 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Laid" song – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(August 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| "Laid" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byJames | ||||
| from the albumLaid | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 1 November 1993 (1993-11-1)[1] | |||
| Length | 2:36 | |||
| Label | Fontana | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Brian Eno | |||
| James singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Laid" is the title track fromManchesteralternative rock bandJames' fifth studio album,Laid (1993). Released on 1 November 1993, the song was a commercial success, charting in the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, and has received attention as a theme song for theAmerican Pie film series.
The song includes the lyric "she only comes when she's on top". The American release of itsmusic video replaced this lyric with "she onlysings when she's on top" (althoughTim Booth is seen to lip-sync the original line, and is accompanied by a subtitle reading "hums").
It quickly gained popularity on Americancollege radio and remains the group's best-known song in the United States.[2]
The song peaked at number 61 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and number three on theBillboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, in part due to its cult status as a popular college song in the US. The song was more successful in the band's native UK, where it peaked at number 25, becoming the band's ninth top-40 hit.
One of the Three, the 'unofficial archive of the band James', has said this of the song:
Originally viewed by the band as a throwaway song and a possibleb-side, Brian Eno soon convinced them of the potential of this track. Whilst only reaching a disappointing 22 in the UK charts, it made serious inroads for the band in the US where it lead [sic] to performances on prime-time TV shows such asLetterman,Conan O'Brien andJay Leno.[3]
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the song gained additional exposure and popularity when it was used as the theme song for theAmerican Pie films starringJason Biggs andSeann William Scott.[4] A cover byMatt Nathanson was recorded exclusively for the third filmAmerican Wedding, and was later included on the first spin-offAmerican Pie Presents: Band Camp's soundtrack after previously only being in the first two films'trailers. The seventh installment in the franchise,The Book of Love, contains a new cover of "Laid" by singerAidan Hawken; as of 2012, it had yet to be released on any album or as a single. The eighth film,American Reunion, features the original version by James played during the film for the first and only time in the series' history.[citation needed]
UK CD1 and European CD single[5][6]
UK CD2[7]
| UK 7-inch and cassette single; Australian CD and cassette single[8][9]
US cassette single[10]
|
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[17] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
"Laid" was covered byNew Orleans alt-rock bandBetter Than Ezra on their 2005 greatest hits compilation. It has been covered by theButch Walker-led band 1969 on a hidden track on their albumMaya.[citation needed]
English bandPalma Violets performed a version of the song in July 2015 forThe A.V. Club's A.V. Undercover series.[18] The song has also been covered byThe Pains of Being Pure at Heart.[citation needed]
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)