| "Israel's Son" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Silverchair | ||||
| from the album Frogstomp | ||||
| Released | 1995 (Australia) | |||
| Recorded | 1994 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:20 | |||
| Label | Murmur | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Daniel Johns | |||
| Producer(s) | Kevin Shirley | |||
| Silverchair singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Israel's Son" is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair, released in 1995. It was the third single released from their debut full-length album, Frogstomp , which was released earlier the same year. It was also released on their The Best of Volume 1 .
Daniel Johns said about the song in an interview with Request Magazine in November 1995:
That [song] was about an execution I saw on tele. I got this video of an execution, and I just saw it, and I was watching it one night, and I had a dream about it, and I woke up and thought, 'Oh yeah, that's pretty cool', and I wrote a song about it. [3]
In a January 1996 murder case, the defendant counsel for Brian Bassett, 16, and Nicholaus McDonald, 18, of McCleary, Washington, claimed that the pair listened to "Israel's Son", from Frogstomp, which contributed to the murders of Bassett's parents and a younger brother on August 10, 1995. [4] [5] McDonald's lawyer cited the lyrics "'Hate is what I feel for you/I want you to know that I want you dead'" which were "almost a script. They're relevant to everything that happened". [6]
The band's manager, John Watson, was quoted as stating on behalf of Silverchair:
"Silverchair do not, have not, and never would condone violence of any sort. The band is appalled by this horrific crime and they hope that justice will prevail in prosecuting whoever is responsible for it. The band extends its sincere sympathies to the families and friends of the victims in this case. Silverchair absolutely rejects any allegation that their song is in any way responsible for the actions of the alleged murders. It is a matter of public record that the song in question, Israel's Son, was inspired by a television documentary about wartime atrocities. Israel's Son was never intended to provoke violence and cannot be interpreted by any reasonable person as doing so. In fact, the song seeks to criticise violence and war by portraying them in all their horror."
Prosecutors rejected the defence case and convinced the jury that the murder was committed to "steal money and belongings and run off to California." [4]
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [7] | 11 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [8] | 12 |
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard) [9] | 39 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [10] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Daniel Paul Johns is an Australian musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the frontman, guitarist, and main songwriter of the rock band Silverchair. Johns is also one half of The Dissociatives with Paul Mac and one half of Dreams with Luke Steele. He released his first solo album, Talk, in 2015. Johns' second solo album, FutureNever, was released on 22 April 2022.
Silverchair are an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, Ben Gillies on drums, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo competition conducted by SBS TV show Nomad and ABC radio station Triple J. The band was signed by Murmur and were successful in Australia and internationally. Silverchair has sold over 10 million albums worldwide.
Frogstomp is the debut studio album by Australian rock band Silverchair. It was released on 27 March 1995, when the band members were only 15 years of age, by record label Murmur. The album features the band's commercially most successful single, "Tomorrow".
Neon Ballroom is the third studio album by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair, released in 1999 by record labels Murmur and Epic. The songs "Anthem for the Year 2000", "Ana's Song " and "Miss You Love" were released as singles and a short film was released for the song "Emotion Sickness". Neon Ballroom debuted at No. 1 on the Australian albums chart and peaked at No. 50 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was also their most successful album on the UK Albums Chart, where it peaked at No. 29. The album was nominated for 10 ARIA Awards and was certified Triple Platinum by the ARIA for selling over 210,000 copies in Australia. The album has been described as "heavy rock with orchestral flourishes and synthetic touches with powerfully emotional lyrics" that reflects the personal demons of frontman Daniel Johns, due to the band's rapid international success.
Diorama is the fourth studio album by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair, released on 31 March 2002 by Atlantic/Eleven. It won the 2002 ARIA Music Award for Best Group and Best Rock Album. The album was co-produced by Daniel Johns and David Bottrill. While Bottrill had worked on albums for a variety of other bands, Diorama marked the first production credit for lead singer Johns.
The Best Of: Volume 1 is the first compilation album by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair, which was issued on 13 November 2000. It includes every single they had released up until that point, with the exception of "Shade". The album peaked at No. 15 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
"Tomorrow" is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair, which was released on 16 September 1994 on their debut extended play album, also titled Tomorrow. The song was later released on Frogstomp, the band's debut studio album, in 1995. Written by lead singer and guitarist Daniel Johns and drummer Ben Gillies, it was produced and engineered by Phil McKellar at the national radio station Triple J's studios for SBS-TV's show, Nomad, which aired on 16 June 1994. After the broadcast the band were signed to the Murmur label – a Sony Music subsidiary – which subsequently issued the Tomorrow EP.
