Blubber Boy
| "Blubber Boy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK CD single cover | ||||
| Single by Regurgitator | ||||
| from the album New | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1995 | |||
| Studio | Red Zeds | |||
| Length | 2:43 | |||
| Label | Warner Music Australasia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Quan Yeomans | |||
| Producer(s) | Magoo, Regurgitator | |||
| Regurgitator singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Blubber Boy" is a song by Australian rock band Regurgitator. The song was released as a radio single in Australia in 1995 promoting the band's second EP New (1995). The song was released in the UK as a CD and 7" Single. The song ranked at number 17 on Triple J's Hottest 100 in 1995.[1] A remixed version of the song (Riding the Wave of Fashion Mix) was released on the band's debut studio album, Tu-Plang in 1996.
Details
[edit]Yeomans had been inspired by a book on feminist fairy-tales give to him by Kiley Gaffney. Ely said, "Quan brought the song into practice and Martin and I were going, "Are you sure you want to do this?' To us it was uncool because it wasn't in 7/8 time. But it felt good. And he said the word 'cunt' in it quite a lot. So then we were like, he's swearing, it must be OK."[2] Of all the Inuit-based fairy tales in that book, "Blubber Boy" was the tamest one, according to Yeomans.[3]
Reception
[edit]In 2019, Tyler Jenke from The Brag ranked Regurgitator's best songs, with "Blubber Boy" coming it at number 3. Jenke said "It's not often that bands get their start by singing a song based upon an Inuit fairytale about drowned boyfriends and blubber… replacements, but Regurgitator aren't exactly a normal band. A prime example of their early talent, 'Blubber Boy' is still a tune whose chorus commands a massive singalong during a live show."[4]
Andrew Stafford, in Pig City, called it "Unabashed pop, instantly memorable, with a lyric as ribald as it was eccentric."[2]
Live performances
[edit]In support of their album Tu-Plang, Regurgitator performed "Blubber Boy" (alongside singles "F.S.O." and "Kong Foo Sing") on the Australian music show Recovery. Looking back at that performance in a 2019 interview with the band, Dylan Lewis, the show's host, was surprised at how they got away with performing the song on a Saturday morning TV timeslot, considering its lyric. Yeomans considers the Recovery performance to be "one of my proudest moments from the early days [of Regurgitator]".[3]
Track listings
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blubber Boy" | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Power Tool" | 2:02 |
| 3. | "Gravey" | 3:18 |
Release history
[edit]| Region | Date | Format | Label | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1995 | Radio promo | EastWest, Warner | n/a |
| United Kingdom | 1995 | CD Single, 7" Single | Coalition Recordings | COLA 017CD |
References
[edit]- ^ "Hottest 100 1995". Triple J. Archived from the original on 18 February 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
- ^ a b Andrew Stafford (2016). Pig City: From the Saints to Savage Garden. University of Queensland Press. p. 278. ISBN 9780702235610.
- ^ a b Lewis, Dylan; Yeomans, Quan; Ely, Ben (21 November 2019). "Quan Yeomans and Ben Ely - Regurgitator: Recovery Reunion" (video). youtube.com. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
- ^ "The 10 biggest hits from Brisbane alt-rock legends Regurgitator". The Brag. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.