Buck Rogers (song)

Last updated

"Buck Rogers"
Buckrogers.jpg
Single by Feeder
from the album Echo Park
B-side
  • "Purple"
  • "Heads"
  • "We the Electronic"
  • "21st Century Meltdown"
  • "Sex Type Drug"
Released8 January 2001 (2001-01-08)
Studio Great Lindford Manor
Genre Grunge [1]
Length3:13
Label Echo
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Feeder singles chronology
"Paperfaces"
(1999)		"Buck Rogers"
(2001)		"Seven Days in the Sun"
(2001)

"Buck Rogers" is a song by Welsh rock band Feeder. It was the first single to be taken from their third studio album, Echo Park (2001), and was released on The Echo Label. The track reached number five on the UK Singles Chart after its release on 8 January 2001. The group had originally not intended the track to be one of theirs, as frontman and main songwriter of the band Grant Nicholas originally wrote "Buck Rogers" for SR-71, only for producer Gil Norton and A&R staff of Echo to convince the band they could have a hit with it themselves, after hearing a demo recorded by Feeder. It continues to be played on UK alternative radio stations as a classic hit of its genre. The single has been certified gold in the United Kingdom for sales and streaming figures exceeding 400,000 units.

Contents

The song title was inspired by the television show of the same name as Nicholas wanted to create a futuristic sound. Critical reaction was largely positive with the song being named one of Kerrang! magazine's "666 Songs You Must Own" in November 2004, and appearing on various other lists, despite NME giving a heavy negative reaction, claiming that the single would be "Lucky to reach the top 30". The music video for "Buck Rogers" was directed by Markus Walter and features footage of the group performing the song inside an elephant named "Daisy", situated in an underground car park.

Background

The song was written by frontman Grant Nicholas for their third album Echo Park. During the year the band played festivals in the UK which previewed the material they were working on at the time, and would then play a series of small venues near the end of the year. Amongst the new songs they played, was their then forthcoming new single "Buck Rogers". [2]

The song is about a relationship ending, in which the character in the song meets a person named "Buck Rogers" who owns a "brand new car" that "looks like a Jaguar". His partner leaves him for the "Buck Rogers" character, which leads him to say "but I don't want to talk about it anymore", before looking on a positive side saying that he thinks he's going to make it through if he buys "a house in Devon", and starts "all over again" with her. The character then reunites with his friends to "drink cider from a lemon". [3] Grant has said that the song employs an element of humour upon closer scrutiny. [2]

The track's name came about when Grant was playing on a keyboard and invented a piece of music he said was "futuristic", and asked his engineer Matt Sime what to call the piece. They both thought "Buck Rogers" would sound appropriate for a working title which then stuck. [2] The recorded demo was originally for SR-71, but was convinced by producer Gil Norton not to part with the song as he believed the band could have a hit with it. [4]

The first ever live performance of "Buck Rogers" at Glastonbury in 2000 featured the lyrics "Driving wheel to stone" instead of "Looks like a Jaguar", the song has been played at every gig on tour, one-off gigs and festivals, until the May 2008 tour, which saw the song dropped from setlists (excluding TV appearances and a gig supporting Coldplay), for the first time in its history. Since then the song has made a comeback into the bands sets. It also appeared in the video game Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec , the DVD and VHS versions of the 2003 Human Bodyboarding Teahupo'o Challenge, and in the 2001 film Behind Enemy Lines .

Music video

The video starts with the band walking out from a spaceship, which is disguised as an elephant. During the first chorus after they walk out they are holding various fast food items, while looking around the velodrome looking complex, wondering where they have landed. After the chorus, shots of the band standing still in mid-air positions are shown, and then the band mostly performing the song in fast motion with occasional freeze-frame shots added in.

Before the last chorus, the band make their way back inside the elephant spaceship and look surprised as the inside is bigger than it looks on the outside. Here the band perform the last verse playing on instruments already inside the elephant, while the camera pans round the band before the screen turns black as the song ends at the same time.

The video was shot in Berlin, Germany in an underground car park and a sports complex. [5]

Reception

In the United Kingdom the single was released on 8 January 2001 as two CD singles and a 7-inch vinyl single. [6] [7] The song was played on Radio 1 and appeared on their A-list, meaning the single would be in high rotation. [2]

On the day of single release, the band performed an in-store at the now closed London branch of Tower Records. [8] Due to the single selling strongly during the course of the week, the band were invited onto The Pepsi Chart Show on Channel 5, and BBC One's Top of the Pops . The band were forced to cancel two signings as a result of this. [2]

Chart performance

"Buck Rogers" entered the charts at number five in the United Kingdom, it went on to spend a second week in the top 10 at number eight. [9]

