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Son of Three

{{Short description|2002 single by the Breeders}}{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Son of Three

| cover = Breeders - Son of Three.jpeg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = the Breeders

| album = Title TK

| B-side = "Buffy Theme", "Safari"

| released = September 2, 2002

| recorded = 2000–2002 (album version)
July 2002 (single version)

| studio = Grandmaster Recording Ltd. (Los Angeles) (album version)
Track Record (North Hollywood) (single version)

| genre = *Alternative rock{{harvnb|Phares}}

| length = 2:08 (album version){{harvnb|Title TK CD booklet}}
1:52 (single version){{harvnb|"Son of Three" CD single—promo version}}

| label = 4AD

| writer = Kim Deal

| producer = {{hlist|Steve Albini|Mark Arnold|Andrew Alekel}} (album version)

{{hlist|Ai Fujisaki|Justin Hamilton|Marc Arnold}} (single version)

| prev_title = Huffer

| prev_year = 2002

| next_title = We're Gonna Rise

| next_year = 2008

| misc = {{Audio sample

| type = single

| file = Son of Three (Single).ogg

|description=The Breeders' "Son of Three" single was recorded "at breakneck speed, matching their live show velocity".{{harvnb|The Breeders: Single Release and Tour}} Reviewers have described the song's sound as "bubblegum grunge"{{harvnb|Dalton|2002}} and "dark punk".{{harvnb|Robinson|2002}}

}}

}}

"Son of Three" is a song by the American group the Breeders. Composed and sung by Kim Deal, its original version was recorded at Grandmaster Recording Ltd. in Hollywood, and was released in May 2002 on the album Title TK. The Breeders—then consisting of Deal, Kelley Deal, Jose Medeles, Richard Presley, and Mando Lopez—later re-recorded "Son of Three" at a different Hollywood studio as Title TK{{'}}s third European single. This subsequent recording is shorter and faster than the album track, and matches how they were playing the song in concert in 2002.

The "Son of Three" single was released in September 2002 on 4AD, and reached No. 72 in the United Kingdom. The single includes a live performance of the group's 1992 song "Safari" and a cover of Nerf Herder's theme from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series. Deal was a Buffy fan, and negotiated to have the Breeders appear in an episode of the show.

Critics have praised both the album and single versions of "Son of Three".

Recording

The original version of "Son of Three" appeared on the Breeders' 2002 album Title TK. While most of the album's tracks were recorded by Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio studio in Chicago, "Son of Three" is one of two songs from a session recorded by Mark Arnold and Andrew Alekel at Grandmaster Recording Ltd. in Hollywood. The composition was written by Kim Deal, who also sang on the track. The other musicians who played on the recording were Kim's sister Kelley Deal on guitar and vocals; Richard Presley on guitar; Mando Lopez on bass and guitar; and Jose Medeles on percussion.

Following the release of Title TK{{'}}s first two singles, "Off You" and "Huffer",{{harvnb|The Breeders: Off You}}{{harvnb|The Breeders: Huffer}} a third single was requested for the European market.{{harvnb|Fortunato}} For this purpose, the Breeders decided to record a new version of "Son of Three". The session, which took place in July 2002 at Track Record Studios in North Hollywood,{{harvnb|"Son of Three" 7" vinyl single cover}} was fit in during a short break between a European and a US concert tour. This recording is faster than the album version, and reflects the sound of the group's live performances of the song in 2002. The engineers for this session were Ai Fujisaki and Justin Hamilton, with additional engineering credited to Marc Arnold.{{refn|The spelling of Arnold's first name differs between the credits in the Title TK album (Mark) and the "Son of Three" single (Marc).|group=n}}

File:Kim-Kelley-Breeders-Zappa-Tel-Aviv-2008-08-22-03.jpg.]]

The sound of "Son of Three" has been described as "dark punk", and elsewhere as a "garage symphony of bubblegum grunge, woo-woo gurly harmonies and body-snatching sci-fi eeriness". One interviewer in 2002 described the lyrics of "Son of Three" as "motorific", noting the numerous references to driving in the song and throughout the Title TK album. The song's lyrics include lines such as "No more time on the meter", "Cross another county line", and "Are we there?"

