Anarchy in the U.K.
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| "Anarchy in the UK" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Single by Sex Pistols | ||
| Released | November 26, 1976 | |
| Format | 7" single | |
| Recorded | October 17, 1976 | |
| Genre | Punk rock | |
| Length | 3:31 | |
| Label | EMI | |
| Producer(s) | Chris Thomas, Bill Price | |
| Chart positions | ||
| ||
| Sex Pistols singles chronology | ||
| Anarchy in the UK (1976) | God Save the Queen (1977) | |
"Anarchy in the UK" (B-side "I Wanna Be Me") was the first single by the punk band the Sex Pistols. It was released on November 26, 1976, and is thus frequently considered to be the first punk single (although The Ramones released "Blitzkrieg Bop" a year earlier and The Damned released "New Rose" the previous month).
The song only reached number 38 on the UK Singles Chart before EMI stopped pressing it on January 6, 1977, but its long-term influence was substantial. The group's follow-up single, "God Save The Queen", peaked at number 2 in the UK charts at the time of the Queen's silver jubilee, though some have speculated that the song was actually the best-selling single of the week and was kept off number 1 due to the fear that it may have caused offense. Both songs later appeared on the album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols.
The song's lyrics espouse a nihilistic, emotive, and violent concept of anarchy. The lyrics are however often viewed as somewhat satirical and light hearted. The lyrics mention several political/paramilitary organisations prominent at the time, comparing them to the UK: the MPLA, the UDA, and the IRA. The lyrics can be interpreted as satirical, mocking not only the government but also directionless or purely fashionable rebellion.
A French version called "Anarchie Pour Le UK", sung by a French singer, Louis Brennon, with accordion and fiddle as the backing instrumentation, was part of the soundtrack to the Sex Pistols film, The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. This version was also released as a Sex Pistols single in France. The German punk band Big Balls and the Great White Idiot covered the song on their first album, Big Balls, under the name "Anarchy in Germany".
Another iteration appeared on the soundtrack to the film Million Dollar Hotel featuring Tito Larriva of Tito and Tarantula and the Million Dollar Hotel Band. The song was covered by Megadeth on their 1988 album So Far, So Good... So What!, with famously incorrect lyrics ("...another council tenancy" was sung as "...and other cunt-like tendencies."), and by Mötley Crüe on their 1991 greatest hits album Decade of Decadence, with America-centric lyric changes (referring to the Parents Music Resource Center, district attorneys, and the Central Intelligence Agency instead of the MPLA, UDA, and Irish Republican Army.)
A line in the song is often misquoted as, I use the enemy. The actual lyrics are, I use the NME, a reference to UK music peridocal the New Musical Express. However, the double entendre was certainly not lost on the Sex Pistols nor their audience, who viewed the contemporary musical establishment (of which the NME was most definitely a part) as an adversary.
[edit] Trivia
- In 1978, a parody of the song was recorded by British comedian Johnny Rubbish called "Living in NW3 4JR" (a postcode reference to an expensive neighbourhood in North London). It was produced by Hugh Cornwell of the The Stranglers and released on the United Artists label. Rubbish (real name John Gatward) had been a roadie and friend of The Stranglers and was well known for performing his stage-act from inside a dustbin.
- Anarchy in the UK was also used as the working title for Paul Cornell's Doctor Who novel No Future.
- Anarchy in the UK is quoted during a robbery scene in the 2006 movie V for Vendetta, based on the comic by Alan Moore.
- Anarchy in the UK is on the soundtrack to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4.
- When Johnny Rotten's vocal was tracked, on the first verse, the tape was gradually slowed down, creating the peculiar "rising" vocal effect heard upon playback in the finished track.
- During the "How many ways to get what you want ..." section, one hears a doubled snare drum. This happened because the song was stitched together from two takes that did not sync up precisely.
- Anarchy in the UK was covered satirically by band Green Jellÿ with changed lyrics concerning The Flintstones.
| Sex Pistols |
|---|
| John Lydon | Steve Jones | Glen Matlock | Paul Cook | Sid Vicious |
| Discography |
| Studio albums: Never Mind the Bollocks, 1977 |
| Live and compilation releases: Some Product: Carri on Sex Pistols, 1979 | The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, 1980 | Flogging a Dead Horse, 1980 |
| Related articles |
| Public Image Ltd. | Malcolm McLaren | Jamie Reid | Ronnie Biggs | Edward Tudor-Pole | The Professionals | The Filth and the Fury | Punk rock |
