from any other: octave-leaping vocals, gunshots, incomprehensible lyrics and an unrelenting sense of drama."<ref>{{cite news| work= The Guardian | title=The 70 greatest No 2 singles – ranked!|author=Alexis Petridis| url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/nov/17/the-70-greatest-no-2-singles-ranked}}</ref>

== Track listing ==
'''1974 original release'''
# "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" – 3:06
# "Barbecutie" – 3:10

== Personnel ==
'''Sparks'''
* [[Russell Mael]] – vocals
* [[Ron Mael]] – keyboards
* [[Martin Gordon]] – bass guitar
* [[Adrian Fisher (musician)|Adrian Fisher]] – guitar
* [[Norman "Dinky" Diamond]] – drums

== Chart positions ==
{{col-begin|width=77%}}
{{col-break}}

{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
'''Original release (1974)'''
{|class="wikitable sortable"
! Chart
! Peak<br/>position
|-
| Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=[[St Ives, New South Wales]]|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=286}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" | 69
|-
{{single chart|Flanders|4|artist=Sparks|song=This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us}}
|-
| France ([[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|SNEP]])<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.infodisc.fr/Bilan_S.php |title= This town ain't big enough for both of us in French Chart |publisher= Dominic DURAND / InfoDisc |language= French |accessdate= 6 June 2013}} You have to use the index at the top of the page and search "Sparks"</ref>
| align="center" | 15
|-
{{single chart|Dutch40|5|artist=Sparks|song=This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us}}
|-
{{single chart|Dutch100|4|artist=Sparks|song=This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us}}
|-
{{single chart|Switzerland|7|artist=Sparks|song=This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us}}
|-
| UK ([[Official Charts Company]])<ref name="UK">{{cite web|url= http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/sparks/|title= Sparks |publisher= [[Official Charts Company]] |accessdate= 18 July 2013}}</ref>
| align="center" | 2
|}
{{col-2}}
'''Sparks vs. Faith No More (1997)'''
{|class="wikitable"
! Chart (1997/98)
! Peak<br/>position
|-
| Australia ([[ARIA Charts|ARIA]])<ref>{{cite book|last=Ryan|first=Gavin|title=Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010|year=2011|publisher=Moonlight Publishing|location=[[Mount Martha, Victoria]], Australia}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" | 69
|-
| Scotland ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-singles-chart/19971207/41/|title=Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|accessdate=26 May 2022}}</ref>
| align="center" | 39
|-
| UK ([[Official Charts Company]])<ref name="UK"/>
| align="center" | 40
|}
{|class="wikitable"
! Chart (2012)
! Peak<br>position
|-
| Belgium ([[Ultratop 50|Ultratop 50 Back Catalogue Singles]] Flanders)<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.ultratop.be/nl/weekchart.asp?cat=sb&year=2010&date=20101127 |title= 50 Back Catalogue Singles – 27 October 2012 |work= [[Ultratop 50]] |publisher= Hung Medien |accessdate= 17 July 2013}}</ref>
| align=center | 47
|}
{{col-end}}

{{col-end}}

== Certifications ==
{|class="wikitable"
! Chart
! [[Music recording sales certification|Certifications]]<br/><small>([[List of music recording sales certifications|sales thresholds]])</small>
|-
| UK ([[Official Charts Company]])
| [[British Phonographic Industry|BPI]]: Silver<ref>{{cite web|title= British certificates: searchable database |url= http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx |publisher= bpi.co.uk |accessdate=30 June 2010}}</ref>
|}

