Antmusic

"Antmusic"
Single by Adam and the Ants
from the album Kings of the Wild Frontier
B-side"Fall In"
Released28 November 1980
Genre
Length3:37
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Chris Hughes
Adam and the Ants singles chronology
"Dog Eat Dog"
(1980) 		"Antmusic"
(1980) 		"Stand and Deliver"
(1981)
Music video
'Antmusic' on YouTube

"Antmusic" is the broad term Adam Ant uses to describe his music, both solo and with Adam and the Ants. It is also the name of the third single from the Adam and the Ants album Kings of the Wild Frontier and a 1994 compilation album.

The "Antmusic for sex people" logo first appeared on the cover of the Adam and the Ants' single, "Dog Eat Dog",[3] and the line "Antmusic for sex people, Sex music for Antpeople" is sung in the track "Don't be Square (Be There)"[4] from Kings of the Wild Frontier.

On 28 November 1980, Adam and the Ants released "Antmusic" (often stylised as 'Antmusic') as the third single in the UK from Kings of the Wild Frontier.[5] "Antmusic" peaked at No. 2 in the UK in January 1981, being held off the top by the re-release of John Lennon's "Imagine" after his murder in New York City on 8 December 1980.

In Australia, the single spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Kent Music Report[6] and earned the band platinum certification[7] for sales of over 100,000 copies.[8] It also reached No. 2 in South Africa, No. 4 in Ireland, and No. 6 in New Zealand. In North America, the song reached No. 14 on the US Rock Albums & Top Tracks chart, as well as number 19 on the National Disco Action Top 30 chart (alongside "Dog Eat Dog" and "Kings of the Wild Frontier"). It did not find success in Canada.

Music video

"Antmusic" was the first music video directed by Steve Barron.[9] It features the group invading a discothèque with a giant juke box that different members of the band are shown unplugging to go along with the line, "Unplug the jukebox and do us all a favor." The patrons of the disco stand transfixed, as the band persuades the young audience to turn away from disco music and dance to the new-styled Antmusic. Eventually, they win over their audience, who one by one begin dancing to the song.

Amanda Donohoe, who was Adam Ant's girlfriend at the time, makes her acting debut in the music video.[10]

Royal Variety Performance

On 18 April 1981, Adam and the Ants performed a medley of "Antmusic" & "Dog Eat Dog" at the Royal Variety Performance. It was during "Antmusic" that Kevin Mooney had a very public meltdown that led to his leaving the band. As the band lip synced & mimed through the performance, Mooney took off his bass, placing it on the floor, making it obvious that he wasn't actually playing.[11]

"Fall In"

It was common for Ant to record new versions of his pre-1980 compositions for the B-side of his singles. For this single, a song dating back to the pre-Ants band the B-Sides in 1976 called "Fall In" was used. The song was co-written by Ant and Lester Square and originally titled "Fall Out"[12] until the Police released a song by that same name in May 1977. A recording has surfaced of the song being performed by the Ants at a private preview show in a Muswell Hill bedroom on 5 May 1977.[13] Following Square's departure, Ant added new lyrics referencing the band's regular rehearsal space at the Screen on the Green cinema in Islington. The resulting version was first recorded as a home demo in Putney in July 1977, and a full band demo was recorded at Decca Studios in August 1978.[citation needed]

The version on the Antmusic B-side was recorded in 1980 during sessions for the Kings album at Rockfield Studios. The song has been a frequent feature of Ant's live setlists both with the Ants and solo from 1977 to the present day. Live versions have been released on the 1994 live album Antmusic: The Very Best of Adam Ant: Disc Two and in excerpt form on the 2014 documentary The Blueblack Hussar directed by Jack Bond. The 1978 Decca Studios version appears in full as closing credit music on the 2015 DVD live video album Dirk Live at the Apollo.[citation needed]

Square's later band the Monochrome Set also continued to perform a version of the song, with new lyrics, under the title "Fallout". The song appeared as a B-side to the 1979 single "He's Frank (Slight Return)" as well as a 1979 Peel Session. Another joint Ant/Square composition titled "Fat Fun", which had similar shared ownership between the two bands (albeit again with differing lyrics), was recorded by the Ants at Rockfield Studios but not released until 2000 on the Antbox box set.[14]

Charts and certifications

Cover versions

  • Electronic musician DJ Hyper recorded a cover version titled 'Ant Music' (vocals courtesy of Leeroy Thornhill) and released on his 2006 album 'We Control'.
  • Hypnolovewheel recorded a cover of the song that was included on the compilation album Freedom of Choice: Yesterday's New Wave Hits as Performed by Today's Stars.[32]

References

  1. ^ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1980". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. p. 375. ISBN 9781493064601.
  2. ^ George-Warren, Holly; Romanowski, Patricia; Pareles, John, eds. (2001). "Adam and the Ants/Adam Ant". The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (3rd ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 5. ISBN 0-7432-0120-5.
  3. ^ Adam Ant & Marco Pirroni (3 October 1980). "Dog Eat Dog". The Official Adam Ant Website. EMI Music Publishing Ltd.
  4. ^ Adam Ant & Marco Pirroni (3 November 1980). "Don't be Square (Be There)". Genius. EMI Music Publishing Ltd.
  5. ^ "Adam Ant and the Ants". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 11 November 2010.
  6. ^ John (2 February 2023). "Number One Singles in the 1980s – Australian Music". All Down Under.
  7. ^ a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. ^ "Accreditations". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  9. ^ Allen, Liam (29 November 2010). "Adam Ant to Michael Jackson: Shaping the MTV Landscape". BBC.
  10. ^ "Adam and the Ants: Antmusic". IMDb. 1980.
  11. ^ Cabut, Richard (2004). "The World's Forgotten Boy". 3:AM Magazine.
  12. ^ "Fall Out Adam and the Ants Lyrics". SonicHits.
  13. ^ The Ants - Fallout - Muswell Hill Bedroom 5 May 1977
  14. ^ Adam Ant (4 December 2000). "Antbox". Columbia Records.
  15. ^ "Adam and the Ants – Antmusic" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  16. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Ant Music". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  17. ^ "Adam and the Ants – Antmusic" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  18. ^ "Adam and the Ants – Antmusic". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  19. ^ "SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Songs A-B". South African Rock Lists. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  20. ^ "Adam and the Ants – Antmusic". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  21. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  22. ^ "Adam and the Ants Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  23. ^ "Adam and the Ants Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  24. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1981". Kent Music Report. 4 January 1982. p. 7. Retrieved 11 January 2022 – via Imgur.
  25. ^ "End Of Year Charts 1981". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  26. ^ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1981". South African Rock Lists. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  27. ^ Scaping, Peter, ed. (1982). "The Top 200 Singles: January–December 1981". BPI Year Book 1982 (5th ed.). London, England: The British Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 46–49. ISBN 0-906154-03-0.
  28. ^ Jones, Alan; Lazell, Barry; Rees, Dafydd (1982). "The Top 200 Singles (UK)". Chart File 1982. London, England: Virgin Books. pp. 74–77. ISBN 0-907080-49-9.
  29. ^ "Billboard Vol. 94, No. 23: Majors Flight Economics with Quirky Rock Originals". Billboard. 6 December 1982. p. A-NZ 8. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  30. ^ "British single certifications – Adam and the Ants – Ant Music". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  31. ^ "Robbie Williams – No Regrets / Antmusic". Discogs. 30 November 1998.
  32. ^ "Antmusic - Hypnolovewheel". Allmusic. Retrieved 14 February 2015.