| "The Drowners" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Suede | ||||
| from the album Suede | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 11 May 1992 | |||
| Studio | Master Rock (London, England) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:10 | |||
| Label | Nude | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Ed Buller | |||
| Suede singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Drowners" is the debut single of English rock band Suede, released on 11 May 1992 on Nude Records. It was later included on the band's debut album, Suede (1993). "The Drowners" charted at number 49 on the UK Singles Chart.
Though not a hit at first, it amassed airplay over time and has become one of the band's definitive singles. Two different videos were produced for the song, one on rotation in the UK and the other created for the American market. The cover art features a seventies photo of German model Veruschka body-painted with a man's suit. [3]
In a retrospective review of the song, Troy Carpenter of AllMusic wrote: "'The Drowners' itself is a raucous anthem, lassoed by Bernard Butler's punctuated guitar riff. Singer Brett Anderson's ambiguous lyrics ("We kiss in his room/to a popular tune") and high-pitched croon recall Bowie's most theatrical moments, but in a different musical setting." [4] It garnered much acclaim from NME and Melody Maker , who both voted the song single of the year. [5]
In 2014, NME ranked the song at number 104 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. [6] "The Drowners" was placed at number 40 in a 2016 poll of "The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '90s" by music site PopMatters . [2]
The song was covered by Bristol space rock band Flying Saucer Attack. B-side "My Insatiable One", was covered by Morrissey during his 1992 world tour. [7] The song was covered in concert by the Manic Street Preachers. Bernard Butler played two songs at the same gig but contrary to many reports did not join them for The Drowners – a recording was released as a B-side to their single "She Is Suffering" in late 1994.
All songs were written by Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler.
UK 7-inch single [8]
UK 12-inch and CD single [9] [10]
European maxi-CD single [11]
| US CD single [12]
Japanese CD compilation [13]
|
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC) [14] | 49 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 11 May 1992 |
| Nude | [15] |
| Japan | 21 November 1992 | CD | [16] |
Suede are an English rock band formed in London in 1989 by singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Justine Frischmann, and bass player Mat Osman. Drawing inspiration from glam rock and post-punk, Suede were dubbed "The Best New Band in Britain" by Melody Maker in 1992, and attracted much attention from the British music press. The following year their debut album Suede went to the top of the UK Albums Chart, becoming the fastest-selling debut album in almost ten years. It won the Mercury Music Prize and helped foster 'Britpop' as a musical movement, though the band distanced themselves from the term.
Bernard Joseph Butler is a British musician, songwriter and record producer. He has been hailed by some critics as the greatest guitarist of his generation; BBC journalist Mark Savage called him "one of Britain's most original and influential guitarists". He was voted the 24th greatest guitarist of the last 30 years in a national 2010 BBC poll and is often seen performing with a 1961 cherry red Gibson ES-355 TD SV with a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece.
Suede is the debut album by English alternative rock band Suede, released in March 1993 on Nude Records. It was recorded in London at Master Rock studios late 1992 and early 1993 and was produced by Ed Buller. At the time the fastest-selling debut album in British history in almost a decade, Suede debuted at the top of the UK Albums Chart, won the 1993 Mercury Music Prize, and is often cited as one of the first Britpop records. Displaying a sound of Britishness and glam rock, its music and lyrical content has been compared to The Smiths and early David Bowie.
Sci-Fi Lullabies is a two-disc compilation album by English alternative rock band Suede released by Nude Records on 6 October 1997, consisting of B-sides from the singles that were released from the group's first three albums. It reached no. 9 on the UK Albums Chart, and received universal acclaim on release. In subsequent years, the record has been hailed as one of the finest B-side compilations in popular music.
"Metal Mickey" is the second single released by English rock band Suede, issued on 14 September 1992 on Nude Records. It was included on the band's debut album, Suede, the following year. The song charted at No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart, an improvement on the previous single "The Drowners", which fell short of the top 40. The song also reached the top 40 in Australia and Sweden.
"Animal Nitrate" is the third single by English rock band Suede, released through Nude Records on 22 February 1993 and later included on the band's debut album Suede. It charted at No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the highest-charting single from the album. The song is the band's highest-charting single in Ireland and New Zealand, peaking at No. 11 in both countries. It also debuted and peaked at No. 21 in Sweden but stayed on the chart for only two weeks.
