Glycerine is a song by English rock band Bush. It was released on November 14, 1995 as the fourth single from their debut album, Sixteen Stone. Following the album’s third single, “Comedown”, Glycerine shared equal success. Like “Comedown“, it reached number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart for two weeks, in December 1995. It is also the band’s biggest pop hit to date, peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 24, 1996. The song won the Viewer’s Choice Award at the 1996 MTV Music Video Awards. The song was voted number 5 on the Australian annual music poll Triple J Hottest 100 in 1996. Gavin Rossdale wrote the song about his then-girlfriend, Suze DeMarchi as stated in an interview with Howard Stern. He wrote it in his London flat, feeling that there was an ancient, mystical element to the song as it was coming together. He told Entertainment Weekly in 2017 that
“I was like a conduit. Something about it was bigger than anything we were doing.”
The single includes a previously unreleased B-side, “Solomon’s Bones”, which was recorded on November 7, 1995 at River Studios, London and engineered by Joel Monger.
The music video for Glycerine was shot in a very short time period when the band was on tour in the United States. The video was shot so quickly because the band’s visas had expired. Though simple and unadorned, the video was highly acclaimed and won several awards, including the MTV Video Music Award – Viewer’s Choice as well nominated for Best Alternative Video at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards. The music video was directed by Kevin Kerslake and shot in Atlanta, Georgia on October 2, 1995.
Tracklist:
- Glycerine
- Solomon’s Bones
- Alien (LP Version)
Bush
Gavin Rossdale: lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Nigel Pulsford: lead guitar, backing vocals
Dave Parsons: bass
Robin Goodridge: drums
