Bittersweet (Hoodoo Gurus song)
| "Bittersweet" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Hoodoo Gurus | ||||
| from the album Mars Needs Guitars! | ||||
| B-side | "Mars Needs Guitars" | |||
| Released | June 1985 | |||
| Genre | Rock[1] | |||
| Length | 3:46 | |||
| Label | Big Time | |||
| Songwriter | Dave Faulkner | |||
| Producer | Charles Fisher | |||
| Hoodoo Gurus singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Bittersweet" is a song by Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus. It was written by Dave Faulkner,[2] released in June 1985 as the lead single from the group's second studio album, Mars Needs Guitars! It peaked at number 16 in Australia.
Composition
In 2000, Dave Faulkner said: "I vowed to myself that I would write less comic narratives and try to express my sentiments in a more forthright way. I feel I succeeded with 'Bittersweet' though at the time I didn't think that a) the band would want to play it and b) our audience would want to hear it. I was happily wrong on both counts."[3] He later added, "So when I got them to rehearse it, it sounded perfect, of course. But, in my imagination, I thought, 'This sounds so different to anything we've been doing and no one's gonna like this' – it’s not the bright, jolly, cartoon stuff that we’d sort of been known for."[4]
Track listings
- 7" single (BTS1503)
- "Bittersweet" (Dave Faulkner) — 3:46
- "Mars Needs Guitars" (James Baker, Clyde Bramley, Faulkner, Mark Kingsmill and Brad Shepherd)[2] — 2:51
Personnel
Credited to:
- James Baker — drums
- Clyde Bramley — bass, backing vocals
- Dave Faulkner — lead vocals (track A), guitar
- Mark Kingsmill — drums, cymbals
- Brad Shepherd — guitar, lead vocals (track B), harmonica
- Producer — Charles Fisher
- Engineer — John Bee
- Mastering — Don Bartley
Charts
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian (Kent Music Report)[5] | 16 |
Cover versions & others
Courtney Love provided lead vocals for her band Hole's version of "Bittersweet" with Brad Shepard playing guitar and contributing backing vocals at Hole's 1999 Big Day Out performance.[6]
References
- ↑ Breihan, Tom (October 18, 2023). "The Alternative Number Ones: Hoodoo Gurus' "Come Anytime". Stereogum. Retrieved May 9, 2026. (Subscription required.)
- 1 2 "Australasian Performing Right Association". APRA. Archived from the original on 2008-05-05. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
- ↑ Faulkner, Dave (June 2000). "Pop and punishment". juliat. Archived from the original on 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
- ↑ Bryget Chrisfield. "'People Say We're a Great Singles Band!': Dave Faulkner Takes Us Through 45 Years of Hoodoo Gurus". Rolling Stone Australia.
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 141. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ↑ "Discogs entry on Bittersweet (unofficial Hole album)". discogs.com. Retrieved 2008-01-21.