| "We Are the Pigs" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Suede | ||||
| from the album Dog Man Star | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 12 September 1994 | |||
| Studio | Master Rock (London, England) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Nude | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Brett Anderson, Bernard Butler | |||
| Producer(s) | Ed Buller | |||
| Suede singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"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 single heralded the darker tone that the band had taken for Dog Man Star, which contrasted heavily with their debut album. The unsettling sound on the single was not characteristic of the popular Britpop bands of the time. The departure of guitarist Bernard Butler, ahead of its release, overshadowed the single somewhat. That event, along with the song's music video receiving little airplay, contributed to its relatively poor charting, peaking at No. 18 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 34 in Sweden. [4] [5]
Singer and co-writer Brett Anderson has said he wrote it while he was living in Highgate. It is a song about revolution and the juxtaposition between the middle class lives of Highgate and the council estates of the not too far away Archway. He said: "[It's] a warning to the middle classes that everyone they're keeping under their feet is going to end up crushing their skulls. That was the idea behind it. It's supposed to be quite a violent thing." [6]
The cover art for the single features a still from the cult film Freak Orlando .
The video for "We Are the Pigs", directed by David and Raphael Vital-Durand, features a grim, Nineteen Eighty-Four –like setting. It was initially banned by some TV stations including MTV for being too violent. The video features burning cars, cross burnings, and masked gangs roaming the streets, committing violent acts. Also notable is the video features the first official public appearance of new guitarist Richard Oakes. The video for the B-side, "Killing of a Flash Boy", a specially commissioned backdrop film for the Dog Man Star tour, produced by Derek Jarman was shot in Nightingale Estate in Hackney.
The single was very well received in the British press. David Sinclair of The Times wrote: "Propelled by one of Bernard Butler's finest riff chord sequences and fuelled by the nightmare visions of Brett Anderson's lyric, the song romps home with a glorious chorus that combines old-fashioned sing-a-long appeal with an intriguingly sinister edge." [7] Caroline Sullivan's review in The Guardian was printed the day before the band announced Oakes as their new guitarist. In it she predicted it would be the band's swansong. However, she was very favourable saying: "It's a typically melodramatic affair, Butler's squawking playing counterpointed by Brett Anderson's breastbeating emoting. One of their best." [8] Martin Aston of Music Week wrote: "After the recent departure of guitarist Bernard Butler, Suede have to be at their best. 'We Are the Pigs' is just the ticket, one of their very best, strident, anthemic singles, which neatly sets the tone for the equally stunning second album on October 10." [9] Female pop-punk music duo Shampoo reviewed the song for Smash Hits , giving it four out of five. [10]
Pitchfork placed "We Are the Pigs" at No. 169 on their list of the Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s. [11] In 2006, Total Guitar ranked Butler's solo at No. 57 in its list of the "100 Hottest Solos". [3] The B-side "Killing of a Flash Boy" became a staple of Suede's live set list and was included on the B-sides album Sci-Fi Lullabies . In 2014, NME ranked the song at No. 364 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. [12]
All songs were written by Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler.
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [18] | 70 |
| Scotland (OCC) [19] | 20 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [5] | 34 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [4] | 18 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 12 September 1994 |
| Nude | [20] |
| Japan | 24 November 1994 | CD | [21] |
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 in 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.
Here Come the Tears is the only studio album by English rock band the Tears. It was released on 6 June 2005 on Independiente. Frontman Brett Anderson and guitarist Bernard Butler had found success together earlier in Suede, with Butler leaving that band after just two albums. Suede's career was on pause when the two reunited for this project. In January 2004, the pair had begun recording music together in secrecy; they decided to form the Tears with bassist Nathan Fisher, drummer Makoto Sakamoto and keyboardist Will Foster. The band had accumulated 18 demos by June 2004, after which, they started recording the album. Sessions were held across various studios with Butler as the producer and finished by October 2004. Here Come the Tears is a pop album that evokes the work of David Bowie, and was compared to Suede's second studio album Dog Man Star (1994).
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.
"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.
"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 (1993). 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.
"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.
"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. Melody Maker ranked "Trash" number four in their list of "Singles of the Year" in 1996.
"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.
"Positivity" is the first single from the album A New Morning by Suede, released on 16 September 2002 through Epic Records. Although it received mixed reviews from critics and fans, the song became one of the band's final hit singles, reaching number one in Denmark, number 12 in Spain, number 15 in Finland and Norway, and number 16 in their native United Kingdom.
"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.
"Dreams" is the debut single of Irish rock band the Cranberries. It was originally released in September 1992 by Island Records and later appeared on the band's debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993). The song reached the top 50 of the US Hot 100 and the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart in early 1994. A 1990 demo version was released in Ireland only in the summer of that year under their initial band name, the Cranberry Saw Us. At the end of the song, the backing vocals are sung by Mike Mahoney, ex-boyfriend of Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan.
"Play with Me (Jane)" is a song from the British pop duo Thompson Twins, which was released in 1992 as a single from Songs from the Cool World, the soundtrack release for the 1992 film Cool World. The song was written and produced by Alannah Currie and Tom Bailey.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)