Bull in the Heather
{{Short description|1994 single by Sonic Youth}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Bull in the Heather
| cover = SonicYouthBullintheHeather.jpg
| alt =
| border = yes
| type = single
| artist = Sonic Youth
| album = Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star
| B-side =
- "Razor Blade"
| released = {{Start date|1994|04|19}}
| recorded =
| studio = Sear Sound, New York City
| genre =
| length = {{Duration|m=3|s=04}}
| label = Geffen
| writer = Sonic Youth
| producer = Butch Vig
| chronology = Sonic Youth
| prev_title = Drunken Butterfly
| prev_year = 1993
| next_title = Superstar
| next_year = 1994
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|8JGBNkLM9_8|"Bull in the Heather"}}}}
}}
"Bull in the Heather" is a song by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth from their eighth studio album, Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star (1994). It was released to radio as the lead single from the album on April 19, 1994, by Geffen Records. The song was written collectively by Sonic Youth, and production was done by Butch Vig. According to band member Kim Gordon, the song is about "using passiveness as a form of rebellion."
Background
The single featured an outtake, "Razor Blade", and an alternate version of "Doctor's Orders" as B-sides.
Singer and bassist Kim Gordon explained that the song is about "using passiveness as a form of rebellion—like, I'm not going to participate in your male-dominated culture, so I'm just going to be passive".{{Cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p7oBAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52 |title=When Will These Old Guys Shut Up? |journal=New York |author=Matt Diehl |date=1994-05-30 |pages=52–53 |volume=27 |issue=22 |accessdate=2015-03-02}} The song's title is a reference to the race horse Bull Inthe Heather{{Sic}}, who won the Florida Derby in 1993.{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2008/04/28/kim-gordon-birt/|title=Happy birthday, Kim Gordon!|last=Slezak|first=Michael|date=April 28, 2008|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|accessdate=April 22, 2022}}
Critical reception
Barbara O'Dair of Rolling Stone referred to the song as "enigmatic," highlighting Gordon's "breathy, talk-singing."{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/experimental-jet-set-trash-and-no-star-19940505 |title=Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star |first=Barbara |last=O'Dair |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=May 5, 1994 |access-date=February 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129023557/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/experimental-jet-set-trash-and-no-star-19940505 |archive-date=January 29, 2014 |url-status=live}} Also from Rolling Stone, Matthew Perpetua praised the song's "graceful combinations of pop songwriting and off-kilter experimental noise," making note of the unorthodox guitar techniques employed throughout it.{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/sonic-youth-three-decades-of-dissonance-11679/making-the-nature-scene-19927/ |title=Sonic Youth: Three Decades of Dissonance |first=Matthew |last=Perpetua |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=March 28, 2012 |access-date=April 22, 2022}}
Chart performance
In the United States, "Bull in the Heather" debuted at number 29 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart for the issue dated May 28, 1994. The song reached a peak of number 13 for the issue dated June 18, 1994, spending a total of eight weeks on the chart. The song became Sonic Youth's highest charting song in the United Kingdom, reaching a peak of number 24 on the UK Singles Chart for the issue dated May 7, 1994. The song spent a total of five weeks on the chart. In Australia, the song reached a peak position of number 90 on the ARIA Charts.
Music video
The music video was directed by Tamra Davis and produced by Kris Krengle.{{cite magazine |last=|first=|title=Production Notes |magazine=Billboard |volume=106 |issue=22 |page=34 |publication-date=May 28, 1994}} Filmed in Los Angeles, the video features Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna dancing and occasionally interacting with the band members, particularly guitarist Thurston Moore; she accidentally gave Moore a bloody lip during filming. Also featured are a young couple hanging out in a semi-wooded field and stock footage of horses racing.