In South Africa, the track was very well received by radio DJs by reaching number one on the 5FM top 40. [10] Later in the year the band were invited by the radio station as a headline act for their 26th birthday celebrations concert, due to the success the band had with them at the time. [10]

After the top-five success of the single, Grant was asked in an April 2001 edition of a Feederweb fanzine if he felt under pressure to deliver another radio-friendly song, in reply he said: [11]

"Not really, I think with the radio thing you have to be really careful; at the end of the day Feeder's not a typical daytime radio band, but what we've done is that we've proved that a guitar band – a British guitar band, and a band that doesn't have the profile of U2 or someone can still get into the top ten. It is possible!, it just seems to be that it's always the big American bands who sort of dominate the top ten; a Limp Bizkit or whatever, but saying that I think the whole Travis and Coldplay thing has been really good as sort of a stepping stone, and also I think people are getting fed up of just seeing Westlife or Steps on the TV. I think people are finding rock, and real bands again – I think that the market is currently so bombarded with pop stuff that we're just quite refreshing. Rock never went away, but it never really got the exposure. Hopefully it'll get "Seven Days in the Sun" away..."

Grant said in a 2005 Q magazine interview that he did not want to be remembered for it, as he said it is "a throwaway pop song" and he is more of a dark songwriter. However, he said if it was not for the song, Feeder would not be here today. [4]

All-time list appearances

"Buck Rogers" has made numerous appearances in the all-time lists conducted by Kerrang! magazine, and the radio station XFM. The track charted at number 37 in a December 2002 readers poll conducted by Kerrang!. [12] This was later followed-up by four successive appearances in the annual XFM X-List, with a number 25 peak in 2004. [13] [14] [15] [16] Kerrang!'s writers have also approved of the track as one of the 666 Songs You Must Own, when it appeared at number five in the rock songs list in November 2004. [17] In May 2009, listeners of XFM were invited to vote for their top 10 fave British singles of all-time; their top song would get 10 points, while their 10th song would get just the one with all the points added up to compile the order. "Buck Rogers" ended up at number 86 in their all-time top 100 list with "Just a Day" at number 81. [18] "Buck Rogers" also features in the book The Xfm Top 1000 Songs of All Time .

After "Buck Rogers"

Feeder continued to have chart success after "Buck Rogers", despite many critics labelling the band as one-hit wonders. Drummer Jon Lee however died in January 2002 after taking his own life, before the band made their return to the live stage in August later that year, with the highlight being a well-received set on the second stage of the Reading Festival. Comfort in Sound became a big success in their homeland and was recorded with Mark Richardson on drums. It propelled Feeder to a brief arena status which ended after Silent Cry fell behind sales expectations, but last played arenas in 2006, two years before the album was released.

After releasing three more top 10 albums from Comfort in Sound onwards, which included a singles album, Mark parted company to return to a reformed Skunk Anansie, before Karl Brazil joined the band as an unofficial member. He was later joined by Damon Wilson and Tim Trotter as additional session drummers. Brazil was however the only drummer in that set-up to have recorded with the band, before 2016 saw Wilson leave the music industry to raise his family, while Trotter has not been heard of Since. Today, Geoff Holroyde drums with the band live and in the studio, with Brazil occasionally in the studio.

Feeder's chart success has however not been on the same level as in the past, but have since charted from Silent Cry onwards six more top 20 albums, with the last four of these going top 10 allowing them to chart in that section of the album chart, for three consecutive decades.

The Echo Label, who released "Buck Rogers", folded as a record label in 2008, leading to Feeder to search for a new deal. There were plans to release a tour only single, but contract obligations saw the release delayed. Although there were deals on the table, Feeder decided to create their own label Big Teeth Music in 2009, releasing two albums on the label before signing with Cooking Vinyl in 2016, Believe Music in 2019 then back to Big Teeth Music. In 2011, Matt Sime briefly retired from the music business only to work with the band again soon after.

Track listings

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [28] Gold400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref(s).
United Kingdom8 January 2001
  • CD
  • 7-inch vinyl
 Echo [6] [7]
Australia19 March 2001CD Festival Mushroom [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feeder (band)</span> Welsh indie rock band

Feeder are a British rock band formed in Newport in 1994. They have released 11 studio albums, 12 compilations, four EPs and 43 singles, spending a combined total of 184 weeks on the singles and albums charts as of 2019, while accumulating 25 top 75 singles between 1997 and 2012. At the peak of their commercial success, Feeder won two Kerrang! Awards in 2001 and 2003; they were inducted into their Hall of Fame in August 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Nicholas</span> Welsh musician

Grantley Jonathan Nicholas is a Welsh musician and the lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Feeder.

