We Are the Pigs

"We Are the Pigs"
Single by Suede
from the album Dog Man Star
B-side	"Killing of a Flash Boy"
Released	12 September 1994
Format	CD, Vinyl record (7", 12")
Recorded	1994
Genre	Britpop
Length	4:19
Label	Nude
Songwriter(s)	Brett Anderson, Bernard Butler
Producer(s)	Ed Buller
Suede singles chronology
"Stay Together" (1994) "We Are the Pigs" (1994) "The Wild Ones" (1994)
"Stay Together" (1994) "We Are the Pigs" (1994) "The Wild Ones" (1994)

"We Are the Pigs" is the first single from the album Dog Man Star by Suede, released on 12 September 1994, on Nude Records. The single announced the darker tone that the band had taken for Dog Man Star, that contrasted heavily with their debut. The challenging sound on the single was not characteristic of the popular Britpop bands of the time. That along with the departure of guitarist Bernard Butler during its release, contributed to its relatively poor charting, although still managing a #18 peak.^[1]

The video, directed by David and Raphael Vital-Durand, features a grim, Nineteen Eighty-Four-like setting. It was initially banned by some TV stations including MTV for being too violent. The video features car burnings, cross burnings, and various violence to humans. Also notable, the video features the video debut of new guitarist Richard Oakes.

Pitchfork placed "We Are the Pigs" at #169 on their list of the Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s.^[2]

The b-side "Killing of a Flash Boy" also became a staple of Suede's live set list and became one of their most popular songs. It is also available on the B-sides album Sci-Fi Lullabies. In 2014, NME ranked the song at number 364 in its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.^[3]

Track listings

All songs written by Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler.

7" Vinyl, Cassette

1. "We Are the Pigs"
2. "Killing of a Flashboy"

12" Vinyl, CD

1. "We Are the Pigs"
2. "Killing of a Flash Boy"
3. "Whipsnade"

References