| "Pepper" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byButthole Surfers | ||||
| from the albumElectriclarryland | ||||
| B-side | "Let's Talk About Cars" | |||
| Released | April 11, 1996 (1996-4-11) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:57 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Steve Thompson | |||
| Butthole Surfers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"Pepper" | ||||
"Pepper" is a song by Americanalternative rock bandButthole Surfers from their seventh studio album,Electriclarryland (1996). Released on April 11, 1996, the track reached number one on theBillboardModern Rock Tracks chart and number 29 on theBillboardHot 100 Airplay chart, becoming the top-ranked song of 1996 on the former listing. In Australia, the song peaked at number 15 on theARIA Singles Chart and was ranked number four onTriple J's Hottest 100 of 1996.[4] It also reached number two on the CanadianRPMAlternative 30 and number 32 in New Zealand.
"Pepper" opens with the chorus guitar riff, slowed down to half speed. The song shifts fromspoken word verses to sung choruses. The lyrics of the verses list ten characters and describes how some either die or escape a brush with death.
The song also contains the bridge played inreverse. The reversed words are the first and last lines of the chorus: "I don't mind the sun sometimes; the images it shows; you never know just how you look through other people's eyes."
According toSpike TV, who put the song on their list of "The Top 10 Hits the Band Wishes Didn't Exist", the song was written as "asend-up ofBeck".[5] However, in an interview with theHartford Courant the year of the single's release, drummer King Coffey citedMassive Attack,Tricky andSoul II Soul as influences on the sound.[6]
The video for "Pepper", directed by Gavin Bowden, features 1960s style news clip-like footage of a group of people being arrested in aTexas hotel for kidnapping while newscasters and cameramen crowd around. The kidnapping victim, rescued by the police, is portrayed byErik Estrada. SingerGibby Haynes is portrayed as the ringleader, and is shown being interviewed by reporters as police gather evidence. Thenewsreel segment is filmed in16mmblack and white, and is broken up by 1960s-style color footage, showing the band performing on a show much likeAmerican Bandstand. This performance footage is interspersed with 1960s style enactments of cooking and variety shows. The police and Estrada are repeatedly shown eating corn from a can, which, according to the director, is "a reference to the way videos are made; how directors have to have this shot and that shot – how they're spoon-feeding images to the audience."
US CD and maxi-cassette single[7][8]
UK CD single[9]
| UK limited-edition 7-inch red vinyl single[10]
European CD single[11]
|
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | April 11, 1996 | Capitol | [25] | |
| United Kingdom | September 16, 1996 |
| [26] |
On September 2, 2010,Hesta Prynn andShawn Crahan ofSlipknot released a cover of "Pepper" as a 7-inch vinyl single.[27] The B-side of the single is the previously unreleased track "Seven Sisters".
{{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)Capitol will release the new album's first track, the relatively accessible 'Pepper,' to commercial alternative and college radio April 11.
