Lesbian Seagull

"Love Rollercoaster" / "Lesbian Seagull"
Single by Red Hot Chili Peppers and Engelbert Humperdinck
from the album Beavis and Butt-Head Do America: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Released1996
Length3:52
Songwriter(s)Tom Wilson Weinberg

"Lesbian Seagull" is a song originally recorded and released on the 1979 Tom Wilson Weinberg album, The Gay Name Game.[1][2] It gained further fame when it was performed by Engelbert Humperdinck, which appeared on the soundtrack of the 1996 MTV/Paramount film Beavis and Butt-Head Do America.[3][4]

History

Weinberg wrote the song's words and composed its music, and he originally recorded and released it on his own 1979 album, The Gay Name Game. Weinberg wrote and composed "Lesbian Seagull" in response to a UC Irvine study of long term monogamous lesbian behaviour in seagulls on Santa Barbara Island.[4][5][6] Mike Judge, creator-designer of Beavis and Butt-Head, heard the song in a David Letterman "Dave's Record Collection" segment and contacted Weinberg about using it in the film. Judge sings the song as the character David Van Driessen, one of Beavis and Butt-head's teachers. Humperdinck's version, used in the end credits of the film and included on the soundtrack released on the Universal / Geffen Records label, was released as a double-A-sided single with the Red Hot Chili Peppers' cover of the Ohio Players' "Love Rollercoaster",[7][8] which was also released as a single in its own right.[citation needed]

The song was later used on The Scott Mills Show, on BBC Radio 1, following Engelbert Humperdinck's participation for the United Kingdom in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest.[citation needed]

The song's most recent notable use has been as the outro to the popular radio show "Morning Glory with Matty Johns" on SEN Track. Matthew Johns has partially credited the show's success to the song and to Engelbert Humperdinck.

Charts

The chart positions are for the double-A-sided single "Love Rollercoaster"/"Lesbian Seagull".

Weekly charts

Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[7] 19
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] 35

Year-end charts

Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA Top Singles)[9] 83

References

  1. ^ "Music for Maniacs: TOM WILSON - "GAY NAME GAME"". 31 May 2013.
  2. ^ "Tom Wilson – Gay Name Game (1979, Vinyl)". Discogs.
  3. ^ "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America - Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b Daniel Villarreal and Ian Helms (24 May 2024). "The story behind "Lesbian Seagull": A song of love and controversy". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved 15 January 2025 – via MSN News.
  5. ^ "Extensive Homosexuality Is Found Among Seagulls Off Coast of California". The New York Times. November 23, 1977. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  6. ^ "Lesbian Seagulls: The Discovery that Shook Up Conservatives' Core Beliefs in the 70s". Steemit. 10 July 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Red Hot Chili Peppers / Engelbert Humperdinck – Love Rollercoaster / Lesbian Seagull". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  8. ^ a b "Red Hot Chili Peppers / Engelbert Humperdinck – Love Rollercoaster / Lesbian Seagull". Top 40 Singles.
  9. ^ "Top 100 Singles: ARIA Top Singles of 1997". top100singles.net. Retrieved 2025-01-14.