Hair of the Dog (song)

"Hair of the Dog" is the title track of Nazareth's 1975 album Hair of the Dog.[2] It is sometimes called "Son of a Bitch" because of the repeated lyric in the hook ("Now you're messing with a son of a bitch"). The song is about a charming and manipulative woman who can get men to acquiesce to her every need. The singer is letting her know that she has met her match in him, a self-described "son of a bitch."

"Hair of the Dog"
Single by Nazareth
from the album Hair of the Dog
Released14 March 1975 (1975-03-14)
Recorded1974
GenreHard rock[1]
Length4:11
LabelA&M (USA)/Vertigo (Europe)
Songwriter(s)Dan McCafferty, Pete Agnew, Manny Charlton, Darrell Sweet
Producer(s)Manny Charlton
Nazareth singles chronology
"Sunshine"
(1974)
"Hair of the Dog"
(1975)
"My White Bicycle"
(1975)
"Hair of the Dog"
Promotional single by Guns N' Roses
from the album "The Spaghetti Incident?"
Released1994 (1994)
Recorded1993
GenreHard rock, glam metal
Length3:55
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)Dan McCafferty, Pete Agnew, Manny Charlton, Darrell Sweet
Producer(s)Guns N' Roses and Mike Clink

"Hair of the Dog" uses a talk box extensively during its bridge.[3] The song's title, which does not appear in the lyrics, is a pun ("hair of the dog" = "heir of the dog" = "son of a bitch").

As a standalone song, it only charted in Germany, where it peaked at #44. In the United States, because the Hair of the Dog album was a top-20 hit on the album charts, the song received extensive airplay on album-oriented rock stations (despite "bitch" being a borderline profanity) and remains in the playlist of most classic rock formatted stations. In the US, it was released as the B-side of "Love Hurts".

Cover versions

The song has been covered by many bands. Guns N' Roses recorded it on their 1993 album "The Spaghetti Incident?". This version features the signature guitar riff from the Beatles' "Day Tripper" as a gag at the end. The song is on the Britny Fox album Boys in Heat.[4][5] Stone Rider covered the song on their 2008 album Three Legs of Trouble. It has also been covered by Paul Di'Anno, The Michael Schenker Group, and Warrant.

In other media

The original version of the song is featured in the first expansion pack of the video game Grand Theft Auto IV, titled The Lost and the Damned. It is featured on the in-game radio station Liberty Rock Radio. The song was also used in The CW show Supernatural in a Season 2 promotional advertisement.

The Girls Aloud song "Sexy! No No No..." features a sped-up sample of the song's guitar riff. The band is given a writing credit for the sample.

On January 26, 2010, a re-recording of the song was released as downloadable content for the rhythm video game Rock Band 2. However, it has since been delisted from the in-game store.

In 2014, the song was used in the film, Dumb and Dumber To, during Lloyd's fantasy about Harry's daughter.

In a 2003 GEICO television commercial

In the US, this was used in a TV commercial for Dodge.[6]

On November 14, 2006 the original version of the song appeared in Season 1, Episode 7 of the Friday Night Lights television series.[7]

Personnel

Nazareth

Guns N' Roses

Britny Fox

Charts

Guns N' Roses version

Chart (1994) Peak
position
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[8] 11

References

  1. Tucker, Dan (28 February 2014). "13 Classic Hard Rock Songs That Will Make You Scream "More Cowbell!"". VH1. Viacom. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  2. Strong, Martin Charles; John Peel (2004). The great rock discography. Canongate. p. 1064. ISBN 978-1-84195-615-2.
  3. Brewster, David M. (2003). Introduction to guitar tone & effects: an essential manual for getting the best sounds from electric guitars, amplifiers, effect pedals, and digital processors. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-634-06046-5.
  4. Kandell, Steve (April 2010). "Nazareth Messed With by Son of a Bitch". Spin: 96. ISSN 0886-3032.
  5. Adler, Steven; Spagnola, Lawrence (2010). My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses. It Books. ISBN 978-0-06-191711-0.
  6. Eddy (1997). The accidental evolution of rock'n'roll: a misguided tour through popular music. Da Capo. p. 330. ISBN 978-0-306-80741-1.
  7. "Music from Friday Night Lights". Musicfromfilm.com. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  8. "Guns N Roses Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
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