Freak Scene

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This article is about the song by Dinosaur Jr.. For the subculture, see Freak scene.
"Freak Scene"
Single by Dinosaur Jr.
from the album Bug
B-side"Keep the Glove"
ReleasedSeptember 1988
Recorded1988 at Fort Apache North
Genre
Length3:35
LabelSST (220)
Songwriter(s)J Mascis
Producer(s)J Mascis
Dinosaur Jr. singles chronology
"Little Fury Things"
(1987) 		"Freak Scene"
(1988) 		"Just Like Heaven"
(1989)

"Freak Scene" is a song by American alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr., the opening track on the group's third studio album Bug (1988). Written and produced by frontman J Mascis, the song was recorded at Fort Apache Studios by engineers Paul Q. Kolderie and Sean Slade. "Freak Scene" was released as a single on SST Records in the United States and was also Dinosaur Jr.'s first release on Blast First in the United Kingdom. The band also made a music video to promote the single.

Content[edit]

Music journalist Everett True writes that "Freak Scene" "invented the slacker generation. J. plays the guitar like he skis: effortlessly and fully in control. The song slows down, catches on fire, whispers sweet harmony and then starts blowing a tornado. 'So fucked ...you'd see it,' J. sings with heavy resignation ... 'Don't let me fuck up will you?' J. pleads, helpless in his slumber. 'Because when I need a friend, it's still you.'"[5]

Reception[edit]

"Freak Scene" is rated as one of the best songs by Dinosaur Jr. In his review of Bug, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic called the track "the masterpiece of the record, . . . a surprisingly catchy song encapsulating the appeal and pitfalls of indie rock within three minutes."[1] Jess Harvell of Pitchfork believes "'Freak Scene' is probably indie rock's greatest guitar performance and the band's greatest pop song, somehow finding room for Psychedelic Furs jangle, Edge-style ascending harmonies, Eddie Van Halen in the drunk tank, pickled country, and a cherry on top in three and a half minutes without feeling at all cluttered."[6] The single reached number seven in the UK Indie Chart, and spent 12 weeks on the chart in total.[7]

Covers[edit]

"Freak Scene" would eventually be covered by pop-punk band Blink-182 on their debut demo Flyswatter.[8] Belle & Sebastian would also cover the track live.[9]

Accolades[edit]

"Freak Scene" has been ranked the number 1 song in the 'All Time Indie Top 50'.[10]

"Freak Scene"
Sample of "Freak Scene", featuring Mascis' distinctive "slacker" vocal drawl and a layered guitar sound.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The track also received the following accolades over the years:

Publication Country Accolade Rank
Toby Creswell Australia 1001 Songs *[11]
Beats Per Minute US The Top 100 Tracks of the 1980s 81[12]
Blender US 500 Greatest Songs From 1980-2005 407[13]
Pitchfork US The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s 74[14]
Robert Dimery US 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die *[15]
NME UK The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time 153[16]
Q UK 40 Best Tracks Of The 1980s 35[17]
Uncut UK The 100 Greatest Singles Of The Post-Punk Era 13[18]
Rockdelux Spain The Top 100 Songs from 1984-1993 5[citation needed]

* denotes an unordered list.

Track listing[edit]

Both songs written by J Mascis.

  1. "Freak Scene" – 3:35
  2. "Keep the Glove" – 2:52

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Bug - Dinosaur Jr. | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
  2. ^ Earles, Andrew (2014). Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996. Voyageur Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-7603-4648-8.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (1999). All-Time Top 1000 Albums. Virgin Books. p. 179. ISBN 0-7535-0354-9. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021.
  4. ^ Kurland, Jordan. "The Mix: 100 Essential Noise Pop Songs". NPR.
  5. ^ True, Everett (2007). Nirvana: The Biography. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81554-0. p. 225.
  6. ^ Harvell, Jess. "Dinosaur / You're Living All Over Me / Bug album reviews" Archived 2007-06-19 at the Wayback Machine. Pitchfork. April 7, 2005. Retrieved on August 22, 2009.
  7. ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980 - 1989. Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-9517206-9-4. p. 66.
  8. ^ "Blink – Flyswatter (1993, Cassette)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  9. ^ Zaleski, Annie. "Belle and Sebastian Covers Dinosaur Jr., Van Halen". Riverfront Times. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  10. ^ "All Time Top 50 Indie Songs". 23indie.com. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  11. ^ "Rocklist.net... Q - 1001 Best Ever Songs..." Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  12. ^ "The Top 100 Tracks of the 1980s". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  13. ^ "Blender Magazine - 500 Greatest Songs From 1980-2005 (Music Database :: Dave Tompkins)". Cs.ubc.ca. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  14. ^ "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  15. ^ Dimery, Robert, ed. (2010). "Dinosaur Jr: Freak Scene". 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. Octopus Publishing Group. p. 606. ISBN 978-1-84403-684-4.
  16. ^ Barker, Emily (January 31, 2014). "The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time - 200-101". NME. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  17. ^ "Rocklist.net...Q Magazine Lists." Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  18. ^ "Rocklist.net... Uncut Lists ." Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved March 1, 2019.

External links[edit]

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