Female of the Species

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"Female of the Species"

Single by Space
from the album Spiders
Released	May 27, 1996
Format	CD, 12"
Recorded	1995-1996
Genre	Rock
Length	3:19
Label	Gut Records
Producer(s)	Stephen Lironi
Chart positions
#14 (UK)
Space singles chronology
"Neighbourhood" (1996)	"Female of the Species" (1996)	"Me and You Versus the World" (1996)
Spiders track listing
"Mister Psycho" (2)	"Female of the Species" (3)	"Money" (4)

"Female of the Species" is a song by Space, released as the band's fourth single and second single proper from their debut album Spiders on May 27, 1996, making #14 in the UK charts. A live staple since pre-Spiders concerts, it is likely their most well-known/signature song, as it has brought them to critical and commercial attention.

[edit] About the song

Written and sung by frontman Tommy Scott in tribute to his late father, who was reported to dislike 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 dark humoured lyrics. When the song was performed at later concerts, Scott usually walks into the audience and shakes the front concert-goers by the hand.

In 1997, "Female of the Species" earned Space their only appearance on college radio in America. The song was also used as an opening theme to the UK drama Cold Feet. In addition, it was used during the end credits of the popular movie "Austin Powers".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."