"Hanging Around" is a song by English rock band the Stranglers, released on their 1977 debut album Rattus Norvegicus.
The song was written by the band's guitarist, Hugh Cornwell, and is notable for its driving bassline and its lyrics about urban alienation.
For the fourth verse, Cornwell had run out of ideas, so Burnel provided the lyrics for it, which refer to the Coleherne, a gay pub that he used to frequent.
[1][2] The chorus mentions Jesus Christ, about which Cornwell has said: "The title of the song reminded me of a joke I'd heard, which I thought was funny.
[4] When reviewing Cover Plus for Record Mirror, Simon Tebbutt described "Hanging Around" as "a curiously watered down version with little of the raunch of the original".
7" (Europe & Australia) In 2023, Swedish rock band Ghost released a cover of the song on their EP Phantomime.