"So Young" is a song by English rock band Suede, released as the fourth and final single from their self-titled debut album on 17 May 1993 through Nude Records. It charted at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart. "So Young" was a last-minute addition to the album. It was written just three months ahead of its release, in contrast to the bulk of the album, which had been demoed almost a year previously.
"Stay Together" is a non-album single by English band Suede, released on 14 February 1994 through Nude Records. It is the last single released while guitarist Bernard Butler was in the band, though subsequent singles from Dog Man Star feature his music. It is tied with "Trash" as the highest-charting single the band has released, reaching No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also charted in Ireland, peaking at No. 18.
"We Are the Pigs" is the first single from the album Dog Man Star by British band Suede, released on 12 September 1994 through Nude Records.
"The Wild Ones" is the second single from the album Dog Man Star by English rock band Suede, released on 7 November 1994 through Nude Records. The song peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart and number six in Iceland.
"New Generation" is the third and final single from English rock band Suede's second album, Dog Man Star (1994). The song was released on 30 January 1995 through Nude Records and was the first single to feature music by new guitarist Richard Oakes. Though the title track is written by Anderson and departed guitarist Bernard Butler, Oakes contributes to "Together" and "Bentswood Boys". The single reached No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Trash" is the first single from English rock band Suede's third studio album, Coming Up (1996). Released on 29 July 1996 via Nude Records, "Trash" was the first single on which all the songs were written without guitarist Bernard Butler, since Richard Oakes had taken his place. The single is tied with "Stay Together" as the band's highest-charting single on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number three; however, it outsold the earlier single, thus making it their biggest-selling single. Outside the UK, the song topped the Finnish Singles Chart and reached the top five in Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden.
"Beautiful Ones" is a song by English rock band Suede, released as the second single from their third album, Coming Up (1996), on 14 October 1996 through Nude Records. The song became a top-10 hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number eight, and reached number one in Iceland for two weeks.
"Saturday Night" is the third single from English rock band Suede's third studio album, Coming Up (1996), released on 13 January 1997 through Nude Records. The single continued the success of Suede's previous two hits by entering the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number six. Outside the UK, the song peaked at number one in Iceland, number seven in Finland, number eight in Denmark, and number 11 in Sweden.
"Lazy" is the fourth single from English rock band Suede's third album, Coming Up (1996). Released on 7 April 1997 through Nude Records, "Lazy" was the fourth single from the album to reach the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number nine. The song also reached the top 20 in Finland, Iceland, and Sweden.
"Electricity" is the first single from the album Head Music by Suede, released on 12 April 1999 via Nude Records. It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and in Finland and Norway. It was also a top-20 hit in Iceland, Ireland, Spain and Sweden and reached number 39 in New Zealand, becoming Suede's last charting single there.
"She's in Fashion" is the second single from Suede's fourth studio album, Head Music (1999). It was released on 21 June 1999 and peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, number 10 in Finland, and number 59 in Sweden.
"Obsessions" is the second single from English rock band Suede's fifth studio album, A New Morning (2002). It was released on 18 November 2002 through Epic Records, reaching number 29 on the UK Singles Chart and number 19 in Spain.
"Yes" is the debut single of English music duo McAlmont & Butler, released on 15 May 1995 and later included on their debut album, The Sound Of... McAlmont & Butler. The soul ballad was their first UK hit, peaking at number eight on the UK Singles Chart, and remains their most successful single, selling over 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom to earn a silver sales certification. The song also charted in Ireland, reaching number 24, and in New Zealand, peaking at number 40. British magazine NME ranked the song at number 174 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2014.
Friends and Lovers is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Bernard Butler, released on 25 October 1999 through Creation Records. He released his debut studio album, People Move On, in early 1998; within a few months, Butler had accumulated enough material for his next release. Recorded between November 1998 and February 1999, Butler produced the sessions at RAK Studios in London, before moving to Chipping Norton Recording Studios in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, and finishing at Konk Studios in London. Described as a pop rock release, Friends and Lovers had been compared to the works of Mott the Hoople, Small Faces and Spooky Tooth.
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