Editing Golden Brown (section)

==Composition==
The main body of the song has a [[triple metre]] [[waltz]] rhythm, with beats grouped in threes, but the instrumental parts add an extra beat to create a phrase of thirteen beats.<ref name='goldradiouk'>{{cite web |title='Golden Brown' by The Stranglers: The making of the strange punk waltz|website=Gold Radio UK|publisher=Global|date=6 September 2021|url=https://www.goldradiouk.com/news/music/stranglers-golden-brown-lyrics-meaning-waltz/|access-date=21 December 2022}}</ref><ref name='allmusic'>{{cite web |title=Song Review by AllMusic|website=AllMusic|publisher=Netaktion LLC|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/golden-brown-mt0014937095|access-date=21 December 2022}}</ref> The thirteen beats appear in the sheet music as alternating bars of {{music|time|6|8}} and {{music|time|7|8}},<ref name=musicnotes>{{cite web |url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0063905 |title=The Stranglers 'Golden Brown' |website=Musicnotes |date=20 March 2008 |access-date=21 December 2022}}</ref> which has also been described as three bars of {{music|time|3|4}} followed by one bar of {{music|time|4|4}}.<ref name=nomercy>{{cite book|first1=David|last1=Buckley|year= 1997 |title= The Stranglers - No Mercy: The Authorised and Uncensored Biography |publisher= Hodder & Stoughton|isbn= 0-340-68062-8}}</ref>{{rp|183}}<ref name="songbysong">{{cite book|first1= Hugh |last1= Cornwell |author-link1= Hugh Cornwell |first2= Jim |last2= Drury |year= 2001 |title= The Stranglers Song by Song |publisher= Sanctuary Publishing Ltd |isbn= 1-86074-362-5}}</ref>{{rp|217}} Sheet music of "Golden Brown" on musicnotes.com is published in [[B-flat minor]].<ref name=musicnotes/>

The music was largely written by keyboardist [[Dave Greenfield]] and drummer [[Jet Black]], with lyrics by singer/guitarist [[Hugh Cornwell]].<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Brown – Song Review |publisher= AllMusic |access-date= 9 July 2014 |url= http://www.allmusic.com/song/golden-brown-mt0015076815 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130711052333/http://www.allmusic.com/song/golden-brown-mt0015076815 |archive-date= 11 July 2013}}</ref> The music was adapted from an unused part of "Second Coming", a track which featured on their [[The Gospel According to the Meninblack|previous album]].<ref name=lafolie>{{cite book|first=Laura |last=Shenton  |year= 2022 |title= The Stranglers - La Folie |publisher= Wymer Publishing|isbn= 9781915-246028}}</ref>{{rp|43}}

According to bassist [[Jean-Jacques Burnel]], the song's atypical style for the group was intended to defy expectations: "The whole thing about that song is it really represented us sticking our fingers up to our detractors".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Brannigan |first=Paul Brannigan |date=2024-02-02 |title="Our new record label thought we were awful, and they hated Golden Brown. They said, you're finished": Jean-Jacques Burnel on why The Stranglers' best-known song was "a threat to the powers that be" |url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/jean-jacques-burnel-on-why-the-stranglers-best-known-song-was-a-threat-to-the-powers-that-be |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=Louder |language=en}}</ref>

===Lyrics===
In his 2001 book ''The Stranglers Song by Song'', Cornwell states: {{"'}}Golden Brown' works on two levels. It's about [[heroin]] and also about a girl... both provided me with pleasurable times."<ref name="songbysong"/>{{rp|215}}