text: "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" was written in 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.
  Russell Mael has claimed in reply:
  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.
  Legacy
  Sparks has influenced many later genres including synth-pop, new wave, post-punk, and alternative rock, influencing a wide range of singers and bands including  Joy Division, New Order, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sonic Youth, They Might Be Giants, and Björk.