<i>Echo Park</i> (album) 2001 studio album by Feeder

Echo Park is the third studio album by Welsh rock band Feeder. It was their first album since 1999's Yesterday Went Too Soon. The album was recorded at Great Linford Manor in Milton Keynes during most of 2000 and was produced by Gil Norton.

<i>Comfort in Sound</i> 2002 studio album by Feeder

Comfort in Sound is the fourth studio album by Welsh rock band Feeder, released on 21 October 2002 and also the first to be released by the band after the suicide of drummer Jon Lee earlier in the year. The album was recorded at RAK Studios in London during most of 2002, and was produced by Gil Norton.

Jonathan Henry Lee was a Welsh drummer. He was the original drummer of the British rock band Feeder.

<i>Pushing the Senses</i> 2005 studio album by Feeder

Pushing the Senses is the fifth studio album by Welsh rock band Feeder. It was released on Echo, Liberation Music and PIAS on 31 January 2005 in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Europe, while being released on Pony Canyon in Japan on 10 February 2005. Despite mixed reviews, the album was a commercial success, in which it was a top five album in Feeder's native United Kingdom, and its lead single "Tumble and Fall" was a top five single. This made the album Feeder's most successful in terms of peak chart position, but did not experience the same chart longevity as presuccessor Comfort in Sound, which spent 36 weeks on the UK top 75 chart in comparison to the 15 weeks spent by Pushing the Senses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just a Day</span> 2001 single by Feeder

"Just a Day" is a song by Welsh rock band Feeder, released as the band's final single of 2001, notable for being their last with drummer Jon Lee. It was first released on the "Seven Days in the Sun" single as a B-side. Despite having already appeared in the top 20 earlier in the year as a B-side, the single A-side release stayed in the UK top 20 for four weeks, peaking at number 12. It also peaked at number 47 in Ireland. It instantly became a regular to end the band's live sets, but has been occasionally rested from this position for a cover of "Breed" by Nirvana, while never used as one of the "Feeder covers" at Renegades gigs. As of November 2023, "Just a Day" has total consumption figures of 400,000, allowing it to be certified Gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vow (song)</span> 1995 single by Garbage

"Vow" is a song by alternative rock band Garbage. It was released as their debut single in early 1995 by Discordant, a label set up by Mushroom Records to launch the group, and Almo Sounds in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seven Days in the Sun</span> 2001 single by Feeder

"Seven Days in the Sun" is a song by Welsh rock band Feeder, released as the second single from their Echo Park album. It was released on 2 April 2001 and reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart the same month. CD1 of the single includes "Just a Day", which was later released as a single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High (Feeder song)</span> 1997 single by Feeder

"High" is a song by Feeder, released as the fourth and final single from their 1997 debut album, Polythene. This track was not included on the album until its re-issue in October of the same year and is seen as a fan anthem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turn (Feeder song)</span> 2001 single by Feeder

"Turn" is a song by Welsh rock band Feeder, released as the third single from their third studio album, Echo Park (2001), on 2 July 2001. The song reached number 27 in the UK Singles Chart and led to Echo Park re-entering the top 75 due to the pre-release airplay and stocking of the single on release week. It was also the band's third successive top-30 single, the first time this had happened in their career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Come Back Around</span> 2002 single by Feeder

"Come Back Around" is the first single released from Welsh rock band Feeder's fourth studio album, Comfort in Sound (2002). It was their first release after drummer Jon Lee's death earlier in the year and reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's 10th top-40 hit in the process. It also reached number 45 in Ireland. The promo video features four female drummers as a tribute to Jon Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insomnia (Feeder song)</span> 1999 single by Feeder

"Insomnia" is a song by Welsh rock band Feeder, released as the second single from their album Yesterday Went Too Soon. It reached number 22 on the UK Singles Chart and was at the time Feeder's fourth consecutive single to reach the top 40.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tumble and Fall</span> 2005 single by Feeder

"Tumble and Fall" is a single released from Welsh rock band Feeder's fifth studio album, Pushing the Senses (2005). It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the group's highest-placing single along with "Buck Rogers". It is also their highest-charting song in Ireland, where it reached number 26 to become Feeder's only top-30 hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just the Way I'm Feeling</span> 2003 single by Feeder

"Just the Way I'm Feeling" is a song by Welsh rock band Feeder, released as the second single from their fourth album, Comfort in Sound (2002). The song reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, giving drummer Mark Richardson his first UK top-10 appearance with the band. One of the B-sides, "The Power of Love", is a Frankie Goes to Hollywood cover and was recorded for the NME's War Child charity album 1 Love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feeder discography</span>