"Ana's Song (Open Fire)" is a song by the Australian alternative rock band Silverchair. It was released in May 1999 as the second single from their third album, Neon Ballroom. The song is about lead vocalist Daniel Johns' struggle with anorexia nervosa. "Ana's Song" peaked at No. 14 on Australia's ARIA Singles Chart, at No. 12 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, and at No. 28 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1999, it was nominated for two awards. The track also earned Silverchair a Comet Award in Germany.
"The Greatest View" is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair, released on 28 January 2002 as the first single from their fourth studio album, Diorama. This is one of three songs which made it onto the album which Daniel Johns recorded using his Rickenbacker 12 string.
"Across the Night" was the fourth and final single released by rock band Silverchair from their fourth album, Diorama. It is the first track on Diorama, and is a major departure from their previous, grungy sound which was featured on Frogstomp, which was released in 1995. This more progressive type of songwriting is also present on Silverchair's final album, Young Modern. A video was created for the song in the style of early 1920s cinema, featuring acclaimed Australian actor Guy Pearce.
"Anthem for the Year 2000" is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair, released as the first single from their third album, Neon Ballroom. The song reached number three on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, becoming the band's sixth top-ten single and their first lead single from an album not to reach number one, a feat "Tomorrow" and "Freak" had accomplished. The song reached the top ten in New Zealand, on Canada's RPM Rock Report, and on the UK Rock Chart.
"Abuse Me" is a song by the Australian rock band Silverchair. It was released as the second single from their 1997 album, Freak Show. In the United States, Sony chose "Abuse Me" as the first single from Freak Show despite protests by the band's manager. "Freak" was the Australian lead single and the preferred lead single from the album. It was also released on their The Best of Volume 1. The single peaked at number four on both the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, making it their second biggest hit in the United States.
"Freak" is a 1997 song by Australian rock band Silverchair, released as the first single from their second album, Freak Show (1997). The song reached number one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, Silverchair's second single to do so after "Tomorrow" in 1994. The band would not have another number-one hit until "Straight Lines" in 2007. One of the B-sides of the single is a cover of "New Race" by Australian band Radio Birdman.
"Pure Massacre" is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair, released in January 1995 as the second single from their debut album, Frogstomp (1995). It was a successful follow-up to the band's debut number-one single, "Tomorrow", peaking at number two in both Australia and New Zealand. It also reached number 17 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 12 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. The song was performed on Saturday Night Live.
The discography of Silverchair, an Australian alternative rock band, consists of five studio albums, one extended play (EP), twenty singles, one live album, two compilation albums, four video albums, and twenty music videos.
"Shade" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair. It was released as the fourth single from their debut album, Frogstomp, in 1995. It was the group's only single not chosen to be on their compilation album The Best of Volume 1.
The Ninth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 20 October 1995 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. There had been a 18-month gap since the previous award ceremony which was moved to be "closer to the business end of the music industry's year" and so reflect that year's works. Presenters distributed 28 awards from 1060 eligible submissions. Big winners for the year were Silverchair with five awards and Tina Arena with four, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year – both first time they were won by a female.
Freak Show is the second studio album by Australian rock band Silverchair. It was recorded during May–November 1996 and released on 4 February 1997 by record labels Murmur and Epic. It was nominated for the 1997 ARIA Music Award for Best Group, but lost to Savage Garden.
Robert Grayson is New York-born comedian based in Australia. Robert, aka Hanuman Dass died in February 2022. His passing was mourned by the Northern Rivers community and comedy lovers.
FutureNever is the second studio album by the Australian musician Daniel Johns, released on 22 April 2022 by BMG Music Australia. It was announced in December 2021 and initially scheduled for release on 1 April 2022 until it was delayed to 22 April to include the song "Emergency Calls Only". Johns said that he did not want to release any singles before the album, as he intended it to "be enjoyed as an album". Johns missed his own album launch party due to crashing his car in a high-range DUI incident.
