| "Under the God" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Tin Machine | ||||
| from the album Tin Machine | ||||
| B-side | " Sacrifice Yourself" | |||
| Released | June 1989 | |||
| Recorded |
Montreux;
Nassau, August 1988 - early 1989 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 4:06 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriter(s) | David Bowie | |||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Tin Machine singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Under the God" is the first official single released by Anglo-American hard rock band Tin Machine, taken from their eponymous debut album in June 1989.
Song information
"Under the God", which came from a demo originally called "Night Train", was a song that excoriated Neo-Nazism. [1]
Although " Heaven's in Here" was actually the album's first single, it was only released promotionally, which made "Under the God" the first official single, released after the album was already available. [2]
Critical reception
Jerry Smith, reviewer of British music newspaper Music Week, reviewed the single positively, saying that it reminds him of Bowie's " Panic in Detroit" and expressed the assurance that it "should ignite the charts". [3]
Music video
The band elected not to create music videos for the album's singles, and instead created a 13-track megamix video for the entire album. The video, directed by Julien Temple, presented edits of each song in vignette form, and included "Under the God" masqueraded as a performance, with the audience storming the stage. [4]
Live performances
"Under the God" was performed live on both the 1989 Tin Machine Tour and 1991-92's It's My Life Tour. A live performance of the song, recorded in Sapporo, Japan in 1992, was included on the live album Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby (1992).
Track listing
- 7" version
- "Under the God" (Bowie) – 4:06
- " Sacrifice Yourself" (Bowie, Sales, Sales) – 2:08
- 10"/12"/CD version
- "Under the God" (Bowie) – 4:06
- "Sacrifice Yourself" (Bowie, Sales, Sales) – 2:08
- "The Interview" (An interview with the band) – 12:23
Credits and personnel
Producers
Musicians
- David Bowie – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Reeves Gabrels – lead guitar
- Hunt Sales – drums, backing vocals
- Tony Sales – bass guitar, backing vocals
Chart performance
| Chart (1989) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart [5] | 97 |
| UK Singles Chart [6] | 51 |
| US Billboard Alternative Songs [7] | 4 |
| US Mainstream Rock [8] | 8 |
References
- ^ O'Leary, Chris (2019). Ashes to Ashes The Songs of David Bowie 1976–2016. Repeater Books. ISBN 9781912248308.
- ^ Pegg, Nicholas (October 2016). "The Complete David Bowie New Edition: Expanded and Updated". Titan Books.
- ^ Smith, Jerry (24 June 1989). "Review: Tin Machine – Under the God" (PDF). Music Week. London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 25. ISSN 0265-1548. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ McLennan, Scott (3 June 2019). "David Bowie & I: Socks, Sax & Sex Shops". Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ Scott, Gavin. "This Week In 1989: July 30, 1989". chartbeats.com.au. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ "Official Charts > Tin Machine". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/artist/tin-machine/chart-history/alternative-songs
- ^ "Album Search for "tin machine"". AllMusic.
Notes
- Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5
