Female of the Species

"Female of the Species" is a song by the English rock band Space, released as their fourth single, and second single proper from their debut album Spiders on 27 May 1996, reaching number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and earning a Silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry in October 2019. It became the band's only charting single in both the United States and Canada.

"Female of the Species"
Single by Space
from the album Spiders
B-side
  • "Looney Tune"
  • "Give Me Something"
Released27 May 1996
Recorded1995–1996
Length3:19
LabelGut Records
Songwriter(s)James Fagan, Franny Griffiths, Andy Parle, Tommy Scott
Producer(s)Stephen Lironi
Space singles chronology
"Neighbourhood"
(1996)		 "Female of the Species"
(1996)		 "Me and You Versus the World"
(1996)

About the song

Written and sung by frontman Tommy Scott in tribute to his late father, who reportedly disliked his son's taste of music, "Female of the Species" is a funky, upbeat, Latin-flavoured number with feel-good-sounding vibes and vocals, reminiscent of lounge singers such as Perry Como and Frank Sinatra, combined with keyboardist Franny Griffiths' trademark sound effects and Scott's darkly humorous lyrics. The song borrows to some extent, both thematically and in overall aesthetic, from The Walker Brothers' theme song for the 1967 film Deadlier Than the Male. When the song was performed at later concerts, Scott usually walked into the audience to shake them by the hand.

The song's distinctive style and lyrics led to it being used in TV and film. It was the theme song to the UK drama Cold Feet and appeared in the 1997 film The Matchmaker starring Janeane Garofalo, as well as during the end credits of the popular movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (in the so-called 'Fembot Mix', available on the Original Soundtrack), and in the Daria episode "College Bored". It gained further popularity in the UK when used in a 1998 advert (with a cameo appearance by Quentin Crisp) for the body spray "Impulse".

The song's name is a reference to the 1911 Rudyard Kipling poem "The Female of the Species", which has as its refrain: "The female of the species is more deadly than the male."

Chart performance

"Female of the Species" debuted at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart on 2 June 1996 and reached its peak of number 14 the following week.[1] On 11 October 2019, the song was awarded a Silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry for sales and streams of over 200,000.[2] It was the band's only entry on any music chart in the United States and Canada when it peaked at number 15 on the US Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart,[3] number four on the Canadian RPM Alternative 30 chart,[4] and number 68 on the RPM Top Singles chart.[5] In Australia, "Female of the Species" entered the ARIA Singles Chart on 11 May 1997, peaking at number 80 in June.[6]

Track listing
CD
No.TitleLength
1."Female of the Species" 
2."Looney Tune" 
3."Give Me Something" 
4."Female of the Species" (Instrumental) 
12"
No.TitleLength
1."Female of the Species" (D'Still'd Remix) 
2."Female of the Species" (Radio Edit) 
3."Female of the Species" (Full On Remix) 
4."Give Me Something" 

Charts and certifications

References
  1. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  2. "British single certifications – Space – Female of the Species". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  3. "Space Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  4. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3175." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  5. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3196." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  6. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  7. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  8. "Space Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  9. "RPM '97 Year End Top 50 Ae Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  10. "Top 100 Singles 1996". Music Week. 18 January 1997. p. 25.
  11. "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1996 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
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