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Swallowed (song)

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For the song by Blind Melon, see Nico (album).

"Swallowed"
Single by Bush
from the album Razorblade Suitcase
B-side"Broken TV"
Released15 October 1996
Recorded1996
Genre
Length
  • 4:51 (album version)
  • 4:08 (UK radio edit)
  • 4:22 (Australian radio edit)
  • 4:25 (music video)
Label
Songwriter(s)Gavin Rossdale
Producer(s)Steve Albini
Bush singles chronology
"Machinehead"
(1996) 		"Swallowed"
(1996) 		"Greedy Fly"
(1997)
Music video
"Swallowed" on YouTube
Alternative covers
UK CD2 cover

"Swallowed" is a song by British rock band Bush, released on 15 October 1996 as the lead single from the band's 1996 album, Razorblade Suitcase (their highest-charting album in the USA, reaching #1 on the Billboard 200 chart).[4] It also appeared on both Bush greatest hits albums, with live versions appearing on Zen X Four (2005) and Live in Tampa (2020), with remixed editions featured on Deconstructed (1997) and Loads of Remixes (2024). The release of "Swallowed" followed the fifth and final single off of the band's 1994 debut album Sixteen Stone, "Machinehead", by only six months.

Critical reception

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British magazine Music Week rated the song four out of five, adding that "the successful British exports look set for their first big UK hit with this melodic cut."[5] David Sinclair from The Times described it as "an undeniably catchy tune, once you get past the meaningless lyric and self-conscious Nirvana-isms."[6]

Commercial performance

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"Swallowed" was released as the lead single from the follow-up to their massively successful debut album, Sixteen Stone, which was released two years prior. Upon release, the song topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for seven consecutive weeks, and peaked at #27 on the mainstream Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. This is the longest Bush ever stayed at #1, on any chart. It was also Bush's biggest hit in their native Britain, where it peaked at #7 on the UK Singles Chart. It was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 1998 Grammy Awards, but lost to the Smashing Pumpkins' "The End Is the Beginning Is the End". This was the band's third crossover hit to Top 40 radio after "Comedown" and "Glycerine".

Composition

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A power ballad,[7] the song is in A-flat major.

Gavin Rossdale opined in 1999 that, despite a musical dissimilarity, the song was "[his] version" of the Beatles' song "Help!".[8]

Music video

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The accompanying music video for "Swallowed", directed by Jamie Morgan, was filmed in October 1996 and released later that month, is set in a retro apartment with myriad alternative youths.[9] A neon crucifix (which would later become the album cover for Deconstructed) is frequently interspersed amongst the antics of houseguests. The video was shot at Twickenham Studios England and in Florida.[10]

The video was nominated for several MTV Video Music Awards.

American rock band Third Eye Blind opted to work with Jamie Morgan for their "Semi-Charmed Life" music video after seeing his work on "Swallowed".[11]

Track listing

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  • UK CD Single 2 INDX95528
    1. "Swallowed" [LP Version] - 4:53
    2. "Swallowed [Toasted Both Sides Please Goldie Remix]" - 5:50
    3. "Insect Kin [Live on Saturday Night Live]" - 4:09
    4. "Cold Contagious [16"oz Demo Version]" - 5:57
  • AUS CD single IND95519 (Cardsleeve)
    1. "Swallowed [Radio Edit]" - 4:22
    2. "Broken TV" - 4:28
    3. "Communicator" - 4:24
    4. "Glycerine [Live At Pinkpop, Holland]" - 4:42

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ "The 96 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1996". Spin. p. 4. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  2. ^ Piccoli, Sean (22 March 1997). "Bush: America's Band". Sun Sentiel. Sun Senitel. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  3. ^ Sterdan, Darryl (10 April 2012). "Bush Returns To Canada". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Bush – Chart history – Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  5. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 8 February 1997. p. 8. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  6. ^ Sinclair, David (22 February 1997). "The week's top pop releases; Records". The Times.
  7. ^ Hoard, Christian David; Brackett, Nathan (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (Revised ed.). Simon and Schuster. p. 122. ISBN 9780743201698. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  8. ^ Nine, Jennifer (1999). Bush: Twenty-seventh Letter : the Official History. Virgin. ISBN 9780753501894. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Site Maintenance". www.mvdbase.com.
  10. ^ "Music Video History at OneSecondBush.com - A Comprehensive Fan Site for the Band Bush". Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  11. ^ "'There Was No Overnight Success': An Oral History of Third Eye Blind's Self-Titled Debut". Billboard. 6 April 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  12. ^ "Bush – Swallowed". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9806." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9882." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 7. 15 March 1997. p. 16. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  16. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Swallowed". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Bush – Swallowed" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  18. ^ "Lista Przebojów Programu 3" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  19. ^ "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec" (PDF) (in French). BAnQ. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 November 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  22. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  23. ^ "Bush Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Bush Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  25. ^ "Bush Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  26. ^ "RPM Year End Alternative Top 50". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  27. ^ "Airplay Monitor Best of '96: Mainstream Rock Tracks" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 4, no. 53. 27 December 1996. p. 23. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  28. ^ "Airplay Monitor Best of '96: Modern Rock Tracks" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 4, no. 53. 27 December 1996. p. 24. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  29. ^ "RPM '97 Year End Top 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  30. ^ "RPM '97 Year End Top 50 Alternative Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
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