Peaches (Presidents of the United States of America song)
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| “Peaches” | |||||
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| Single by The Presidents of the United States of America from the album The Presidents of the United States of America |
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| Released | February 27, 1996 | ||||
| Format | CD single | ||||
| Genre | Alternative rock, Pop-Rock | ||||
| Length | 2:51 | ||||
| Label | Sony | ||||
| Producer | Conrad Uno | ||||
| The Presidents of the United States of America singles chronology | |||||
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"Peaches" is a single by the pop rock band The Presidents of the United States of America. The "hook-filled" song about eating peaches from a can was the second single from their self-titled album, and reached #8 on the United States Billboard Modern Rock Charts.[1]
The band members have acknowledged that they borrowed riffs for this song from Bad Company's "Making Love".[2]
"Peaches" was nominated for a pop performance Grammy.[3]
"Peaches'" opening riffs (although played in reverse) and the repeated lines "Yeah, Yeah!" and "Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me; Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Free" were heavily sampled in the Lemon Jelly dance track "The Fruity Track".
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- "Peaches"
- "Candy Cigarette"
- "Carolyn's Booty"
- "Confusion"
- "Wake Up"
[edit] Meaning
The meaning for "Peaches" has been argued over for years. One theory is that the song is a metaphor for sex. For example, the lyrics go, "Put my finger down inside/Make a little room for a man to hide." The second theory, which is accepted by the band itself, is that the song is just about peaches. In fact, Chris Ballew has stated that he wrote it about a girl he once had a crush on, and her peach tree.[4] The final, and considerably more radical, theory, which began circulating on the internet in late 2006, states that the entire song is a subliminal propaganda message about Marxism.[5] For example, the lyrics say, "Peaches come from a can/They were put their by a man/In a factory downtown," which as some have said is about the separation between humanity and food created by the industrial capitalist system. However, this theory has refuted by the band, but they have admitted to being amused by it. In fact, Dave Dederer once stated: "I did read [about the theory] - someone printed it out and handed it to me at a show. I used to study critical theory, so I could see where they were coming from. How about more...feminist? deconstructionist? formalist? neo-marxist? Jungian? Freudian?"[5]
[edit] Music video
The music video of "Peaches" features The Presidents of the United States of America in a bushy area with peach trees (cans of peaches are growing in the trees). The video is set in autumn. While the band plays their song, they are attacked by ninjas who try to capture them. The ninjas battle with the band members until the band members are finally able to defeat them at the end of the video.
[edit] Parodies
"Peaches" was parodied in a Bill Nye the Science Guy video. The 'new' song was called "Farm Food" and featured Chris Ballew playing the song on his basitar.
[edit] Cultural References
- In the episode of King of the Hill, Keeping Up With Our Joneses, somebody asks Hank about peaches, thinking they mean a song, he says he thinks he can fake his way through it, picks up his guitar and sings, "Movin' to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches."
[edit] Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Debut date | Peak | Peak date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Modern Rock Tracks (US) | February 3, 1996 | #8 | March 16, 1996 |
| 1996 | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) | February 24, 1996 | #24 | March 16, 1996 |
| 1996 | Billboard Hot 100 (US) | March 9, 1996 | #29 | April 13, 1996 |
| 1996 | Top 40 Mainstream Tracks (US) | March 2, 1996 | #23 | April 6, 1996 |
| 1996 | Official UK Singles chart | #8 |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Stovall, Natasha: "UP AND COMING: The Presidents of the United States of America; At Home in Seattle, Cheerfully Singing Against the Current", The New York Times, April 21, 1996.
- ^ Strauss, Neil: "Simpicity and Also Crunch", The New York Times, November 21, 1995.
- ^ "ALBUMS, SOUNDTRACKS: PRESIDENTS ON THE RECORD", The Seattle Times, January 30, 1998.
- ^ VH1: "Greatest Songs of the 90's", December 2007
- ^ a b A Marxist Interpretation of "Peaches" by the Presidents of The United States of America
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