Buck Rogers (song)

Buck Rogers (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Buck Rogers


Artist = Feeder
from Album = Echo Park
Released = January 8, 2001
Format = CD, 7" single
Recorded = Great Lindford Manor Studios
Genre = Pop rock
Length = 3 min 13 s
Label = Echo
Producer = Feeder and Gil Norton
| Last single = "Paperfaces" (1999)
This single = "Buck Rogers" (2001)
Next single = "Seven Days in the Sun" (2001)

"Buck Rogers" is a song performed by the British rock band Feeder. It was written by frontman and lead guitarist Grant Nicholas for the band's breakthrough album "Echo Park". The song was originally written by Grant for an American band called 'Radio Star', but Feeder's version was heavily liked by their label and producer Gil Norton, that the band were convinced not to part way with it, as they were convinced the band could have a hit with it. It later became a cult classic. The song entered the UK charts at #5. It is seen by many fans of British rock music as an iconic rock song of 2001, and as a result is today still played on UK radio. [cite web|url=http://www.xfm.co.uk/onair/playlist/recent|title=Xfm playlist - find every track we play|work=xfm.co.uk|accessdate=2008-04-19] It was also performed by the band at the Live 8 concert in Edinburgh. [cite web|url=http://journals.aol.com/live8scotland/LIVE8Scotland|title=Live 8 Scotland blog|work=AOL Journals|accessdate=2007-03-30]

Background

The song was written by frontman Grant Nicholas for their third album "Echo Park". During the year the band played festivals in the UK which previewed the material they were working on at the time, and would then play a series of small venues near the end of the year. Amongst the new songs they played, was their then forthcoming new single "Buck Rogers".cite web|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~himh/feeder.html|title="Getting To Know You Well- The Biography"|work=Hole In My Head inactive fansite page|accessdate=2007-03-30]

The song is about a relationship ending, in which the character in the song meets a person named "Buck Rogers" who owns a "brand new car" that "looks like a Jaguar". His partner leaves him for the "Buck Rogers" character, which leads him to say "but I don't want to talk about it anymore", before looking on a positive side saying that he thinks he's going to make it through if he buys "a house in Devon", and starts "all over again" with her. Grant also said the song employs an element of humour.cite web|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~himh/feeder.html|title="Getting To Know You Well- The Biography"|work=Hole In My Head inactive fansite page|accessdate=2007-03-30]

The track's name came about when Grant was playing on a keyboard and invented a piece of music he said was "futuristic", and asked his engineer Matt Sime what to call the piece. They both thought "Buck Rogers" would sound appropriate for a working title which then stuck.cite web|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~himh/feeder.html|title="Getting To Know You Well- The Biography"|work=Hole In My Head inactive fansite page|accessdate=2007-03-30] The recorded song was originally for an American band named 'Radio Star', but was convinced by producer Gil Norton not to part with the song as he believed the band could have a hit with it.cite web|url=http://www.feederweb.com/view.php?template=normal&page_id=60|title=Q Feeder Interview March 2005|work=Feederweb.com|accessdate=2007-03-31]

From its very first live performance in 2000, the song has been played at every gig on tour, one-off gigs and festivals, until the May 2008 tour, seen the song dropped from setlists (excluding TV appearances), for the first time in its history. Since then the song has made a comeback into the bands sets.

Music video

The video starts with the band walking out from a spaceship, which is disguised as an elephant. During the first chorus after they walk out they are holding various fast food items, while looking around the velodome looking complex, wondering where they have landed. After the chorus, shots of the band standing still in mid-air positions are shown, and then the band mostly performing the song in fast motion with occasional freeze-frame shots added in.

Before the last chorus, the band make their way back inside the elephant spaceship and look surprised as the inside is bigger than it looks on the outside. Here the band perform the last verse playing on instruments already inside the elephant, while the camera pans round the band before the screen turns black as the song ends at the same time.

