Glycerine (song)

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"Glycerine"
Bush glycerine.png
Single by Bush
from the album Sixteen Stone
B-side
  • "Solomon's Bones"
  • "Alien" (LP version)
Released14 November 1995 (1995-11-14)
RecordedJanuary 1994
Genre
Label
Songwriter(s)Gavin Rossdale
Producer(s)
Bush singles chronology
"Comedown"
(1995) 		"Glycerine"
(1995) 		"Machinehead"
(1996)

"Glycerine" is a song by English band Bush. It was released on 14 November 1995 as the fourth single from their debut album, Sixteen Stone.

Composition[]

Gavin Rossdale wrote the song about his then-girlfriend, Suze DeMarchi as stated in an interview with Howard Stern. He wrote it in his London flat, feeling that there was an ancient, mystical element to the song as it was coming together. He told Entertainment Weekly in 2017 that "I was like a conduit. Something about it was bigger than anything we were doing."[3]

The song is in the key of F major. The chord progression is F maj – C maj – D min – B♭ maj throughout the verse with various ornamental embellishments diatonic to the key of F major, including the bridge which cycles between the I (F major), V (C major), IV (B♭ major), and V chord in F Major. The refrain towards the end hangs on the vi (D minor) – IV (B♭ major) before returning to the recurring progression for the last verse.

The single includes a previously unreleased B-side, "Solomon's Bones", which was recorded on 7 November 1995 at River Studios, London and engineered by Joel Monger.[4]

Music video[]

The music video for "Glycerine" was notable for being shot in a very short time period when the band was on tour in the United States. The video was shot so quickly because the band's visas had expired. Though simple and unadorned, the video was highly acclaimed and won several awards, including the MTV Video Music Award - Viewer's Choice as well nominated for Best Alternative Video at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards. The music video was directed by Kevin Kerslake and shot in Atlanta, Georgia on 2 October 1995.[5]

Track listing[]

  1. "Glycerine"
  2. "Solomon's Bones"
  3. "Alien" [LP Version]

Commercial performance[]

Following the album's third single, "Comedown", "Glycerine" shared equal success. Like "Comedown", it reached number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart for two weeks, in December 1995. It is also the band's biggest pop hit to date, peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 24 February 1996.[6] The song won the Viewer's Choice Award at the 1996 MTV Music Video Awards. The song was voted number 5 on the Australian annual music poll Triple J Hottest 100 in 1996.

Chart positions[]

Chart (1995–96) Peak
Position
Australia (ARIA)[7] 5
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] 38
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[9] 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] 41
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] 31
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 28
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[13] 1
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[14] 4
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[15] 28

Live version[]

"Glycerine (Live)"
Bush Glycerine ft. Gwen Stefani.jpg
Single by Bush featuring Gwen Stefani
Released13 December 2012 (2012-12-13)
Recorded8 December 2012
GenrePost-grunge[16]
Length4:38
LabelZuma Rock
Songwriter(s)Gavin Rossdale
Bush singles chronology
"Baby Come Home"
(2012) 		"Glycerine (Live)"
(2012) 		"The Only Way Out"
(2014)
Gwen Stefani singles chronology
"Early Winter"
(2008) 		"Glycerine"
(2012) 		"Baby Don't Lie"
(2014)

Bush performed a new version of "Glycerine" at KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas on 8 December 2012, which featured a surprise appearance from American singer and songwriter, and Gavin Rossdale's then-wife Gwen Stefani.[17] The single was never released on an album, as both Stefani and Bush were not working on any new material.

"Glycerine" live single sales and broadcast chart positions
Chart (2013) Peak position
US Alternative Digital Singles (Billboard)[18] 16
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[19] 38
US Rock Digital Songs (Billboard)[20] 22

References[]

  1. ^ The Ultimate Nineties Alt-Rock Playlist
    The Atlantic. Retrieved 2016-02-22
  2. ^ "Bush, "Glycerine" SPIN". www.spin.com.
  3. ^ "Glycerine by Bush". Songfacts. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Bush – Glycerine".
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "Bush – Chart history – Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  7. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Bush – Glycerine". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  8. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9194." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  9. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 2890." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  10. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bush – Glycerine" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  11. ^ "Charts.nz – Bush – Glycerine". Top 40 Singles.
  12. ^ "Bush Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  13. ^ "Bush Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Bush Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  15. ^ "Bush Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  16. ^ Unterberger, Andrew. "Top Ten Mediocre Post-Grunge / Alternative Bands". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  17. ^ Nicole Powell (20 December 2012). "Gwen Stefani's 'Glycerine' Duet with Husband Gavin Rossdale Released on iTunes". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  18. ^ "Chart Search". Billboard Rock Digital Songs for Gwen Stefani. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  19. ^ "Bush Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  20. ^ "Chart Search". Billboard Rock Digital Songs for Gwen Stefani. Retrieved 26 December 2015.

External links[]

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