You Suffer
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox song
| name = You Suffer
| cover = You Suffer (1989).jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Napalm Death
| album = Scum
| A-side = You Suffer
| B-side = * "Mega-Armageddon Death Pt. 3" by Electro Hippies
- "Dead"
| released = 1989
| recorded = August 1986
| studio = Rich Bitch Studio
Birmingham, England
| genre = {{hlist|Grindcore|novelty}}
| length = 0:01
| label = Earache
| writer = {{hlist|Justin Broadrick|Nicholas Bullen|Mick Harris}}
| producer = Digby Pearson
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
| misc = Sample
{{Listen
| filename = You Suffer - Napalm Death.ogg
| title = "You Suffer"
| type = music}}
{{external music video|
{{YouTube|9Z1IGjr2cT0|"You Suffer"}}}}
}}
"You Suffer" is a song by English grindcore band Napalm Death, released on the band's debut studio album, Scum (1987). The song holds the world record for shortest song,{{Cite web |last=Harrell |first=Ryan |date=2020-12-01 |title=The 25 Shortest Songs Ever Released Commercially |url=https://midination.com/magazine/shortest-songs-ever/ |access-date=2022-02-07 |website=MIDINation |language=en-US}} being precisely 1.316 seconds long.{{cite web |url=http://www.ocweekly.com/music/extreme-extremeness-6373723 |title=Extreme Extremeness |last=McPheeters |first=Sam |date=9 March 2006 |website=OCWeekly }}{{cite web|last1=Rosenberg|first1=Axl|title=What Happens When You Slow Down Napalm Death's 'You Suffer'?|date=7 June 2016 |url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2016/06/07/happens-slow-napalm-deaths-suffer/|publisher=MetalSucks|access-date=8 May 2018}} The song was written by Nicholas Bullen, Justin Broadrick, and Mick Harris during the March 1986 demo sessions for From Enslavement to Obliteration. In March 2023, Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 72 on their "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time" list.{{Cite magazine |date=2023-03-13 |title=The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-heavy-metal-songs-1234688425/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313191405/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-heavy-metal-songs-1234688425/ |archive-date=2023-03-13 |access-date=2023-03-13 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}
Background and influence
The official four-word lyrics to the song are: "You suffer, but why?". Justin Broadrick said about the song:
{{cquote|"You Suffer" was largely a comedy thing, one-second song...it's ridiculous, but it was hilarious. We played that song in front of 30 local kids, like, every weekend. We played that song 30 times. It was HILARIOUS.Kory Grow, "Slaves to the Grind," Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces, Albert Mudrian, ed., Da Capo Press, p. 61.}}
Nicholas Bullen, writer of the song's four-word lyrics, said that the brevity of "You Suffer" was inspired by Wehrmacht's 1985 song "E!".Grow, p. 62. The song has since been recognized by Guinness World Records as the shortest ever recorded.{{cite web|last1=Kennelty|first1=Greg|title=Napalm Death's 'You Suffer' Slowed Down Is An Exercise In Noisey Futility|url=http://www.metalinjection.net/around-the-interwebs/napalm-deaths-you-suffer-slowed-down-is-an-exercise-in-futility|work=Metal Injection|date=8 June 2016 |access-date=8 May 2018}}
"You Suffer" would become an influence on the "noisecore" micro-genre, inspiring many bands such as Sore Throat, 7 Minutes of Nausea, Deche-Charge, Anal Cunt, and others to release full-length recordings of exclusively "microsong" content.{{cite web|last1=Camp|first1=Zoe|title=See Hilarious 'Silicon Valley' Scene Featuring Napalm Death's 'You Suffer'|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/culture/see-hilarious-silicon-valley-scene-featuring-napalm-deaths-you-suffer|work=Revolver|date=9 April 2018 |access-date=16 April 2019}} Swedish metal band Opeth and Finnish gothic metal band HIM have both covered the song live.{{cite web|last1=Divita|first1=Joe|title=Watch Opeth Cover Napalm Death's 'You Suffer' Twice in Germany|url=http://loudwire.com/opeth-cover-napalm-death-you-suffer-germany/|work=Loudwire|access-date=8 May 2018}}{{cite web|title=H.I.M. Covers NAPALM DEATH At London's GIVE IT A NAME FEST|url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/h-i-m-covers-napalm-death-at-london-s-give-it-a-name-fest|work=Blabbermouth|access-date=7 April 2024}} While other songs that are possible candidates for the new record have been released, Guinness has said they're no longer accepting submissions for this record.
Release
In 1989, "You Suffer" appeared on one side of a 7" single given away free with copies of a compilation album entitled Grindcrusher. The song on the other side, "Mega-Armageddon Death Part 3" by the Electro Hippies, also lasts approximately one second, making the disc the shortest single ever released. Each side features one groove at the outer edge of the disc containing the music, with the rest of the surface containing etched writing and cartoons.[https://www.discogs.com/Various-Grindcrusher-The-Earache-Sampler/release/367419 Grindcrusher page on Discogs.com]
To coincide with the release of the Scum DualDisc in March 2007, a music video produced by Earache Records was released for the song.{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=68684 |title=New Napalm Death Videos of Classic Early Tracks Posted Online |author= |date=13 March 2007 |website=Road Runner Records |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070316101538/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=68684 |archive-date=16 March 2007}} The video shows a girl jumping up and down with fake blood/gunshot effects overlayed on the footage.
Track listing
=Vinyl release=
;Side one
:You Suffer – 0:03
;Side two
:"Mega-Armageddon Death Part 3" (performed by Electro Hippies) 0:03
=Digital release=
- "You Suffer" 0:01
- "Dead" 0:02
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{YouTube|9Z1IGjr2cT0|"You Suffer" video}}
- [https://www.discogs.com/release/12368342 Discogs entry]
{{Napalm Death}}
{{Authority control}}