Lump (song)
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"Lump" is a song by alternative rock band The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released in 1995 and featured on their self-titled debut album. The song reached #1 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1995. Composer Chris Ballew said that the lyrics combined his own history of having a benign tumor in the head with a vision he had of a woman in a swamp, while employing the word "lump" because Ballew was fond of it.[1] The musical part was described by Ballew as him "trying to write a Buzzcocks song". Ballew considers it his favorite composition.[2]
Later in the same year, it debuted on the Album Rock Tracks chart, and went on to hit #7. The song is featured in the video games Rock Band 2, the Nintendo DS version of Band Hero, Just Dance, and Saints Row IV. It has additionally been covered or remade by several artists such as The Johnstones and "Weird Al" Yankovic.
Track listings
- CD single
- "Lump" – 2:13
- "Carilyn's Bootie" – 2:17
- "Candy Cigarette" – 2:02
- "Twig in the Wind" – 2:54
- 7" single – UK
- "Lump" – 2:12
- "Wake Up" – 2:37
Music videos
The music video for "Lump", directed by Roman Coppola, takes place in a "boggy marsh" (as the lyrics state). The video shows the band singing in a swamp as well as on the stern of a large barge in Elliott Bay interspersed with a silhouette scene of the band performing.
Another video was also made for the song. This version, commonly referred to as "Lump 2", was considered too disturbing and dark to be aired on MTV (reflecting the band's grunge and post-grunge origins). It features the band performing on a dark stage while various people lip sync the lines "She's lump!" during the chorus. This version can be found on "Ten Year Super Bonus Special Anniversary Edition" of The Presidents of the United States of America's debut album.
Parodies and Covers
- "Weird Al" Yankovic released a parody version of the song known as "Gump", a joking tribute to Forrest Gump. Notably, the last line of this parody, "and that's all I have to say about that" would later be used by The Presidents of the United States of America in their subsequent live performances of the song.
- ApologetiX also recorded a parody entitled "Plump".
- Canadian ska punk band The Johnstones covered "Lump" on their 2008 EP SEX.
- Accordionist Duckmandu (Jason Seeman) covered "Lump" on his compilation album Quack Rock: Five Duckades of Accordion Mega-Hits.
- The Blackout have also covered "Lump" and it features on the end of their album, Hope, released in 2011.
Charts
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See also
References and notes
- ^ Stovall, Natasha: "UP AND COMING: The Presidents of the United States of America; At Home in Seattle, Cheerfully Singing Against the Current", The New York Times, April 21, 1996.
- ^ Weird Lyrics Come Naturally To The Presidents
- ^ Interview with Chris Ballew of The Presidents of the United States of America
- ^ "The Presidents of the United States of America – Lump". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ^ "The Presidents of the United States of America – Lump" (in French). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Top Singles - Volume 62, No. 21, January 08 1996". RPM. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Rock/Alternative - Volume 62, No. 9, October 02 1995". RPM. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "The Presidents of the United States of America – Lump" (in French). Les classement single.
- ^ "The Presidents of the United States of America – Lump". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ "Lump", UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved November 17, 2008)
- ^ a b c The Presidents of the United States of America, in U.S. charts Allmusic.com (Retrieved November 17, 2008)
- ^ 1995 French Singles Chart. Disqueenfrance.com. Retrieved January 30, 2009.