== Cover versions ==
* British rock band [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]] included a rendition of the song on their eighth studio album ''[[Through the Looking Glass (Siouxsie and the Banshees album)|Through the Looking Glass]]'' (1987) as the opening track.<ref name="webb-covers">{{cite book |last1=Webb |first1=Robert |title=The 100 Greatest Cover Versions: the Ultimate Playlist |date=2012 |publisher=McNidder & Grace |chapter=This Wheel's on Fire|location=Pembroke Dock |isbn=9780857160577}}</ref>
* German [[power metal]] band [[Heavens Gate (band)|Heavens Gate]] included a version on their fourth studio album ''Planet E.'' (1996).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Heavens Gate - Planet E. - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives |url=https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Heavens_Gate/Planet_E./13300 |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=www.metal-archives.com}}</ref>
* British Whale (recording alias of [[The Darkness (band)|the Darkness]]' singer and songwriter [[Justin Hawkins]]) released a version as his debut single in August 2005,<ref name="britishwhale">{{cite news |title=Watch British Whale's This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us video |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music/watch-british-whales-this-town-aint-1080308 |access-date=20 October 2022 |work=Manchester Evening News}}</ref> which peaked at number six on the [[UK singles chart]].<ref name="officialcharts">{{cite web |title=This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both of Us |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/this-town-ain%27t-big-enough-for-both-of/ |publisher=Official Charts |access-date=20 October 2022}}</ref> Ron and Russell Mael appear in the music video for the song, as game show hosts.
* Portuguese band [[Humanos]] in their concerts performed a live version, mashing it with "O Corpo É Que Paga" by Portuguese 1980's icon [[António Variações]],<ref name="vontade">{{cite news |title=Vontade |url=https://www.dn.pt/arquivo/2005/vontade-604205.html |access-date=21 October 2022 |work=Diario di Noticias |date=28 June 2005 |language=pt}}</ref> which is available on their live DVD.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8DrXK8WS4k  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/R8DrXK8WS4k |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title= Antonio variações - o corpo é que paga (semi-original) |publisher= YouTube |accessdate= 18 July 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* In live concerts, the [[Los Angeles]] and [[San Francisco]] glam rock band [[Celebrity Skin (band)|Celebrity Skin]] performed the song regularly during live performances beginning in 1987.<ref name="celebskin">{{cite news |title=Celebrity Skin: Freewheeling flash and good, frantic fun |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-09-06-9103070249-story.html |access-date=October 20, 2022 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=September 6, 1991}}</ref>
* Sparks' 17th studio album ''[[Plagiarism (Sparks album)|Plagiarism]]'' (1997) included two collaborations with [[Faith No More]] – "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" and "Something for the Girl with Everything".<ref name="easlea">{{cite book |last1=Easlea |first1=Daryl |title=Talent is an Asset: the story of Sparks |date=2011 |publisher=Music Sales |location=London |isbn=9780857122377}}</ref> Faith No More performed the song live during their 1997–1998 and reunion tours.<ref name="fnm2">{{cite news |title=Faith No More played 2 LA shows (pics, video, setlists), say they 'will not exist after tonight' |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/faith-no-more-p-5/ |access-date=October 21, 2022 |work=BrooklynVegan |date=December 2, 2010}}</ref>
* In a deleted scene from ''[[The Sparks Brothers]]'' (2021), [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] played the song instrumentally on an [[accordion]].<ref name="spin-weirdal">{{cite news |last1=Whitaker |first1=Marisa |title='Weird Al' Yankovic Releases Cover Of Sparks' 'This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us' |url=https://www.spin.com/2021/11/weird-al-yankovic-releases-cover-of-sparks-this-town-aint-big-enough-for-both-of-us/ |access-date=20 October 2022 |date=November 2, 2021}}</ref>
* In August 2024, British [[indie rock]] band [[the Last Dinner Party]] released a rendition of the song as the first single from the expanded version of their debut studio album ''[[Prelude to Ecstasy]]''.

== In popular culture ==
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2024}}
The song appears in a [[dream sequence]], in an episode of the British sitcom ''[[Green Wing]]''. The original track is mimed by two of the characters, Dr. "Mac" Macartney and Dr Alan Statham, who pretend to be Russell and Ron Mael respectively.

The original Sparks version of the song is heard in the superhero black comedy film ''[[Kick-Ass (film)|Kick-Ass]]'' (2010).

The song is used in episode 2 of [[Telltale Games|Telltale]]'s video game series ''[[Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series|Guardians of the Galaxy]]''.

The song is used in Season 1, Episode 8 of American [[Contemporary Western|neo-Western]] crime drama television miniseries ''[[Justified: City Primeval]]'' in a scene with a confrontation between two characters.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{discogs master|type=single|87071}}

{{Sparks}}
{{Faith No More}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us}}
[[Category:Faith No More songs]]
[[Category:1974 singles]]
[[Category:Glam rock songs]]
[[Category:Progressive pop songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by Ron Mael]]
[[Category:Sparks (band) songs]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Muff Winwood]]
[[Category:1974 songs]]
[[Category:Island Records singles]]