"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.
| "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 | ||||
| ||||
Details
editYeomans 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
editIn 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
editIn 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.