The discography of Feeder, a Welsh-Japanese rock band which formed in 1994, consists of eleven studio albums, twelve compilation albums, four extended plays (EP), and forty singles on The Echo Label, their own label Big Teeth Music, Cooking Vinyl and BMG as well as forty-nine music videos. Alongside charting fourteen Top 75 albums domestically, they also have 25 Top 75 singles. In 2022 Feeder became one of a few artists in UK Artist Album Chart history, to achieve top 10 albums in at least four different decades since its 1989 launch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Are the People (Feeder song)</span> 2008 single by Feeder

"We Are the People" was the first and only top 40 single from Feeder's sixth studio album, Silent Cry. The single was released on 9 June 2008, receiving its first radio play on Kerrang! Radio, two months before on 14 April. It charted at #25 in the UK becoming Feeder's landmark 20th top 40 single, but also their last to date after follow-up "Tracing Lines / Silent Cry" missed the top 200 alongside being their least successful lead single from any of their albums since 1999. "We Are the People" is also the first Feeder single since 1997's "Crash", to miss the BBC Radio 1 playlist and also the first of their singles since that one to only spend one week on the UK top 75. It was included on XFM's top 100 tracks of 2008 list.

We are the People is a song about change and unity in the world we live in... it's like a call to arms but in a positive and non-violent way. It's time for change and only we the people can do that... I wanted the song to be anthemic and sonically uplifting...

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gay Bar (song)</span> 2003 single by Electric Six

"Gay Bar" is a song by American rock band Electric Six. Written by band member Tyler Spencer, under the pseudonym Dick Valentine, it was released on June 2, 2003, as the second single from their debut studio album, Fire (2003). While both the song and music video received significant airplay, lyrics mentioning war were edited due to their possibly offensive nature, since the song made its air debut at the start of the Iraq War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie</span> 1982 single by Slade

"(And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie" is a song by English rock band Slade, released in 1982 as the lead single from the band's eleventh studio album, The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome and also included on its 1984 North American counterpart, Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by Lea. "(And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie" reached number 50 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for seven weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tequila (Terrorvision song)</span> 1999 single by Terrorvision

"Tequila" is a song by English rock band Terrorvision, written by the band and Chuck Rio and produced by Scottish musician Edwyn Collins. The song originally appeared on the band's fourth studio album, Shaving Peaches (1998), and was released as the album's second single on 18 January 1999. For the single release, English music producer Mint Royale remixed the track. These remixes were heavily championed by BBC Radio 1 DJ Zoe Ball, allowing the song to reach number two on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Terrorvision's highest-charting song in the UK. In 1999, the song won the Kerrang! Award for Best Single.

References

  1. ↑ Price, Andy (7 September 2022). "The Genius Of... Echo Park by Feeder". Guitar.com . Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Getting to Know You Well- The Biography". Hole In My Head inactive fansite page. Retrieved 30 March 2007.
  3. ↑ "The Story Behind The Song: Buck Rogers by Feeder". 2 November 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Q Feeder Interview March 2005". Feederweb.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2006. Retrieved 31 March 2007.
  5. ↑ Feederweb fanzine- January 2001
  6. 1 2 Evans, Beverley (27 January 2001). "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 18, no. 5. p. 37. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  7. 1 2 "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week . 23 December 2000. p. 32. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "Old News". Feederweb.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2007.
  9. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  10. 1 2 "SA ROCK DIGEST ISSUE #123". sarockdigest.com. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  11. ↑ Feederweb fanzine- "7 Days In The Sun"
  12. ↑ "Kerrang's! Top 100 Singles of All-Time". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  13. ↑ "X-List 2003". xfm.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  14. ↑ "X-List 2004". xfm.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  15. ↑ "X-List 2005". xfm.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  16. ↑ "X-List 2006". xfm.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  17. ↑ "Kerrang's "666 Songs You Must Own"". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  18. ↑ "Xfm's Best British Songs Of All Time". xfm.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  19. ↑ Buck Rogers (UK CD1 liner notes). Feeder. The Echo Label. 2001. ECSCD106, 5027529718129.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ↑ Buck Rogers (UK CD2 liner notes). Feeder. The Echo Label. 2001. ECSCX106, 5027529718228.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ↑ Buck Rogers (UK 7-inch vinyl disc). Feeder. The Echo Label. 2001. ECS 106.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ↑ Buck Rogers (European CD single liner notes). Feeder. Roadrunner Records. 2001. RR 2055-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ↑ Buck Rogers (Australian CD single liner notes). Feeder. Festival Mushroom Records. 2001. 020202.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 18, no. 5. 27 January 2001. p. 34. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  25. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  26. ↑ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
  27. ↑ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2001" (PDF). UKChartsPlus . Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  28. ↑ "British single certifications – Feeder – Buck Rogers". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  29. ↑ "The ARIA Report: ARIA New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 19th March 2001" (PDF). ARIA. 19 March 2001. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2002. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.