Back in 1991, I was tending bar. One of the regular customers made me a homemade cassette with a compilation of songs he thought I would like.

I've lost contact with the guy and the cassette, but I remember that I loved one song.

All I remember is that World Party sang it. I had never heard of them. I can't even remember the lyrics...it was so long ago. It just had this relentless beat and great sound. I imagine it would have been one of their hits. It's that good.

Anyone familiar with World Party? The song would be 1991 or before.

Sorry for the lack of clues.

Was it "Ship of Fools"?

That was their hit as far as I remember.

check this for the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ket-ndpxhPg&search=world%20party%20ship

Ship of Fools

We're setting sail
To the place on the map from which no one has ever returned
Torn by the promise of the joker and the fool
By the light of the crosses that bur-urn
Torn by the promise of the women and the lace
And the gold and the cotton and pearls
It's the place where they keep all the darkness you meet
You sail away from the light of the world

Listen baby - you will pay tomorrow
You're gonna pay tomorrow-ow-ow
You will pay tomorrow-ow-ow-ow-wow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow

Save me, save me from tomor-orrow
I don't want to sail with this ship of foo-ools, no no
Oh-oh-oh, save me, save me from tomor-orrow
I don't want to sail with this ship of foo-ools, no no
I want to run and hide
Right now - ri-ight now-ow yeah-eah-eah

Avarice and greed are gonna drive you over the endless sea
They will leave you-ou drifting in the shallows
Drowning in the oceans of history-y-y-y
Travellin' the world, you're in search of no good
But I'm sure you're philosophic like I knew you would
Using all the good people for your gallant slaves
As your little boat struggles through the the warning waves

But you will pay, you will pay tomorrow
You're gonna pay tomorrow-ow-ow
You gonna pay tomorrow-ow-ow-ow-wow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow

Save me-ee, save me from tomor-orrow
I don't want to sail with this ship of foo-ools, no no no no
Oh-oh-oh, save me-ee, save me from tomor-orrow
I don't want to sail with this ship of foo-ools, no no no no

Where's it comin' fro-om or where's it goin' to?
It's just a - it's just a ship of foo-oo-oo-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ools

Yeah, oh Lord

Thanks dlemond, but that's not it. Maybe it wasn't a hit. I'd know it if I heard it.

This is definitely it.

"Way Down Now"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD4cGH44Ngc&search=world%20party%20%20way%20down%20now

Way Down Now

Inside my TV eye
Never stop to wonder why I'm
Way down now
I'm way down now

Some faceless get on the screen
The most honest man I've ever seen
I'm way down now
I'm way down now

Won't you show me something true today
C'mon and show me anything but this

She took us by the hand
Hell was the promised land I'm
Way down now I'm
I'm way down now

I'm lying by the road
Because she cut off all my clothes
I'm way down now
Way down now

Won't you show me something true today
C'mon and show me anything but this

Inside my future eye
What I see just makes me cry
I'm way down now
I'm way down now
The clocks will all run backwards
All the sheep will have two heads
And Thursday night and Friday
Will be on Tuesday night instead
And all lthe times will keep on changing
And the movement will increase
There's something about the living babe
That sends me off my feet
There's breeding in the sewers
And the rats are on their way
They're clouding up the images of perfect day
And I know I'm not alone
And I know I'm not alone
And I know I'm not alone
Anything but this
Can you hear me I said

Inside my TV eye
I never stop to wonder why
I'm way down now
I'm way down now

Then some faceless get comes on my screen
The most honest man I've ever seen
I'm way down now
I'm way down now
Something new! Something true!

Now you're going to think I'm nuts, but I think it is Ship of Fools. I'm thinking I heard a different rendition of it or something....or maybe I just liked it better then. That opener is it, for sure. Also, I can see Ship of Fools hand-written on the cassette jacket. More and more is coming back.

I used to play the cassette constantly in my car. World Party had only one song on it...it was a bunch of different artists. I remember asking the guy who made the tape who the group was who sang it.

The more I listen to Ship of Fools, the more I think that's the song. That chorus is great.

Are you a fan of World Party, dlemond? They have quite a unique sound. How popular were or are they? I'm so out of the musical loop, it's a joke.

I was not a fan of theirs but I liked a few of their songs.

They were pretty popular with those 2 songs- from 2 different albums- but I think that is where it ended in terms of American success (more popular at home in the UK).

"Way Down Now" was a bigger hit than "Ship of Fools" in the US.

Another really good song of World Party is "Is it like Today".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1mtxibzN4Q&search=world%20party%20

Ship Of Fools was their only charted single peaking at # 27 in 1987.

I was not a fan of theirs but I liked a few of their songs.

They were pretty popular with those 2 songs- from 2 different albums- but I think that is where it ended in terms of American success (more popular at home in the UK).

"Way Down Now" was a bigger hit than "Ship of Fools" in the US.

Another really good song of World Party is "Is it like Today".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1mtxibzN4Q&search=world%20party%20
That's a nice song. Definitely a lot of Beatle's influence there.

I didn't even know World Party was from the UK, lol.

The song I was searching for was definitely Ship of Fools.

Thanks for all your help, dlemond. :)

Another song from the Goodbye Jumbo album (the one with "Way Down Now" in 1990) was "Put Your Message In a Box". They were a spinoff of the 80's British band the Waterboys, basically a one-man band featuring Karl Wallinger.
I'm trying to find a song they/he did with Sinead O'Connor in the video...