Bull in the Heather

"Bull in the Heather"
Single by Sonic Youth
from the album Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star
B-side	"Razor Blade"
Released	April 19, 1994 (1994-04-19)
Studio	Sear Sound, New York City
Genre	Noise rock alternative rock
Length	3:04
Label	Geffen
Songwriter(s)	Sonic Youth
Producer(s)	Butch Vig
Sonic Youth singles chronology
"Drunken Butterfly" (1993) "Bull in the Heather" (1994) "Superstar" (1994)
Music video
"Bull in the Heather" on YouTube

"Bull in the Heather" is a song by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth from their eighth studio album, Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star (1994). It was released to radio as the lead single from the album on April 19, 1994, by Geffen Records. The song was written collectively by Sonic Youth, and production was done by Butch Vig. According to band member Kim Gordon, the song is about "using passiveness as a form of rebellion."

Background

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] The song's title is a reference to the race horse Bull Inthe Heather [sic], who won the Florida Derby in 1993.^[3]

Critical reception

Barbara O'Dair of Rolling Stone referred to the song as "enigmatic," highlighting Gordon's "breathy, talk-singing."^[4] Also from Rolling Stone, Matthew Perpetua praised the song's "graceful combinations of pop songwriting and off-kilter experimental noise," making note of the unorthodox guitar techniques employed throughout it.^[5]

Chart performance

In the United States, "Bull in the Heather" debuted at number 29 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart for the issue dated May 28, 1994. The song reached a peak of number 13 for the issue dated June 18, 1994, spending a total of eight weeks on the chart.^[6] The song became Sonic Youth's highest charting song in the United Kingdom, reaching a peak of number 24 on the UK Singles Chart for the issue dated May 7, 1994. The song spent a total of five weeks on the chart.^[7] In Australia, the song reached a peak position of number 90 on the ARIA Charts.^[8]

Music video

The music video was directed by Tamra Davis and produced by Kris Krengle.^[9] Filmed in Los Angeles,^[9] the video 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.

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.^{[citation needed]}

The music video was featured in an episode of Beavis and Butt-Head.^{[citation needed]}

Live performances

Sonic Youth performed the song during their set at Battery Park’s River to River Festival on July 4, 2008. A recording of this performance was released as a promotional single on June 7, 2019 and was subsequently included on the live album Battery Park, NYC July 4th 2008.^[10]

Legacy

In 2007, NME placed "Bull in the Heather" at No. 48 in its list of the 50 "Greatest Indie Anthems Ever".^[11] Spin placed the song at No. 37 in its list of "The 100 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1994".^[12]

"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".^[13][14]

Track listings and formats

• 10" vinyl and CD single^[15][16]

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

• 7" vinyl and cassette single^[17][18]

1. "Bull in the Heather" (LP version) – 3:04
2. "Razor Blade"  – 1:06

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel are adapted from the Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star album liner notes.^[19]

Sonic Youth

• Thurston Moore – guitar
• Kim Gordon – vocals, bass
• Lee Ranaldo – guitar
• Steve Shelley – drums, percussion

Technical

• Butch Vig – recording, mixing, production
• John Siket – engineering
• Howie Weinberg – mastering
• Bil Emmons – technician
• Devin Emke – technician
• Ed Raso – technician
• Fred Kevorkian – technician
• Ollie Cotton – technician
• Walter Sear – technician

Charts

Peak chart positions of "Bull in the Heather"

Chart (1994)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[8]	90
UK Singles (OCC)[7]	24
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[6]	13
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[20]	82
Finland (Suomen virallinen singlelista)[21]	19

Release history

Region	Date	Formats(s)	Label(s)	Ref(s).
United States	April 19, 1994 (1994-04-19)	Alternative radio	DGC	[22]
		College radio		[22]

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. Slezak, Michael (April 28, 2008). "Happy birthday, Kim Gordon!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
4. O'Dair, Barbara (May 5, 1994). "Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 29, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
5. Perpetua, Matthew (March 28, 2012). "Sonic Youth: Three Decades of Dissonance". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
6. "Sonic Youth Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
7. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
8. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 19 Jun 1994". ARIA. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
9. "Production Notes". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 22. May 28, 1994. p. 34.
10. Serota, Maggie (May 23, 2019). "Sonic Youth Announce Battery Park, NYC: July 4, 2008, Release Live Version Of "Bull In The Heather"". Kerrang!. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
11. "The Greatest Indie Anthems Ever". NME. 2007-05-01. Archived from the original on 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
12. "The 100 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1994". Spin. Archived from the original on 2014-09-13. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
13. "The Roots Of... The Strokes | NME". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. 2013-02-08. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
14. "Is this it again?". Spin. 2003-10-22. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
15. Bull in the Heather (United Kingdom 10" vinyl liner notes). Sonic Youth. Geffen Records. 1994. GFSV 72.
16. Bull in the Heather (United Kingdom CD single liner notes). Sonic Youth. Geffen Records. 1994. GFSTD 72.
17. Bull in the Heather (United Kingdom 7" vinyl liner notes). Sonic Youth. Geffen Records. 1994. GFS 72.
18. Bull in the Heather (United Kingdom cassette single liner notes). Sonic Youth. Geffen Records. 1994. GFSC 72.
19. Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star (CD liner notes). Sonic Youth. DGC. 1994. DGCD-24632.
20. "European Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 21. May 21, 1994. p. 22. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
21. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Sonic Youth". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 241. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
22. Bambarger, Bradley (April 2, 1994). "Sonic Youth Looks Back to the Future". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 14. p. 13.