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Birthday (The Sugarcubes song)

{{short description|1987 single by The Sugarcubes}}

{{More citations needed|date=July 2015}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Birthday

| cover = The_Sugarcubes_Birthday_Single_Cover.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = the Sugarcubes

| album = Life's Too Good

| B-side = "Ammæli"

| released = {{Start date|1987|8}}

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = * Alternative rock

  • dream pop
  • post-punk{{cite web|last= Pitchfork Staff |title= The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s |website= Pitchfork |date= August 24, 2015 |url= https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9700-the-200-best-songs-of-the-1980s/?page=2|quote= Instead, it wafts like a swaying and strange post-punk exhale...|accessdate= October 16, 2022}}

| length = 3:58

| label = One Little Indian

| writer = The Sugarcubes

| producer = {{hlist|Ray Shulman|Derek Birkett}}

| prev_title = Luftguitar

| prev_year = 1987

| next_title = Coldsweat

| next_year = 1988

}}

"Birthday" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic band the Sugarcubes. It was released as a single in 1987, and included in their 1988 debut album Life's Too Good. It was their first international single and the first single released from the album. The Icelandic version, "Ammæli", was released on the Iceland-only single "Einn Mol'á Mann" the previous year, and it was included as the B-side on the international single and on the frontwoman Björk's box set Family Tree (2002).

After "Birthday" became the single of the week in Melody Maker magazine and NME in August 1987, and was selected as number one in John Peel's Festive Fifty list, the band attained worldwide recognition and success. In the United Kingdom, the song was the group's first chart entry at number 65 and also reached number two on the country's indie charts. In the US it was ranked at number 15 on The Village Voice{{'}}s "Pazz & Jop" critics' annual year-end poll to find the best music of 1988.{{cite web|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres88.php|title=Pazz & Jop critics' poll of 1988}} The Sugarcubes performed the song, along with "Motorcrash" on Saturday Night Live during the 15 October 1988 episode, which was hosted by Matthew Broderick.

Accolades

class="wikitable"
Publication

!Country

!Accolade

!Year

!Rank

rowspan="4" |NME

| rowspan="8" |United Kingdom

|NME Rock Years, Single of the Year 1963-99{{CN|date=December 2023}}

| 2000

| style="text-align:center;"|*

The 100 Best Songs of the 1980s{{CN|date=December 2023}}

| 2012

| style="text-align:center;"|28

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time{{CN|date=December 2023}}

|2014

| style="text-align:center;" |224

The Top 100 Singles of All Time{{CN|date=December 2023}}

|2002

| style="text-align:center;" |89

Mojo

|80 from the 80s: Our Fave 45s for Each Year, 1980-1989{{CN|date=December 2023}}

| 2007

| style="text-align:center;" |2

Q

|The 1010 Songs You Must Own{{CN|date=December 2023}}

|2004

| style="text-align:center;" |*

Q

|The Ultimate Music Collection{{CN|date=December 2023}}

|2005

| style="text-align:center;" |*

Uncut

|The 100 Greatest Singles from the Post-Punk Era{{CN|date=December 2023}}

|2001

| style="text-align:center;" |80

Gilles Verlant and Thomas Caussé

| rowspan="4" |France

|3000 Rock Classics{{CN|date=December 2023}}

| rowspan="2" |2013

| style="text-align:center;" |*

Hervé Bourhis

|The Juke Box Singles 1950-2012{{CN|date=December 2023}}

| style="text-align:center;" |*

rowspan="2" |Les Inrockuptibles

|1000 Indispensable Songs{{CN|date=December 2023}}

|2006

| style="text-align:center;" |*

1000 Necessary Songs{{CN|date=December 2023}}

|2015

| style="text-align:center;" |*

Rolling Stone

| rowspan="2" |United States

| rowspan="6" |Singles of the Year{{CN|date=December 2023}}

| rowspan="6" |1988

| style="text-align:center;" |9

Village Voice

| style="text-align:center;" |15

Melody Maker

| rowspan="3" |United Kingdom

| style="text-align:center;" |1

NME

| style="text-align:center;" |8

Record Mirror

| style="text-align:center;" |4

Rock de Lux

|Spain

| style="text-align:center;" |9

Panorama

|Norway

|The 30 Best Singles of the Year 1970-98{{CN|date=December 2023}}

|1999

| style="text-align:center;" |98

Rock de Lux

|Spain

|The Top 100 Songs from 1984-1993{{CN|date=December 2023}}

|1993

| style="text-align:center;" |18

Bruce Pollock

| rowspan="5" |United States

|The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944-2000{{CN|date=December 2023}}

|2005

| style="text-align:center;" |*

rowspan="2" |Pitchfork

|The Pitchfork 500

|2008

| style="text-align:center;" |*

The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s

|2015

| style="text-align:center;" |172

Shredding Paper

|The 50 Greatest Singles Ever{{CN|date=December 2023}}

|2002

| style="text-align:center;" |40

Woxy.com

|Modern Rock 500 Songs of All Time{{CN|date=December 2023}}

|2009

| style="text-align:center;" |135

Treble

|The Top 200 Songs of the 80s{{CN|date=December 2023}}

|2011

| style="text-align:center;" |185

colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:8pt;"| (*) designates lists that are unordered.

Track listing

UK 7" vinyl{{Cite web|url=http://77island.bjork.info/sugarcubes/birthday.html|title=77ísland • official Björk discography|website=77island.bjork.info|access-date=2017-03-15}}

Side A

  1. "Birthday" – 03:58

Side B

  1. "Birthday" (Icelandic) – 03:57

UK 12" vinyl

Side A

  1. "Birthday" – 03:58
  2. "Birthday" (Icelandic) – 03:57

Side B

  1. "Cat" (Icelandic) – 02:56

UK CD{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Sugarcubes-Birthday/release/415972|title=The Sugarcubes - Birthday|website=Discogs|language=en|access-date=2017-03-15}}

  1. "Birthday" – 3:58
  2. "Motorcrash" – 02:23
  3. "Cat" (Icelandic) – 02:56
  4. "Birthday" (Icelandic) – 03:57

Remixes

The song was remixed in 1988 by Jim and William Reid of the Jesus and Mary Chain and reissued as "Birthday (The Christmas Mixes)".

Remixes by Justin Robertson and Tommy D were produced in 1992 for the compilation It's-It, and were also released as a single.

Covers

A cover of this song has been recorded by Chitose Hajime in 2001. It has also been covered by the Mars Volta in 2008. Jackie Oates also recorded this song on her 2009 album Hyperboreans (One Little Indian). M. Ward released a cover of this song in 2021.

Charts

class="wikitable sortable"

!align="left"|Chart

! style="text-align:center;"|Peak
position

New Zealand (Official New Zealand Music Chart){{Cite web|url=https://charts.nz/showinterpret.asp?interpret=The+Sugarcubes|title=Discography The Sugarcubes}}

|align="center"|41

UK Independent Singles Chart{{Cite web|url=http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/s.htm |title=Indie Hits "S" |date=2009-07-20 |access-date=2017-03-15 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090720125236/http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/s.htm |archivedate=2009-07-20 }}

|align="center"|1

UK Singles Chart (OCC){{Cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/24525/sugarcubes/|title=SUGARCUBES {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company|website=www.officialcharts.com|language=en|access-date=2017-03-15}}

|align="center"|65

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{The Sugarcubes}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1987 singles

Category:Songs about birthday parties

Category:Songs about birthdays

Category:UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles

Category:One Little Independent Records singles

{{1980s-single-stub}}