Rocks (song)

For other forms of creative media with the same title, see Rocks (disambiguation).

"Rocks"
Single by Primal Scream
from the album Give Out But Don't Give Up
A-side"Funky Jam" (Hot Ass mix)
B-side"Everybody Needs Somebody"
Released28 February 1994 (1994-02-28)
GenreAlternative rock[1]
Length3:36
LabelCreation
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Tom Dowd
Primal Scream singles chronology
"Damaged"
(1992) 		"Rocks" / "Funky Jam"
(1994) 		"Jailbird"
(1994)

"Rocks" is a song by the Scottish rock band Primal Scream that came out in 1994 with the release of Give Out But Don't Give Up, which was the group's fourth studio album. This track was the first indication of the band's evolution in musical genre, contrasting with the approaches utilized in Primal Scream's previous album, titled Screamadelica, which had gotten released in 1991 and featured dance-related leanings. "Rocks" (and the Give Out But Don't Give Up album as a whole) featured a more bluesy hard rock approach akin to arena-friendly songs of the past, being inspired by British artists such as T. Rex, the Rolling Stones, and Faces.

The Faces' own Rod Stewart would later cover the song himself, including a version on his 1998 album that he titled When We Were the New Boys. Music journalist Stephen Thomas Erlewine highlighted the peculiarity of Stewart "tackling the music of his Brit-pop offspring" while praising the track for AllMusic. Erlewine directly compared the artist's assertive interpretation of "Rocks" to Stewart's previously released song "Hot Legs".[2]

In retrospective terms, music journalist Steve Huey (who has also been associated with AllMusic) highlighted the song as a part of a musical trend involving "guitar-oriented, post-Nirvana alternative rock" performed "by bands who received some measure of radio or [even] MTV exposure". He described Primal Scream in the context of "Rocks" as one of a group of "groundbreaking cult artists who scored at least a little crossover success in the alternative mainstream" alongside bands such as the Afghan Whigs, Dinosaur Jr., and Screaming Trees.[1] Similarly, Johnny Loftus (of the same publication) retrospectively described "Rocks" as sounding "raucous" and wrote in a supportive yet glib fashion that the song "is sure to please your English foreign exchange student friend."[3]

"Rocks" was released as a single on 28 February 1994, and the track reached the number seven spot on the UK Singles Chart. It had served as a double A-side with another of the band's songs, which the group titled "Funky Jam". Together, they were the highest-charting Primal Scream single until "Country Girl" reached number five in 2006. In 2024, the song received a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales and streams exceeding 400,000.

Track listings

All tracks were written by Bobby Gillespie, Andrew Innes, and Robert Young.

UK 7-inch and cassette single[4][5]

  1. "Rocks" – 3:36
  2. "Funky Jam" (Hot Ass mix) – 5:21

UK 12-inch and CD single; Japanese CD single[6][7][8]

  1. "Rocks" – 3:36
  2. "Funky Jam" (Hot Ass mix) – 5:21
  3. "Funky Jam" (club mix) – 5:27

US and New Zealand 7-inch single[9]

  1. "Rocks" (album version) – 3:36
  2. "Everybody Needs Somebody" (album version) – 5:22

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 28 February 1994
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Creation [26]
Japan 24 March 1994 CD [27]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Double Shot: Alt Rock". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  2. ^ "When We Were the New Boys - Rod Stewart". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Frosh, Vol. 5". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  4. ^ Rocks / Funky Jam (UK 7-inch single vinyl disc). Primal Scream. Creation Records. 1994. CRE 129.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ Rocks / Funky Jam (UK cassette single sleeve). Primal Scream. Creation Records. 1994. CRECS 129.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ Rocks / Funky Jam (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). Primal Scream. Creation Records. 1994. CRE 129T.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Rocks / Funky Jam (UK CD single disc notes). Primal Scream. Creation Records. 1994. CRESCD 129.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Rocks / Funky Jam (Japanese CD single liner notes). Primal Scream. Creation Records. 1994. ESCA-5922.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Rocks (US & New Zealand 7-inch single vinyl disc). Primal Scream. Sire Records. 1994. 7-18189.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ "Primal Scream – Rocks". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  11. ^ "Primal Scream – Rocks" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2508." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  13. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 12. 19 March 1994. p. 17. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (02.6.–08.6. '94)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 June 1994. p. 20. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  15. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Rocks / Funky Jam". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  16. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Primal Scream" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Primal Scream – Rocks" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Primal Scream – Rocks". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  19. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  20. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  21. ^ "Primal Scream Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  22. ^ "Primal Scream Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  23. ^ "Primal Scream Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  24. ^ "Árslistinn 1994". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1995. p. 25. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  25. ^ "British single certifications – Primal Scream – Rocks/Funky Jam". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  26. ^ "Promos in Production" (PDF). Music Week. 26 February 1994. p. 12. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  27. ^ "ロックス | プライマル・スクリーム" [Rocks | Primal Scream] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 14 February 2024.