Josephine (Terrorvision song)

Last updated
"Josephine"
Terrorvision Josephine 1998 single cover.jpg
Single by Terrorvision
from the album Shaving Peaches
Released1998
Length3:13
Label
  • EMI
  • Total Vegas Recordings
Songwriter(s) Terrorvision
Producer(s) Edwyn Collins
Terrorvision singles chronology
"Easy"
(1996)		"Josephine"
(1998)		"Tequila"
(1999)

"Josephine" is a song by English rock band Terrorvision, which was released in 1998 as the lead single from their fourth studio album Shaving Peaches . The song was written by Terrorvision and produced by Edwyn Collins. "Josephine" reached No. 23 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for two weeks. [1] The song's music video was directed by Tomas Masin. [2]

Contents

Background

"Josephine" has lyrics where the male protagonist has a friend, Joe, who returns as Josephine after having a sex change, and a relationship develops ("Although I lost old Joe/I got a new girlfriend"). [3] In a 2000 interview with Roofdog, Yates said of the song, "We all know a Josephine, but we don't know it. Think of a bloke you really respect and he probably dresses as a woman some of the time!" [4]

"Josephine" was one of four tracks Terrorvision recorded for Shaving Peaches with Edwyn Collins as the producer. [5] A beer can was used during the recording of the track to produce the sound after the line "It took a while to click". The sound took twenty-four takes to record. [4]

Release

Preceding the release of Shaving Peaches, "Josephine" was issued as the album's first single in September 1998. [5] It was the band's first new release in over 18 months. [6] The track "Go Jerry", which appeared as one of the extra tracks on some editions of the single, was written and recorded as a tribute to Jerry Springer. [6]

Critical reception

On its release as a single, Select wrote that "Josephine" "recounts the tale of finding a gender-swapping friend in jocular style". The reviewer noted the "bounce-worthy chorus" and the "main intrigue [of] non-metaller Edwyn Collins producing". [7] Clare Wigmore of the Reading Weekend Post described the song as "a heart-warming, optimistic tale of transsexual love" which is "swamped in dirty rockabilly guitar". [6] In a review of Shaving Peaches, Jason Damas of AllMusic noted the song's "raucous twang". [8]

Track listing

7-inch single (limited edition) [9]

  1. "Josephine" – 3:13
  2. "Reasons to Deceive" – 3:49

CD single (UK #1) [10]

  1. "Josephine" – 3:13
  2. "Reasons to Deceive" – 3:49
  3. "Go Jerry" – 2:46

CD single (UK #2) [11]

  1. "Josephine" – 3:13
  2. "Falling Down" – 1:50
  3. "28 Hours" – 2:55

CD single (European release) [12]

  1. "Josephine" – 3:13
  2. "Reasons to Deceive" – 3:49
  3. "Go Jerry" – 2:46
  4. "Falling Down" – 1:50

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the UK CD1 and CD2 liner notes and the Shaving Peaches booklet. [10] [11] [13]

Terrorvision

Additional musicians

Production

Other

Charts

Chart (1998)Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [14] 86
Scotland (OCC) [15] 24
UK Singles (OCC) [16] 23

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References

  1. ↑ "TERRORVISION; full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  2. ↑ "Terrorvision - Josephine (1998)". IMVDb. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  3. ↑ "25 Songs About Gender Identity". Billboard. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  4. 1 2 Cook, Sam; Cremin, Karl (14 October 2000). "Northern Lights - Terrorvision are here to stay!". Roofdog. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  5. 1 2 Gallatly, Jim (11 August 1998). "Sheer terror". Evening Express . p. 19.
  6. 1 2 3 Wigmore, Clare (7 August 1998). "True rock comes in the shape of Terrorvision". Reading Weekend Post . p. 27.
  7. ↑ "Singles". Select . October 1998. p. 101.
  8. ↑ Damas, Jason. "Shaving Peaches - Terrorvision - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  9. ↑ Josephine (UK limited edition 7-inch single sleeve). Terrorvision. EMI Records, Total Vegas Recordings. 1998. 7243 885971 7 3, VEGAS 15.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. 1 2 Josephine (UK CD1 liner notes). Terrorvision. EMI Records, Total Vegas Recordings. 1998. 7243 8 85971 2 8, CD VEGASS 15.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. 1 2 Josephine (UK CD2 liner notes). Terrorvision. EMI Records, Total Vegas Recordings. 1998. 7243 8 85972 2 7, CDVEGAS 15.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ↑ Josephine (European CD liner notes). Terrorvision. EMI Records, Total Vegas Recordings. 1998. 724388620024.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ↑ Shaving Peaches (UK album booklet). Terrorvision. EMI Records, Total Vegas Recordings. 1998. 7243 4 96132 2 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 15, no. 41. 10 October 1998. p. 16. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  15. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  16. ↑ "Terrorvision: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
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