The scenes of Moore and Lee Ranaldo jumping around on a bed were inspired by a photo of Moore when he was younger. At the time of the video, bassist Kim Gordon was five months pregnant.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}
The music video was featured in an episode of Beavis and Butt-Head.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}
Live performances
Sonic Youth performed the song during their set at Battery Park’s River to River Festival on July 4, 2008. A recording of this performance was released as a promotional single on June 7, 2019 and was subsequently included on the live album Battery Park, NYC July 4th 2008.{{cite news|url=https://www.spin.com/2019/05/sonic-youth-live-battery-park-album/|title=Sonic Youth Announce Battery Park, NYC: July 4, 2008, Release Live Version Of "Bull In The Heather"|last=Serota|first=Maggie|date=May 23, 2019|work=Kerrang!|accessdate=April 22, 2022|df=mdy-all}}
Legacy
In 2007, NME placed "Bull in the Heather" at No. 48 in its list of the 50 "Greatest Indie Anthems Ever". Spin placed the song at No. 37 in its list of "The 100 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1994".
"Bull in the Heather" directly influenced The Strokes' 2003 single "12:51", and lead singer Julian Casablancas would admit that the phrasing was "totally ripping it off".{{Cite web|date=2013-02-08|title=The Roots Of... The Strokes {{!}} NME|url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/the-roots-of-the-strokes-774852|access-date=2020-08-29|website=NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs {{!}} NME.COM|language=en-GB}}{{Cite web|date=2003-10-22|title=Is this it again?|url=https://www.spin.com/2003/10/it-again/|access-date=2020-08-29|website=Spin}}
Track listings and formats
- 10" vinyl and CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Bull in the Heather|others=Sonic Youth|year=1994|type=United Kingdom 10" vinyl liner notes|publisher=Geffen Records|id=GFSV 72}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Bull in the Heather|others=Sonic Youth|year=1994|type=United Kingdom CD single liner notes|publisher=Geffen Records|id=GFSTD 72}}
- "Bull in the Heather" (LP version) – 3:04
- "Razor Blade" – 1:06
- "Doctor's Orders" (T.-Vox version) – 4:20
- 7" vinyl and cassette single{{cite AV media notes|title=Bull in the Heather|others=Sonic Youth|year=1994|type=United Kingdom 7" vinyl liner notes|publisher=Geffen Records|id=GFS 72}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Bull in the Heather|others=Sonic Youth|year=1994|type=United Kingdom cassette single liner notes|publisher=Geffen Records|id=GFSC 72}}
- "Bull in the Heather" (LP version) – 3:04
- "Razor Blade" – 1:06
Credits and personnel
Credits and personnel are adapted from the Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star album liner notes.{{cite AV media notes|others=Sonic Youth|title=Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star|year=1994|type=CD liner notes|publisher=DGC|id=DGCD-24632}}
Sonic Youth
- Thurston Moore – guitar
- Kim Gordon – vocals, bass
- Lee Ranaldo – guitar
- Steve Shelley – drums, percussion
Technical
- Butch Vig – recording, mixing, production
- John Siket – engineering
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Bil Emmons – technician
- Devin Emke – technician
- Ed Raso – technician
- Fred Kevorkian – technician
- Ollie Cotton – technician
- Walter Sear – technician
Charts
Release history
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:left"
!scope="col"|Region !scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Formats(s) !scope="col"|Label(s) !scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref(s).|Reference(s)}} |
| rowspan="2"| United States
| rowspan="2"| {{start date|1994|04|19}} | rowspan="2"| {{hlist|DGC}} |align="center"|{{cite magazine |last=Bambarger |first=Bradley |title=Sonic Youth Looks Back to the Future |magazine=Billboard |volume=106 |issue=14 |page=13 |publication-date=April 2, 1994}} |
| College radio |
References
{{reflist|2|refs=
{{cite magazine |url=https://www.spin.com/2014/08/100-best-alternative-rock-songs-1994-alt/119ajmn2j275imca8gmc2eikki20/ |title=The 100 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1994 |magazine=Spin |accessdate=2015-03-18 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913081123/https://www.spin.com/2014/08/100-best-alternative-rock-songs-1994-alt/119ajmn2j275imca8gmc2eikki20/ |archivedate=2014-09-13 |url-status=live}}
{{cite magazine |url=https://www.nme.com/news/nme/28031 |title=The Greatest Indie Anthems Ever |magazine=NME |date=2007-05-01 |accessdate=2015-03-18 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140805062404/http://www.nme.com/news/nme/28031 |archivedate=2014-08-05 |url-status=live}}
}}
{{Sonic Youth}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Song recordings produced by Butch Vig