Drip Drip Drip
| "Drip Drip Drip" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Chumbawamba | ||||
| from the album Tubthumper | ||||
| B-side | "Drip Drip Drip (album version)" | |||
| Released | June 1998 | |||
| Format | CD single,[1] cassette single[2] | |||
| Genre | Pop rock, electropop[3] | |||
| Length |
3:57 (album version) 3:43 (single edit) | |||
| Label |
EMI (UK) Universal (US) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Chumbawamba | |||
| Producer(s) | Chumbawamba, Neil Ferguson[4] | |||
| Chumbawamba singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Drip Drip Drip" (sometimes stylised as "Drip, Drip, Drip") is a song by British alternative band Chumbawamba, from their eighth studio album, Tubthumper.[5] In the spirit of their oft-politicized lyrics, the song discusses slumlords and the injustice faced by tenants; the song can also be viewed as a metaphor for politicians' control and dishonesty.[6][7] It was the third and final single from the album.[5][2]
Lyrics and composition
"Drip Drip Drip" uses horns, synthesizers, and a moderately-slow drum as its primary instrumentation. The lyrics discuss slumlords and the unfairness behind wealth distribution and housing ownership. The song also contains wordplay, with lyrics such as "It's trickle-down theory, and it's coming to me" and "life's a whip-round and I've got the whip."[6] Allmusic classifies the song as "dreamy," "lively," "mechanical," "pulsing," and "striding;" they state that the song's themes are "everyday life," "relationships," and "politics/society."[3]
Release
The song was released as the third and final single from "Tubthumper" in the United States in June 1998, as a follow-up to "Amnesia," which had reached number 101 in the United States. A promotional CD single was made available, featuring the album version and the radio edit of the song.[1] The song was never officially released in the United Kingdom, and thus never charted there.[8]
Despite the failure of "Amnesia" on modern rock radio stations, Universal Records still released "Drip, Drip, Drip" to the stations; it received little play.[9]
Critical reception
The song was met with generally mixed to favorable reviews from music critics. Larry Flick of Billboard magazine called the song, which he thought "oozes with a political subtext," "clever," but felt the song didn't have what it took to be a hit and that the "instrumental energy doesn't always quite match the intensity of the vocals and chants."[2] The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music commented that the song, as well as "The Good Ship Lifestyle" and "Mary Mary", "lay(s) a strong bite in the lyric".[10]
Remix
The song was reworked on "The ABC's of Anarchism." The new version, titled "Smelly Water," discussed water pollution.[11]
References
- 1 2 "Chumbawamba – Drip Drip Drip". Discogs. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- 1 2 3 Flick, Larry. "Singles". Billboard. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- 1 2 "Chumbawamba Drip, Drip, Drip Composed by Chumbawamba". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ↑ "CHUMBAWAMBA - DRIP, DRIP, DRIP (translated)". Austrian Charts. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- 1 2 "Chumbawamba Tubthumper". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- 1 2 "Chumbawamba – Drip, Drip, Drip". SongMeanings. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ↑ "Tubthumper" album booklet
- ↑ "UK Albums Chart history". Official Singles. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
- ↑ Carter, Kevin; Coveney, Janine; Ross, Sean (April 18, 1998). "Radio, Labels Debate 'Ownership'". Billboard. 110 (16): 70–71. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music. Virgin. p. 89. ISBN 0753504278. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ↑ Wolk, Douglas (July 1999). "Review: The ABC's of Anarchism". CMJ New Music Monthly (71): 68. Retrieved 10 May 2017.