Alright (Supergrass song)
| "Alright" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| A-side | "Alright" "Time" |
"Alright" is a song by Supergrass, released on 3 July 1995. The track were taken from their debut album I Should Coco.
Though it is one of their most popular songs, the band rarely play "Alright" in their live sets anymore, not because they dislike it, but because it would be wrong for a band whose members are now all in their 30s to sing a song of such youthful exuberance. In a 1999 interview, Coombes joked "We don't play "Alright" anymore. We should play it in a minor key, and in the past tense."[2]
Alright was featured in films such as Clueless and The Benchwarmers. The song also appeared in a commercial for attractions in Orlando, Florida, as well as being heard during the end credits of the Jackassworld.com: 24 Hour Takeover.
Music and Lyrics
"Alright" received a great deal of air-play in the UK. The "bona fide teen anthem"[3] with its upbeat lyrics and cheerful piano tune seemed to epitomise the feeling in Britain at the time, when Britpop was at its height. The band's youthful appearance (lead singer Gaz Coombes had only just turned 19 when it was released) added weight to the lyrics. However, Coombes himself argued around the time of its release that, "it wasn't written as an anthem. It isn't supposed to be a rally cry for our generation. The stuff about 'We are young/We run green...' isn't about being 19 but really 13 or 14 and just discovering girls and drinking. It's meant to be light-hearted and a bit of a laugh, not at all a rebellious call to arms." with Danny Goffey also saying: "It certainly wasn't written in a very summery vibe. It was written in a cottage where the heating had packed up and we were trying to build fires to keep warm." [4]
The B-side, "Condition" is a cover of "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" by Mickey Newbury and originally a hit for Kenny Rogers. "Je Suis Votre Papa Sucre" (I Am Your Sugar Daddy) is a short instrumental.
Reception
"Alright/Time" was the 5th release from I Should Coco. While "Caught By The Fuzz", "Mansize Rooster", "Lose It" and "Lenny" all charted (with "Lenny" even scraping the Top Ten in the UK Singles Chart) and were warmly received by the critics, it was "Alright/Time" - the final release from the album - which proved to be their breakthrough single, largely due to the popularity of the song "Alright" which still receives airplay in the UK. "Alright/Time" reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart[5][6], making it Supergrass' highest charting single to date, along with "Richard III". It remained in the top three for a month.
Track listing
CD CDR6413
- "Alright" (3:00)
- "Time" (3:09)
- "Condition" (2:43)
- "Je Suis Votre Papa Sucre" (1:46)
LTD. ED. Orange 7" R6413 / TC TCR6413
- "Alright" (3:00)
- "Time" (3:09)
Music Video
The success of the record was helped by a lively promotional video featuring the band joyfully messing around on bicycles and a bed on wheels at Portmeirion in North Wales.
Having seen the video, Steven Spielberg approached the band and proposed that they work together on a television series in the style of The Monkees. The group turned him down, preferring to work on their second album In It For The Money. Troy Carpenter, co-director of Nude as the News claims "the gesture says a lot about the band's personality — one which has stuck with the group throughout its career — which is basically that of a fun-loving rock group whose undeniable musical talent is sometimes overshadowed by the sheer ebullience of its music.[7]
The music video was also a bonus on the VHS tape of the 1995 movie Clueless.
Notes
- ^ "Alright certified award". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ^ 1999 interview with Johnathan Cohen from nudeasthenews.com
- ^ Review of I Should Coco from allmusic.com by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
- ^ The Strange Ones Supergrass Site
- ^ The Strange Ones Supergrass Site
- ^ Supergrass biography : beginnings, career, success
- ^ Bio of Supergrass at nudeasthenews.com