Primal Scream spent what seemed like hopeless years on end trying to get noticed. And when they had finally won out, becoming a sensation in Scotland and Britain, what did Bobby Gillespie’s band do? Nearly gave. But they didn’t give in, and “Rocks ” is one of the greatest alternative songs of the 1990s and, arguably, the band’s catchiest numbers.
But what is Gillespie rattling on about? And what price did Primal Scream’s members pay for getting their collective “Rocks ”? Here’s what I know, and what you should also.
Primal Scream’s Journey to Making “Rocks”
Primal Scream was designed by Bobby Gillespie to be the most important alternative band in Britain. In his mind, the group had it all – the Lennon-inspired name, the Velvet Underground sense of mystery, and a way of cutting and pasting cool underground sounds.
But, despite the assistance from a childhood friend and Creation Records boss, Alan McGee, the band went nowhere for years. It didn’t even help that Gillespie, singer for Primal Scream, had at one time been the drummer for one of the most important bands of the 1980s, Jesus & Mary Chain.
Was it fated that nothing would work out for the band? No. In 1991, Primal Scream, together with producer Andrew Weatherall, released the dance-rock classic “Screamadelica.” The world partied along to the band and sent them near the upper echelons of the charts. You’d think it’d be all upwards from here.
Still, it took Primal Scream more than three years and millions of pounds in recording to release the bang average sounding “Give Out But Don’t Give Up.” Yet, the record, in my estimation, had one stone-cold classic – “Rocks.”
Meaning of the Lyrics to “Rocks”
It nearly borrows the title of a song by The Rolling Stones, of course. The fact that the song was recorded while The Stones were also dealing with their own drug issues may not have been an accident.
And, indeed, according to Alan McGee, by 1994, most of the members of Primal Scream were hardcore junkies who had spent years only recording snippets of songs.
Bobby Gillespie doesn’t get enough credit for penning these lyrics, I think. The words are, essentially, a diary entry from the band’s twisted, dark-den days.
There’s one famous story that I recall a music writer recalling. And apologies for not being able to find the source. The writer claims that he overheard a conversation after a show, where the members of Primal Scream were debating whether to get Colombian, Chinese or Turkish.
The writer, enthusiastic and, well, famished, asked to be included in the order for food. He was told that they were not debating dinner take-out, but drug dealers.
Gillespie chants about a world filled with junkies, pimps, and whores, and encourages the listener to just soak it in and have their fun.
The song is also notable for its sheer guitar groove and alternative rock direction. Primal Scream has always been a compass for alt-rock, and their use of guitar riffs was a signal of the fact that this type of music was, at least in Britain, making a return after the forced departure of Nirvana and grunge.
“Rocks” Music Video
It’s one of the most enjoyable music videos of the 1990s. And that’s largely because of Gillespie and the rest of the band’s endless charisma.
Chris Symes directed the video that showed the band in a mix of glam-rock and heavy metal attire. It was shot at Million Dollar Babes and included many of the characters that Gillespie and the band used to party with in real life.
Primal Scream’s Alternative-Rock Legacy
Primal Scream is one of the most important bands in alternative rock. And, because of the band’s daringness to change course so often, I feel that we don’t appreciate them enough.
The band has more important songs than “Rocks.” But I don’t know any other song by this band, or most bands as it happens, that is more enjoyable, rocking and good fun.
Fortunately, the band also managed to forge a way out of the drug-induced darkness, and by the late 1990s, although having lost the momentum of “Screamadelica,” the group was back to making some of the most innovative rock music on the planet.
