(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River

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"(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River"
Ol-man-river.jpg
Single by TISM
from the album Machiavelli and the Four Seasons
B-side
  • "Abscess Makes the Heart Grow Fonder"
  • "Dicktatorship"
Released6 June 1995
RecordedSeptember 1994
StudioPlatinum Studios
GenreDance-rock, alternative rock
Length2:24
LabelShock/genre b.goode
Songwriter(s)TISM
Producer(s)Lawrence Maddy
TISM singles chronology
"Jung Talent Time"
(1995) 		"(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River"
(1995) 		"Greg! The Stop Sign!!"
(1995)
Original Artwork
River tombstone.jpg

"(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River" is a song by Australian alternative rock band TISM, released in June 1995 as the second single from their third studio album, Machiavelli and the Four Seasons. The song peaked at number 23 on the ARIA Charts, becoming the band's highest charting single and polled at number 9 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 1995

The band performed the song on the RMITV show Under Melbourne Tonight in April 1995.[1]

The song opens with the refrain "I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix" and, as the song continues, notes a variety of celebrities who died due to some sort of excess. As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the addiction is not about actually doing these things himself; rather, his addiction is vicariously following celebrities and their excesses and premature deaths.[citation needed]

Controversy surrounded the release of this track. Red Hot Chili Peppers' Australian-born bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary (a close friend of Phoenix) reportedly left "wanting to kill" TISM.[citation needed]

TISM addressed this controversy in 2004:[2] "By the same token, Hitler-Barassi says, 'I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix', the line that famously enraged Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, 'wasn't about River Phoenix at all. That song was about fame, and the people listed in it weren't even real celebrities."

The single was issued with a second "pills" cover after a version depicting a mockup of Phoenix's tombstone was withdrawn.

Track list[]

CD single (G003)

  1. "(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River" - 2:25
  2. "Abscess Makes the Heart Grow Fonder" - 2:47
  3. "Dicktatorship" - 2:00

Personnel[]

  • Damian Cowell - lead vocals (choruses)
  • Peter Minack - lead vocals (verses)
  • Jack Holt - bass
  • James Paull - electric guitar
  • Eugene Cester - keyboards

Charts[]

Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[3] 23

References[]

  1. ^ "Free Music Videos, Video Interviews, Music Video News, Live Sessions and Clips - NME.COM | - NME.COM". Archived from the original on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  2. ^ Dwyer, Michael (2 July 2014). "The phantom menace". The Age (newspaper). Retrieved 11 December 2007.
  3. ^ "Australian-charts.com – TISM – (He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 9 Jne 2021.
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