The second track on the three-song single, "Buffy Theme", was also recorded at the July 2002 session. This composition was originally performed by the group Nerf Herder, whose version was included on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Album.{{harvnb|Nerf Herder: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Theme)}} It was written by Nerf Herder members Dennis, Grip, and Sherlock. Kim and Kelley Deal were both fans of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television show and had been playing "Buffy Theme" in concert in the first half of 2002.{{harvnb|Miller|2002|p=5}} At some point after the July recording session, Kim Deal telephoned Buffy musical supervisor John King to ask whether the Breeders could be on the show.{{harvnb|Attinello|2010|p=171}} On November 5, the group appeared on the episode "Him", in which they performed "Son of Three" and "Little Fury".{{harvnb|Stafford|2002|p=326}} The Breeders' "Buffy Theme" was also later included on the album Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Radio Sunnydale.{{harvnb|Erlewine}}

The final track on the "Son of Three" single, "Safari", written by Deal,{{harvnb|"Safari" CD text}} was recorded in concert at the Melkweg music venue in Amsterdam in June 2002 as part of the Leidsekade Live radio show. The original studio version of the song had been released on the Breeders' Safari EP in April 1992.{{harvnb|The Breeders: Safari (4ad.com)}}

Release and reception

Title TK came out on May 20–21, 2002,{{harvnb|The Breeders: Title TK (4ad.com)}} and the "Son of Three" single on September 2 of that year.{{harvnb|The Breeders: Son of Three}} The single reached No. 72 on the UK Singles Chart.{{harvnb|Breeders: Singles}} The album and single versions of "Son of Three" have mostly been well received by critics. AllMusic's Heather Phares called the Title TK track "sweet [and] playfully spiky", while Will Bryant of Pitchfork cited it as a "standout" of the album, that "get[s] the job done".{{harvnb|Bryant|2002}} PopMatters' Matt Cibula reported "rockin'... hard" to the song and commented on the originality of the lyrics, such as the line “If I find the door / I am the son of Go”.{{harvnb|Cibula|2002}} A reviewer at Contactmusic.com described the single version of "Son of Three" as "special", and for NME{{'}}s Stephen Dalton, it was a "jewel". Richard Garnett of Leeds Music Scene similarly praised the track, commenting that "the beefy descending bass line is enough to send shivers".{{harvnb|Garnett|2002}}

Critical appraisal of the single's B-sides has been mixed. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic characterized the Breeders' "Buffy Theme" as "wonderful". Garnett called the track "cheap", noting its short running time (1 minute 13 seconds). For Dalton, the recording amounted to "a comedy cover", and the live version of "Safari" was "inessential". By contrast, the Contactmusic.com reviewer rated this performance of "Safari" as "fantastic".

Track listing

{{Track listing

| title1 = Son of Three

| writer1 = Kim Deal

| length1 = 1:52

| title2 = Buffy Theme

| writer2 = Dennis, Grip, Sherlock

| length2 = 1:13

| title3 = Safari

| note3 = Live

| writer3 = Kim Deal

| length3 = 3:59

}}

Charts

class="wikitable"

! Chart (2002)

