Patti Smith Group | 25th Floor | Live on the Old Grey Whistle Test | 3 April 1978

Here is a newly restored version of the incendiary Patti Smith Group OGWT performance of 25th Floor, recorded live at the BBC Television Theatre, 45 years ago on this day, 3rd of April 1978. At the time the band were touring to support their new album Easter, and this performance happened whilst the band were in London for a 4-night residency at the Rainbow Theatre. Also at that time, Because the Night was a hit single, riding high in the UK and the US charts. • I don’t feel qualified to comment on the meaning of 25th Floor. Patti Smith’s own website offers tributes to each of her pet dogs, but seemingly nothing about her songs. The following is the only significant thing I could find on the web about the song: “Patti Smith’s song “25th Floor“ is a song about the rigid structure of society. In the beginning of the song, the ladies’ room has lost electricity, so they explore the men’s room, at which she says “we don’t give a shit.“ which means that they don’t care what others think about what they are doing. This introduction, when taken in the context of the entire song, gives the song heavy undercurrents of anarchism and feminism. Going into the men’s room symbolizes their rejection of social rules and, at the same time, of the segregation between men and women, where men are almost always “superior,“ as symbolized by the men’s room having electricity while the ladies’ room does not. She then wants to explore the 25th floor, which may symbolize her desire to ascend and escape from the bounds of social convention. Zeus and Christ, who are “up there,“ are then mentioned Zeus and Christ are both masculine figures, and both are “at the top.“ Thus these two figures represent the whole of what anarchism and feminism wants to remove from society, which is patriarchy and rigid social hierarchy. She wants to destroy the “veil of smoke“ which man calls order (again, patriarchy and social hierarchy). She then speaks of the “transformation of waste,“ where “waste“ refers to the current evils in society. The desire to create something valuable from something worthless is inside all of us-this refers to the noble intentions of people, which oftentimes become misdirected. She says that “all must not be art; some art we must disintegrate,“ which means that however valuable the current social structure may seem to be, it may be worth it to destroy it and try something else. She then says that she is “waiting above for you baby,“ meaning that she is waiting for the rest of humankind to “see the light.“ She is then “...floating... on boundaries over this world,“ meaning that she has, is some way, escaped from the rigid structure of society, although she is “floating,“ which is a way of saying that she is somewhat helpless and cannot really control her environment. All she can do is wait.” • This video includes a short excerpt from a Patti Smith interview by Lisa Robinson, from the Midnight Special broadcast of the OGWT performance. Watch the complete interview on the YouTube channel: What’s for afters? • The YouTube copyright algorithm blocked my upload of the complete 1978 Patti Smith Group OGWT performance, that included Because The Night. From that OGWT performance, here at least is 25th Floor, for which I’ve tried to create an optimized sound and vision HD version for us to enjoy. Thanks for watching, I hope you dig it! • Sources Video and Audio: Patti Smith Group| 25th Floor | Live on the Old Grey Whistle Test | BBC Television Theatre, London | 3 April 1978 | Broadcast 4 April 1978 | Sound by Ken Gregory | Directed by John Burrowes | Produced by Michael Appleton Excerpt from a Patti Smith interview with Lisa Robinson for a Midnight Special rebroadcast of the OGWT performance | 1978 Musicians: Patti Smith – vocals Lenny Kaye –bass guitar, vocals Jay Dee Daugherty – drums, percussion Ivan Král – guitar Bruce Brody – keyboards, synthesizer • Always more videos to follow, so please keep your electric eye on me babe! I don’t own the rights, and I’m not making any money out of this etc. Just a fan making videos for other fans. Please Share, Like, Comment, Subscribe TheNachoVideos@ I edit, therefore I am #PattiSmith #25thFloor #Easter #OldGreyWhistleTest