Ladykillers (song)

"Ladykillers"
Single by Lush
from the album Lovelife
Released	1996
Format	CD 7" 12"
Genre	Britpop new wave
Length	13:46
Label	4AD
Writer(s)	Miki Berenyi
Producer(s)	Pete Bartlett Lush
Lush singles chronology
"Single Girl" (1996) "Ladykillers" (1996) "500 (Shake Baby Shake)" (1996)

"Ladykillers" is a song by English alternative rock band Lush. It was released by 4AD in 1996 as the second single from the band's third studio album, Lovelife. Known for its feminist themes, the song became one of the band's bigger hits,^[1] peaking at No. 18 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.^[2]

Music

"Ladykillers" was described as a Britpop track^[3] and "a punky shot of Blondie-esque new wave".^[4] Lacking the reverb-indebted sound of the band's previous material, the track opened with "attention-seizing circular melody and spunky vocals" from lead vocalist Miki Berenyi.^[5] Some critics, including AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, claimed that it was influenced by "the direct, jagged pop of Elastica",^[6] but the band were annoyed by what Berenyi called "stupid Elastica comparisons".^[7]

Lyrics and critical receptions

Annie Zaleski of The A.V. Club regarded the song as one of the album's standouts, describing it as "a welcome antidote to Britpop’s masculine point of view". Zaleski further stated that the track is "a righteous feminist statement in which Lush reminds those with a Y chromosome that respecting women and treating them like smart, competent human beings is perhaps the best first step."^[4] Consequence of Sound critic Frank Mojica stated that Berenyi eviscerates "men with transparent agendas and dubious attitudes towards women everywhere with an infectiously sarcastic wit". He concluded: "It’s what would have been hyped as a girl power anthem had it been released a couple years later."^[5]

The track was featured on VH1's list of "Top 10 Britpop Tracks".^[3]

Music video

A music video for the song, directed by Mark Pellington, was released in 1996.^[8] It features the band performing the song, as well as footage of praying mantises decapitating one another.^[9]

Track listing

4AD CD Single (CD1)

1. "Ladykillers" – 3:14
2. "Matador" – 3:01
3. "Ex" – 3:14
4. "Dear Me (Miki's 8-track Home Demo)" – 3:06

4AD CD Single (CD2)

1. "Ladykillers" – 3:15
2. "Heavenly" – 2:53
3. "Carmen" – 3:19
4. "Plums And Oranges" – 6:19

4AD 7"

A1. "Ladykillers" – 3:14

A2. "I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend" (The Rubinoos cover) – 3:19

Personnel

Lush Lush – production Miki Berenyi – vocals, guitar Emma Anderson – guitar Phil King – bass guitar Chris Acland – drums

Technical personnel Pete Bartlett – production Paul Q. Kolderie – mixing, engineering Sean Slade – mixing, engineering Giles Hall – mixing, engineering Pete Bartlett – mixing, engineering Neil Simons – mixing

Chart performances

Chart (1996)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart[10]	22
US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks[2]	18

Referneces

1. Diver, Mike. "Lush - Lovelife". BBC. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
2. "Lush - Modern Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
3. Bradley, Megan. "Before One Direction: A Look Back on Britpop". VH1. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
4. Zaleski, Annie (20 January 2016). "Lush’s "Ladykillers" was a feminist antidote to Britpop’s dude overload". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
5. Mojica, Frank (28 April 2012). "Dusting ‘Em Off: Lush – Lovelife". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
6. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Lush - Lovelife". Allmusic. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
7. Gilbert, Pat. "'Record Collector' Magazine Article: Lush". Record Collector.
8. "Lush - Ladykillers". CMT. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
9. Hagemann, Nick (10 September 1996). "Everything and the Girl: Interview with Lush". The Michigan Journal 26 (3): 9.
10. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 333/4. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

External links

• "Ladykillers (song)" at Discogs (list of releases)