Lady Picture Show

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"Lady Picture Show"
"Lady Picture Show" cover
Single by Stone Temple Pilots
from the album Tiny Music...
B-side(s) "Art School Girl"
"And So I Know"
Released 1997
Format CD single
Recorded 1996
Genre Psychedelic Rock
Hard Rock
Length 4:06
Label Atlantic
Writer(s) Music: Robert DeLeo
Lyrics: Scott Weiland
  • # 1 U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks
  • # 3 U.S. Modern Rock Tracks
Producer(s) Brendan O'Brien
Stone Temple Pilots singles chronology
"Trippin' On a Hole in a Paper Heart"
(1996)
"Lady Picture Show"
(1996)
"Down"
(1999)
Tiny Music... track listing
"Big Bang Baby"
(Track 4)
"Lady Picture Show"
(Track 5)
"And So I Know"
(Track 6)

"Lady Picture Show" is a song written and composed by the hard rock band Stone Temple Pilots. It was the second single to be released on their third album; Tiny Music. This song continued the album's three peat- that is, the first three singles all debuted at #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
The song is known for it's striking resemblance to the pioneers of psychedelic rock, especially Beatles. It clearly bears resemblance to the style of music which was popular in the 60's. The song consists of a memorable opening riff, it's heavy use of bass, and the use of a concert bass drum during the main chorus. The album (and this song especially) demonstrated a milestone in STP's sound, for a large amount of jazz fusion and trip rock could be heard throughout the album. Scott Weiland's trademark low growl was replaced with a higher croon, and critics especially noted his vocal similarity to Paul McCartney of the Beatles. [1]

[edit] Lyrical Meaning

There are many disputes on the true meaning of the songs, but no reliable and true sources have been found. Many see the term "Lady Picture Show" as a representation of a woman in an abusive relationship, and as a result, cannot identify herself. She pretends to be someone who she is not, and the world does not realize how serious her life has been[2]. The lyrics

  • "Lady Picture Show, she hides behind the bedroom door"
  • "Let them believe" and
  • "She doesn't know her name"

makes the lyrical interpretation more plausible.

[edit] Music Video

A still from the "Lady Picture Show" video, showing Dean DeLeo's solo montage
A still from the "Lady Picture Show" video, showing Dean DeLeo's solo montage

The music video once again pays homage to the 60's- complete with artistic style, direction, and visual presentation. The video is presented as an old film; a noticeable feature is that the video is rendered nearly completely in black and white. Throughout the video, the band can be seen playing in a white room, with objects such as bubbles filling up the screen. Various shots of exotic dancers are seen dancing around the screen as well, along with shots of the band members playing. Scott Weiland performs his famous dance as well. During Dean DeLeo's notable solo, the screen turns into the fuzzy color structure which was a trademark of the sixties. The segment shows Dean playing in a colorful meadow, and then the video then fades back into black and white for the rest of the video.

Stone Temple Pilots
Scott Weiland | Dean DeLeo | Robert DeLeo | Eric Kretz
Discography
Studio albums: Core | Purple | Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop | No. 4 | Shangri-La Dee Da
Compilations: Thank You
Singles: "Sex Type Thing" | "Wicked Garden" | "Plush" | "Creep" | "Big Empty" | "Vasoline" | "Interstate Love Song" | "Unglued" | "Pretty Penny" | "Dancing Days" | "Big Bang Baby" | "Trippin' On a Hole in a Paper Heart" | "Lady Picture Show" | "Tumble In The Rough" | "Down" | "Sour Girl" | "No Way Out" | "Days of the Week" | "Hollywood Bitch" | "Revolution" | "All In The Suit That You Wear"
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