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"Living Type"
"Living Type"
Single by Powderfinger
from the album Double Allergic
Released	11 November 1996
Recorded	Sing Sing Studios, Melbourne
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	3.24
Label	Polydor
Songwriter(s)	Jon Coghill, John Collins, Bernard Fanning, Ian Haug, Darren Middleton
Producer(s)	Tim Whitten
Powderfinger singles chronology

"Living Type" is the third single released from Powderfinger's second album Double Allergic. The single was released on 11 November 1996.^[1] The song, written by Bernard Fanning, the band's lead singer, concerned the victims of Charles Manson. The song was well received by the public, who voted it onto the Triple J Hottest 100, 1996. This was the first time Powderfinger had appeared on the chart.^[2]

History

"Living Type" was released with one b-side track, dubbed "Other Delicacies". The track consisted of six 90 second blocks of music, with instrumental backgrounds. Guitarist Darren Middleton explained that the single would only have two tracks listed, and when referring to "Other Delicacies", said that "all the songs are recorded in a block so you can't skip them, you have to listen to the whole [single]".^[3]

"Living Type" was first performed live by Powderfinger whilst opening for You Am I on their "Uptight Express Tour".^[4] The shows were considered highly successful; much more so than Powderfinger's live performances with American heavy metal band Pantera, which the band found to be problematic.^[4]^[5]

Song meanings

Whilst there was some speculation that "Living Type" was "a cheesy, angsty love song", Powderfinger's lead singer, Bernard Fanning (who wrote the song), said it was actually about Charles Manson, and the people affected by his cult. Fanning said that he was unable to control what people thought about the song, and so didn't try, but that "cheesy love song" that it had been dubbed was "not the intention" of the song.^[6] In a subsequent interview, Fanning told Juice that people had been asking him if "Living Type" was about menstruation, which he dismissed as being "so stupid". However, he also re-iterated his statement that he was unable to control interpretations of the song, saying that "people have a freedom to think what they like".^[7]

Music video

"Living Type"

A 22 second sample from Powderfinger's "Living Type".

Problems playing this file? See media help.

The music video for "Living Type" was directed by David Barker,^[8] and filmed in Harrisville, near Powderfinger's home town; Brisbane.^[9] It was proclaimed as "most lavish visual work to date" by numerous commentators. The video tells the story of Squinty B Jones (played by Fanning), a man on the run from forces unknown (it is likely he is running from a psychiatric ward, which would tie in with the song's background). The video was praised as "dripping with Australiana."^[6] When asked which Powderfinger videos "had been crap", drummer Jon Coghill jokingly said that they all had, before stating that he liked the videos for "Living Type" and "Good-Day Ray", and stating that he hadn't always understood the "vibe" of the band's other videos.^[10]

Response

"Living Type" was received favourably by the public, who voted it onto the Triple J Hottest 100, 1996. This was the first time Powderfinger had appeared on the chart,^[2] and "Pick You Up", another single from Double Allergic, came in at #6 on the chart.^[11]

Track listing

"Living Type"^[3]^[9]
"Other delicacies" ("Entrees", "Mains" "Dessert")

Charts

Chart (1996/97)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[12]	42

References

^ "Living Type by Powderfinger". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 29 October 2007.
^ ^a ^b "Hottest 100 1996". History. Triple J. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
^ ^a ^b Lawrence, Angie (1996). "Make Mine a Double". Rave. Powderfinger Central. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
^ ^a ^b Powderfinger (Fanning, Middleton, Haug, Collins, Coghill); et al. Fingerprints: The Best of Powderfinger, 1994-2000 (Companion booklet). Powderfinger. p. 9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Mengel, Noel (16 November 1996). "Budding Internationalists". The Courier Mail. Powderfinger Central. Archived from the original on 19 February 2001. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
^ ^a ^b Wooldridge, Simon (March 1997). "Out of the Blue". Juice. Powderfinger Central. Archived from the original on 19 February 2001. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
^ Clode, Samantha (October 1998). "Taking Flight". Juice. Powderfinger Central. Archived from the original on 28 June 2002. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
^ "Powderfinger "Living Type" Music Video at Clipland". Clipland. Retrieved 17 October 2007.
^ ^a ^b "Living Type". Song file. Powderfinger Central. Archived from the original on 14 March 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2007.
^ Eliezer, Christie. "Powderfinger". Australian Musician Magazine (Spring 1999). Powderfinger Central. Archived from the original on 28 June 2002. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
^ Nicholson, Geoff (1997). "Powderfinger: Brisbane's new Bee Gees?". Powderfinger Central. Archived from the original on 10 September 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
^ "Powderfinger – Living Type". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 14 February 2020.