Demons (Super Furry Animals song)
"Demons" is the fourth and final single from Super Furry Animals' album Radiator. It reached #27 on the UK Singles Chart on its release in November 1997.[1]
"Demons" | ||||
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Single by Super Furry Animals | ||||
from the album Radiator | ||||
Released | 24 November 1997 | |||
Length | 5:13 | |||
Label | Creation Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Super Furry Animals | |||
Producer(s) | Gorwel Owen, Super Furry Animals | |||
Super Furry Animals singles chronology | ||||
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Release and critical reception
"Demons" was released on CD, cassette and 7" on 24 November 1997 and reached number 27 on the UK Singles Chart.[1] The cover art is the last in a series of five Pete Fowler paintings commissioned by the band for Radiator and its singles. Fowler's art was inspired by "Demons" and depicts "the unholy tribes of the undead" according to Record Collector.[2] The packaging of the single features the Welsh language quote "Esmwyth! Esmwyth! Dim blewyn o'i le!", which roughly translates into English as "Smooth! Smooth! Not a hair out of place!".[3] It is the last single by the group to contain such a quote, bringing to an end a practise that started with their debut single "Hometown Unicorn". The track was included on the band's 'greatest hits' compilation album Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1, issued in 2004.[4]
Music video
The video was filmed in Colombia. It shows humanist scenes of everyday life, with the band observing and sometimes casually interacting with the locals.
Cover versions
Shy Nobleman performed a cover of the song translated to Hebrew as "Shedim" as part of his 2013 album My day is a dream. Manfred Mann's Earth Band combined the song with Prefab Sprout's song Dragons to produce a new song titled Demons and Dragons.
- Accolades
Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hot Press | Ireland | Singles of the year 1997[5] | 1997 | 30 |
Q | United Kingdom | 1010 Songs You Must Own!: Indie - Singles[6] | 2004 | * |
* denotes an unordered list
Track listing
All songs by Super Furry Animals.
- CD (CRESCD283)
- "Demons" – 5:13
- "Hit and Run" – 3:31
- "Carry the Can" – 4:47
- MC (CRES283), 7" poster pack (CRE283)
- "Demons" – 5:13
- "Hit and Run" – 3:31
Personnel
- Gruff Rhys – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Huw Bunford – guitar
- Guto Pryce – bass guitar
- Cian Ciaran – keyboards
- Dafydd Ieuan – drums
- Les Morrison - Banjo
- Gorwel Owen - E-bow, samples
- Martin Smith - trumpet
Singles chart positions
Chart (1997) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles Chart[1] | 27 |
References
- Roberts, David, ed. (2003). British Hit Singles (16th ed.). Guinness World Records Ltd. p. 452. ISBN 0-85112-190-X.
- Kane, Jack (June 1999), "Super Furry Animals", Record Collector, Diamond Publishing, 238: 46–51
- Demons (CD single). Super Furry Animals. Creation Records. 1997. p. [Inside cover].CS1 maint: others (link)
- Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1 (CD). Super Furry Animals. New York: Epic Records. 2004. back cover.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "Singles of the year 1997". RockListMusic. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
- "1010 Songs You Must Own!". RockListMusic. Retrieved 2008-08-04.