The video was shot in Berlin, Germany in an underground car park. [Feederweb fanzine- January 2001]

Reception

In the UK the single was released on January 8, 2001. The song was played on Radio 1 and appeared on their A-list, meaning the single would be in high rotation.cite web|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~himh/feeder.html|title="Getting To Know You Well- The Biography"|work=Hole In My Head inactive fansite page|accessdate=2007-03-30]

On the day of single release, the band performed an in-store at the now closed London branch of Tower Records. [cite web|url=http://www.feederweb.com/old_news|title=Old News|work=Feederweb.com|accessdate=2007-03-31] Due to the single selling strongly during the course of the week, the band were invited onto "The Pepsi Chart Show" on Channel 5, and BBC One's "Top of the Pops". The band were forced to cancel two signings as a result of this.cite web|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~himh/feeder.html|title="Getting To Know You Well- The Biography"|work=Hole In My Head inactive fansite page|accessdate=2007-03-30]

Chart performance

"Buck Rogers" entered the official UK Singles Chart at #5, it went on to spend a second week in the top 10 at #8 with a total of six weeks in the top 75.cite web|url=http://www.polyhex.com/music/chartruns/chartruns.php|title=UK Singles - 1952-2007|work=polyhex.com|accessdate=2007-07-18]

In South Africa, the track was very well received by radio DJ's by reaching #1 on the 5FM top 40.cite web|url=http://www.sarockdigest.com/archives/issue_123.html|title=SA ROCK DIGEST ISSUE #123|work=sarockdigest.com|accessdate=2007-07-18] Later in the year the band were invited by the radio station as a headline act for their 26th birthday celebrations concert, due to the success the band had with them at the time.cite web|url=http://www.sarockdigest.com/archives/issue_123.html|title=SA ROCK DIGEST ISSUE #123|work=sarockdigest.com|accessdate=2007-07-18]

After the top 5 success of the single, Grant was asked in an April 2001 edition of a Feederweb fanzine if he felt under pressure to deliver another radio-friendly song, in reply he said:- [Feederweb fanzine- "7 Days In The Sun"]

Grant said in a 2005 Q magazine interview that he didn't want to be remembered for it, as he said it's "a throwaway pop song" and he's more of a dark songwriter. However, he said if it wasn't for the song, Feeder wouldn't be here today.cite web|url=http://www.feederweb.com/view.php?template=normal&page_id=60|title=Q Feeder Interview March 2005|work=Feederweb.com|accessdate=2007-03-31]

All-time list appearances

"Buck Rogers" has made numerous appearances in the all-time lists conducted by Kerrang! magazine, and the radio station XFM. The track charted at #37 in a December 2002 readers poll conducted by Kerrang!.cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/kerrang_p2.htm#100GREATESTSINGLES|title=Kerrang's! Top 100 Singles of All-Time|work=rocklistmusic.co.uk|accessdate=2007-07-18] This was later followed up by four successive appearances in the annual XFM "X-List", with a #25 peak in 2004.cite web|url=http://www.xfm.co.uk/article.asp?id=12480|title=X-List 2003|work=xfm.co.uk|accessdate=2007-07-18] cite web|url=http://www.xfm.co.uk/article.asp?id=37754|title=X-List 2004|work=xfm.co.uk|accessdate=2007-07-18] cite web|url=http://www.xfm.co.uk/article.asp?id=98497|title=X-List 2005|work=xfm.co.uk|accessdate=2007-07-18] cite web|url=http://www.xfm.co.uk/Article.asp?id=263515|title=X-List 2006|work=xfm.co.uk|accessdate=2007-07-18] Kerrang!'s writers have also approved of the track as one of the "666 Songs You Must Own", when it appeared at #5 in the rock section in November 2004. [cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/kerrang666.htm|title=Kerrang's "666 Songs You Must Own"|work=rocklistmusic.co.uk|accessdate=2007-07-18]

Formats

CD1

# "Buck Rogers" - 3:13
# "Purple" - 4:05
# "Heads" - 3:06

CD2

# "Buck Rogers" - 3:13
# "We The Electronic" - 4:00
# "21st Century Meltdown" - 3:07
# "Buck Rogers" (video)

7" (Orange)

# "Buck Rogers" - 3:13
# "Sex Type Drug" - 3:16

References


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