Login
Login

Gay Bar (song)

{{Short description|2003 single by Electric Six}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2021}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Gay Bar

| cover = Gay Bar cover.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Electric Six

| album = Fire

| B-side =

  • "Don't Be Afraid of the Robot"
  • "Take Off Your Clothes"
  • "The Living End"

| released = {{start date|2003|6|2}}{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/2003/Music-Week-2003-05-31.pdf|title=New Releases – For Week Starting 2 June 2003: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=21|date=May 31, 2003|access-date=September 5, 2021}}

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

  • Garage punk{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/fire-mw0000596136|title=Fire – Electric Six|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=May 25, 2013|last=Phares|first=Heather}}
  • garage rock{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/jun/27/popandrock.artsfeatures|title=Electric Six: Fire|work=The Guardian|date=June 27, 2003|accessdate=May 25, 2013|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|author-link=Alexis Petridis}}

| length = 2:20

| label = XL

| writer = Tyler Spencer

| producer =

| prev_title = Danger! High Voltage

| prev_year = 2002

| next_title = Dance Commander

| next_year = 2003

}}

"Gay Bar" is a song by American rock band Electric Six. Written by band member Tyler Spencer, under the pseudonym Dick Valentine, it was released on June 2, 2003, as the second single from their debut studio album, Fire (2003). While both the song and music video received significant airplay, lyrics mentioning war were edited due to their possibly offensive nature, since the song made its air debut at the start of the Iraq War.

Background and writing

According to Spencer/Valentine, the idea for the song came up from incorrectly hearing the lyrics of DEVO's "Girl U Want" as "it's just a girl, it's just a girl at a gay bar" while the song was playing in a very loud nightclub. (The actual lyric is "She's just the girl, she's just the girl, the girl you want".)

=Censorship=

In the censored version of the song, the words "nuclear" and "war" (in the line "let's start a war, start a nuclear war") are cut out and a whiplash sound is used instead. A radio version in Japan exists in which the same lyrics are replaced with "let's do an edit, do a radio edit".{{YouTube|L_5SrcGg8JY}} Retrieved March 29, 2013.

Music video

The music video, directed by Tom Kuntz and Mike Maguire, was recorded in April 2003 at a movie studio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The video depicts a series of Abraham Lincoln look-alikes in the White House, portrayed primarily by the band's lead singer Dick Valentine, but doubles were used for some scenes.{{cite web |url = http://www.electricsix.com/music.php#gay | title = Electric Six | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061027142721/http://www.electricsix.com/music.php | archive-date = October 27, 2006 }}

Awards

The song was nominated for the Kerrang! Award for Best Single.{{cite news |title= Kerrang! awards 2003: The nominations |publisher= BBC |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/music/newsid_3129000/3129045.stm |date= August 6, 2003 |access-date= November 12, 2012}} It also won Video of the Year award (2003) from both Kerrang and Q magazine.

Track listings

UK, Australian, and New Zealand CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Gay Bar|others=Electric Six|year=2003|type=UK, Australian & New Zealand CD single liner notes|publisher=XL Recordings|id=XLS 158CD}}

  1. "Gay Bar"
  2. "Don't Be Afraid of the Robot"
  3. "Take Off Your Clothes"

UK 7-inch single{{cite AV media notes|title=Gay Bar|others=Electric Six|year=2003|type=UK 7-inch single liner notes|publisher=XL Recordings|id=XLS 158}}

:A. "Gay Bar"

:B. "The Living End"

UK DVD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Gay Bar|others=Electric Six|year=2003|type=UK DVD single liner notes|publisher=XL Recordings|id=XLS 158DVD}}

  1. "Gay Bar" (video)
  2. "Gay Bar" (Peaches remix)
  3. "Rockshow"

Charts

{{col-start}}

{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (2003)

!Peak
position

scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/00s/2003/MM-2003-06-21.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=21|issue=26|page=15|date=June 21, 2003|access-date=September 16, 2020}}

|20

{{single chart|Ireland3|32|artist=Electric Six|rowheader=true|access-date=January 18, 2020}}
{{single chart|Scotland|6|date=20030614|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|UK|5|date=20030614|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|UKindie|2|date=20030614|rowheader=true|access-date=November 5, 2018}}

{{col-2}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (2003)

!Position

scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC){{cite web|url=http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/ChartsPlusYE2003.pdf|title=The Official UK Singles Chart 2003|work=UKChartsPlus|access-date=May 14, 2021}}

|155

{{col-end}}

Certifications

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Electric Six|title=Gay Bar|award=Silver|relyear=2003|certyear=2020|id=16785-950-1|access-date=October 26, 2020}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

Legacy

  • The band recorded "Gay Bar Part Two", a sequel to this song, for their album Flashy. The song was less of a direct sequel, opting instead to satirise their annoyance caused by people demanding a follow-up song as well as troubles with their previous record label demanding that they record "another Gay Bar".
  • The band performed the song on their first live album Absolute Pleasure.
  • The band performed the song in their live concert movie Absolute Treasure.
  • A live performance of the song at Manumission Ibiza in 2004 was included on the band's compilation album Mimicry and Memories.

Covers

Canadian electronic musician Peaches covered the song as a bonus track for her album Fatherfucker.{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Peaches-Fatherfucker/release/623004|title=Peaches – Fatherfucker|website=Discogs|access-date=September 9, 2018}}

The Bosshoss played a cover of the song during their 2010 "Low Voltage" tour.{{YouTube|b9z3GgfGmv4}} A studio version was released on their album Stallion Battalion.

British comedy duo Armstrong & Miller parodied the "Gay Bar" in their series promotional video for BBC One in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2kD1YUtA5o|title=Gay Bar Song - The Armstrong and Miller Show - S2 Ep4 Preview - BBC One|via=Official BBC channel on YouTube|date=November 2, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/G2kD1YUtA5o|archive-date=December 15, 2021|access-date=September 9, 2018}}{{cbignore}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Electric Six}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2001 songs

Category:2003 singles

Category:Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln

Category:Electric Six songs

Category:Peaches (musician) songs

Category:LGBTQ-related songs

Category:XL Recordings singles