! Peak
position

UK Singles Chart

| align=center|72

Notes

{{Reflist|group=n}}

Footnotes

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

References

{{Refbegin|colwidth=30em}}

  • {{Cite book |last=Attinello |first=Paul Gregory, Janet K. Halfyard, Vanessa Knights |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=7IWDNrkp3NQC&q=Breeders+Title+TK&pg=PA171 |title=Music, Sound and Silence in Buffy the Vampire Slayer |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7546-6042-2 }}
  • {{Cite web |url=http://www.4ad.com/releases/293 |title=The Breeders: Huffer |publisher=4AD|access-date=April 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160330115756/http://www.4ad.com/releases/293 |url-status=live |archive-date=March 30, 2016 |ref={{SfnRef|The Breeders: Huffer}}}}
  • {{Cite web |url=http://www.4ad.com/releases/294 |title=The Breeders: Off You |publisher=4AD |access-date=April 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160330094036/http://www.4ad.com/releases/294 |url-status=live |archive-date=March 30, 2016 |ref={{SfnRef|The Breeders: Off You}}}}
  • {{Cite web |url=https://4ad.com/releases/95 |title=The Breeders: Safari |publisher=4AD |access-date=May 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514151503/https://4ad.com/releases/95 |url-status=live |archive-date=May 14, 2019 |ref={{SfnRef|The Breeders: Safari (4ad.com)}}}}
  • {{Cite web |url=http://www.contactmusic.com/pages/breedersx13x08x02 |title=The Breeders: Single Release and Tour |publisher=Contactmusic.com |date=August 13, 2002 |access-date=May 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060300/http://www.contactmusic.com/pages/breedersx13x08x02 |url-status=live |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |ref={{SfnRef|The Breeders: Single Release and Tour}}}}
  • {{Cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/27489/breeders/ |title=Breeders: Singles |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=May 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515225955/https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/27489/breeders/ |url-status=live |archive-date=May 15, 2019 |ref={{SfnRef|Breeders: Singles}}}}
  • {{Cite web |url=http://www.4ad.com/releases/301 |title=The Breeders: Son of Three |publisher=4AD |access-date=May 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160330082412/http://www.4ad.com/releases/301 |url-status=live |archive-date=March 30, 2016 |ref={{SfnRef|The Breeders: Son of Three}}}}
  • {{Cite web |url=https://4ad.com/releases/295 |title=The Breeders: Title TK |publisher=4AD |access-date=May 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515230724/https://4ad.com/releases/295 |url-status=live |archive-date=May 15, 2019 |ref={{SfnRef|The Breeders: Title TK (4ad.com)}}}}
  • {{Cite web |last=Bryant |first=Will |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/923-title-tk/ |title=The Breeders: Title TK |work=Pitchfork |date=May 30, 2002 |access-date=May 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305210801/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/923-title-tk/ |url-status=live |archive-date=March 5, 2016 }}
  • {{Cite web |last=Cibula |first=Matt |url=https://www.popmatters.com/review/breeders-title/ |title=The Breeders: Title TK |work=PopMatters |date=June 3, 2002 |access-date=May 15, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160422195752/http://www.popmatters.com/review/breeders-title/ |url-status=live |archive-date=April 22, 2016 }}
  • {{Cite web |last=Dalton |first=Stephen |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/the-breeders/6685|title= Breeders: Son of Three |work=NME |date=August 30, 2002 |access-date=May 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515231250/https://www.nme.com/reviews/track/reviews-nme-6685 |url-status=live |archive-date=May 15, 2019 }}
  • {{Cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-radio-sunnydale-mw0002338665 | title=Original TV Soundtrack: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Radio Sunnydale |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=May 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515225416/https://www.allmusic.com/album/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-radio-sunnydale-mw0002338665 |url-status=live |archive-date=May 15, 2019 }}
  • {{Cite web |last=Fortunato |first=John |url=http://www.beermelodies.com/breeders-return-full-throttle-on-%e2%80%98title-tk%e2%80%99/ |title=Breeders Return Full-throttle on Title TK |publisher=Beermelodies.com |access-date=May 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303203818/http://www.beermelodies.com/interviews/breeders-return-full-throttle-on-%E2%80%98title-tk%E2%80%99/ |url-status=live |archive-date=March 3, 2016 }}
  • {{Cite web |last=Garnett |first=Richard | url=http://www.leedsmusicscene.net/article/443/ |title=Son of Three |publisher=Leeds Music Scene |date=September 1, 2002 |access-date=May 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054515/http://www.leedsmusicscene.net/article/443/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}
  • {{Cite web |last=Klosterman |first=Chuck |author-link=Chuck Klosterman |via=Google Books|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tBQ8UwCC_3AC&q=%22chatting+enthusiastically+about+their+unilateral+love+for+Buffy+the+Vampire+Slayer%22&pg=PA84 | title=Just Like Starting Over |work=Spin |date=June 2002 |access-date=May 16, 2019 }}
  • {{Cite magazine |last=Miller |first=Louis and Doug Levy |via=Google Books|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sC8jJAQBHtEC&q=Breeders+%22Son+of+Three%22&pg=PA5 |title=Music News |magazine=CMJ |date=May 21, 2002 |access-date=May 19, 2019 }}
  • {{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-theme-mt0029110824 |title=Nerf Herder: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Theme) |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=May 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519184702/https://www.allmusic.com/song/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-theme-mt0029110824 |url-status=live |archive-date=May 19, 2019 |ref={{SfnRef|Nerf Herder: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Theme)}}}}
  • {{Cite web |last=Phares |first=Heather |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/title-tk-mw0000220822 |title=The Breeders: Title TK |publisher=AllMusic|access-date=May 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031140207/http://www.allmusic.com/album/title-tk-mw0000220822 |url-status=live |archive-date=October 31, 2015 }}
  • {{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=John |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/the-breeders/6395 |title=The Breeders: Title TK |work=NME |date=May 21, 2002 |access-date=May 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520012954/https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/reviews-nme-6395 |url-status=live |archive-date=May 20, 2019 }}
  • {{Cite AV media notes |year=1992 |location=USA |publisher=Elektra Records |title="Safari" |others=The Breeders |type=CD text |ref={{SfnRef|"Safari" CD text}}}}
  • {{Cite AV media notes |year=2002 |location=England |publisher=4AD|title="Son of Three" |others=The Breeders |type=7" vinyl single cover |ref={{SfnRef|"Son of Three" 7" vinyl single cover}}}}
  • {{Cite AV media notes |year=2002 |location=England |publisher=4AD|title="Son of Three" |others=The Breeders |type=promotional CD single |ref={{SfnRef|"Son of Three" CD single—promo version}}}}
  • {{Cite book |last=Stafford |first=Nikki |via=Google Books|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BsMuCyec78AC&q=Breeders+%22Son+of+Three%22&pg=PA326 |title=Bite Me!: The Unofficial Guide to the World of Buffy the Vampire Slayer |publisher=ECW Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-55490-313-9 }}
  • {{Cite AV media notes |year=2002 |location=Japan |publisher=P-Vine Records |title=Title TK |others=The Breeders |type=CD booklet |ref={{SfnRef|Title TK CD booklet}}}}

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Category:The Breeders songs

Category:2002 singles

Category:2002 songs

Category:Songs written by Kim Deal

Category:4AD singles