| "Pissing in a River" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byPatti Smith | ||||
| from the albumRadio Ethiopia | ||||
| B-side | "Ask the Angels" | |||
| Released | 1976 (1976) | |||
| Recorded | Record Plant Studios, 1976 | |||
| Length | 4:41 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Patti Smith,Ivan Král | |||
| Producer(s) | Jack Douglas | |||
| Patti Smith singles chronology | ||||
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"Pissing in a River" is arock song written byPatti Smith andIvan Král, and released as a lead single from the Patti Smith Group's 1976 albumRadio Ethiopia.[1] It was featured in both the 1980 movieTimes Square and the 1997 independent filmAll Over Me.Nick Hornby describes "Pissing in a River" as one of31 songs that have provided a soundtrack to his life.[2] It is featured in Episode 3 of Series 2 of the British TV seriesClique and in the pilot episode of the 2022 Apple+ TV seriesShining Girls. It also appears on Smith's compilationsLand andiTunes Originals.
The opening piano chord sequence forms the basis forDJ Shadow's song "Blood on the Motorway".Tori Amos references the song in the track "Space Dog" included in her second studio albumUnder the Pink.
