"Rubber Bullets" is a song by the English band 10cc from their self-titled debut album. It was written by Lol Creme, Kevin Godley and Graham Gouldman.
| "Rubber Bullets" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by 10cc | ||||
| from the album 10cc | ||||
| B-side | "Waterfall" | |||
| Released | June 1973 | |||
| Genre | Art rock, glam rock, rock and roll | |||
| Length | 3:40 (Radio Edit) 4:09 (Single Version) 5:15 (Album Version) | |||
| Label | UK Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Lol Creme Kevin Godley Graham Gouldman | |||
| Producer(s) | 10cc | |||
| 10cc singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "Rubber Bullets" on YouTube | ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"Rubber Bullets" | ||||
Recording and impact
editThe song features a double-speed guitar solo,[1] guitarist Eric Stewart explained:
That's a double track solo on that. It's, it's very, very high, of course, going through a Marshall stack, then I slowed the tape to half speed – seven and a half [inches per second] – and recorded it, you know, going [plays singles picked notes slowly] and when you speed it back up you've got an octave up, but there's a screaming fuzz on the top of it, that's an octave higher than it was recorded. So it's a very unusual sound done in that way, just an experiment. Because 10cc, we love to experiment, we used to love to waste time. And having the beauty of having our own studio, we didn't have a clock in there so we weren't restricted.
Stewart also recalled:
I was amazed, but pleased that the BBC never banned the track, although they limited its airplay, because they thought it was about the ongoing Northern Ireland conflicts. In fact, it was about an Attica State Prison riot like the ones in the old James Cagney films.[2]
Bassist Graham Gouldman remembered:
Kevin and Lol had the chorus and part of the verse but then got stuck. We all loved the chorus and realised it was a hit in itself, so we wanted to persist with it. I chipped in the line 'we've all got balls and brains, but some's got balls and chains.' One of my finer couplets.[2]
Although the song was not banned by the BBC at the time of release, it was later banned for the duration of the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991.[3]
Chart performance
edit"Rubber Bullets" was the band's first number one single in the UK Singles Chart, spending one week at the top in June 1973.[4] It also reached No. 1 in Ireland for 2 weeks and No. 3 in Australia, but it fared relatively poorly in the United States where it peaked at only No. 73,[5] and in Canada (their first appearance) where it reached just No. 76.[6] The single achieved sales of over 50,000 copies in Australia, being eligible for the award of a Gold Disc.[7]
In popular culture
edit- "Rubber Bullets" was used as the theme song to the pilot episode of American adult animated TV series Superjail! titled "Bunny Love", which aired in May 2007.[8]
- The song was featured on the soundtrack of the 1998 film A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries.[9]
References
edit- ^ "I Write The Songs". The10ccfanclub.com. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ a b Kutner, J. and Leigh, S. (2005), 1000 UK No. 1 Hits, Omnibus Press, ISBN 1-844-4928-34
- ^ Kirby, Mark (2000). Sociology in Perspective. Heinemann. p. 164. ISBN 9780435331603. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 287. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 833.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - November 3, 1973" (PDF).
- ^ The Go Set Chart Book, Australia's First National Charts. 6 April 2018. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-387-71246-5.
- ^ Harris, Will (3 March 2010). "A Chat with Christy Karacas and Stephen Warbrick ("Superjail!")". Premium Hollywood. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- ^ "A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries - Original Soundtrack - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 October 2018.