| "Vegemite" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard | ||||
| from the album Oddments | ||||
| A-side | "Vegemite" | |||
| Released | January 17, 2014 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:45 | |||
| Label | Flightless | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Stu Mackenzie | |||
| Producer(s) | Stu Mackenzie | |||
| King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Vegemite" on YouTube | ||||
"Vegemite" is a single by the Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard released as a CD promotion for their album Oddments on January 17, 2014.
The song is an ode to Vegemite, an Australian food spread known for its umami favor. [1] Stu Mackenzie stated that "I recorded Vegemite at my parents house in Anglesea on their out-of-tune-but-exactly-a-half-step-down piano. It's probably the most literal song I've ever written. I love Vegemite." [1] [2] He also stated that it was one of the easiest songs he ever wrote. [1] Joey Walker, however, has gone on record stating Vegemite "tastes like human shit" and that the song was a "weak attempt at trying to get a sync on an ad" hinting that in their early years, King Gizzard was looking into making commercial jingles. [1]
On January 13, 2014, a Vegemite music video by Jason Galea, alongside a CD single, was released. [1] [2] [3] The music video is Stu's face overlaid on vegemite on toast, akin to Annoying Orange . [4] [1] Vegemite was the only single from Oddments. [1]
Vegemite has been described as the "closest thing to a novelty song within the King Gizzard canon" and as a meme among King Gizzard fans. [1] The song was played a handful of times on tour in 2014 before being largely retired from the band's repertoire. [1] In a 2020 Reddit AMA, Michael Cavanagh stated that "Vegemite" was his least favorite song in the band's discography (the track includes no drums, and Cavanagh is the band's drummer). [1] During a show on May 22, 2022, Stu joked about playing the song, which prompted the crowd to chant "Vegemite" with Joey responding "no one wants to hear that fuckin' song." [1] However, by 2023 the band began teasing that they would play the song live, and during Live at The Gorge '24 , when the band was forced to stop their show due to the stage's barricade breaking, Stu sang an a cappella version of Vegemite which ended up being included in the official track list for the show. [1]