Bull in the Heather

"Bull in the Heather" is a song by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released in 1994 by record label DGC as the only single from their eighth studio album, Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star. The single became Sonic Youth's highest-charting in the United Kingdom.

"Bull in the Heather"
Single by Sonic Youth
from the album Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star
B-side"Razor Blade", "Doctor's Orders (T.-Vox version)"
ReleasedApril 1994
GenreAlternative rock
Length3:04
LabelDGC
Songwriter(s)Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, Steve Shelley
Sonic Youth singles chronology
"Drunken Butterfly"
(1993)		 "Bull in the Heather"
(1994)		 "Superstar"
(1995)

Single content

The single featured an outtake, "Razor Blade", and an alternate version of "Doctor's Orders" as B-sides.[1]

Singer and bassist Kim Gordon explained that the song is about "using passiveness as a form of rebellion—like, I'm not going to participate in your male-dominated culture, so I'm just going to be passive".[2]

Music video

A music video directed by Tamra Davis was released for the song.[3] It features Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna dancing and occasionally interacting with the band members, particularly guitarist Thurston Moore; she accidentally gave Moore a bloody lip during filming. Also featured are a young couple hanging out in a semi-wooded field and stock footage of horses racing. Gordon sings the lyrics while playing her bass and when she's alone in a bedroom.[4]

The scenes of Moore and Lee Ranaldo jumping around on a bed were inspired by a photo of Moore when he was younger. At the time of the video, bassist Kim Gordon was five months pregnant.

The music video was later featured in an episode of Beavis and Butt-Head.

The shots of Kim Gordon, in the antique child's bed, appear to be a reference to the 1956 Elia Kazan film "Baby Doll".

Release

"Bull in the Heather" was released as a single in April 1994 by record label DGC. The song was popular on US alternative radio and reached No. 13 on the Billboard US Alternative Songs.[5] The single peaked at No. 24 on the UK Singles Chart,[6] and No. 90 on the Australian ARIA singles chart.[7]

Legacy

In 2007, NME placed "Bull in the Heather" at No. 48 in its list of the 50 "Greatest Indie Anthems Ever".[8] Spin placed the song at No. 37 in its list of "The 100 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1994".[9]

"Bull in the Heather" directly influenced The Strokes' 2003 single "12:51", and lead singer Julian Casablancas would admit that the phrasing was "totally ripping it off".[10][11]

Track listing
  1. "Bull in the Heather (LP Version)" – 3:04
  2. "Razor Blade" – 1:06
  3. "Doctor's Orders (T.-vox Version)" – 4:20

Charts
Chart (1994) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 24
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[13] 13

References
  1. "Bull in the Heather". sonicyouth.com. Archived from the original on 2015-02-18. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
  2. Matt Diehl (1994-05-30). "When Will These Old Guys Shut Up?". New York. 27 (22): 52–53. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
  3. Bradley Bambarger (1994-04-02). "Sonic Youth Looks Back To The Future". Billboard. 106 (14): 13–14. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
  4. Mollie Boutell-Butler (2009-07-20). "Are you gonna liberate us girls?: Five great Sonic Youth songs sung by Kim Gordon". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 2013-05-30. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  5. "Sonic Youth - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2013-03-06. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
  6. "Sonic Youth". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 2015-02-26. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
  7. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 19 Jun 1994". ARIA. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
  8. "The Greatest Indie Anthems Ever". NME. 2007-05-01. Archived from the original on 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  9. "The 100 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1994". Spin. Archived from the original on 2014-09-13. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  10. "The Roots Of... The Strokes | NME". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. 2013-02-08. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
  11. "Is this it again?". Spin. 2003-10-22. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
  12. "Sonic Youth: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  13. "Sonic Youth Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
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