Bull in the Heather is a song by Sonic Youth from their eighth studio album, Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star (1994). It was released to radio as the lead single from the album on April 19, 1994, by Geffen Records.
The song was written collectively by Sonic Youth, and production was done by Butch Vig. According to band member Kim Gordon, the song is about “using passiveness as a form of rebellion.”
The single featured an outtake, “Razor Blade”, and an alternate version of “Doctor’s Orders” as B-sides. Singer and bassist Kim Gordon explained that the song is about:
“Using passiveness as a form of rebellion—like, I’m not going to participate in your male-dominated culture, so I’m just going to be passive”.
The song’s title is a reference to the race horse Bull Inthe Heather, who won the Florida Derby in 1993.
In the United States, Bull in the Heather debuted at number 29 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart for the issue dated May 28, 1994. The song reached a peak of number 13 for the issue dated June 18, 1994, spending a total of eight weeks on the chart. The song became Sonic Youth‘s highest charting song in the United Kingdom, reaching a peak of number 24 on the UK Singles Chart for the issue dated May 7, 1994. The song spent a total of five weeks on the chart. In Australia, the song reached a peak position of number 90 on the ARIA Charts.
Tracklist:
- Bull In The Heather (LP Version)
- Razor Blade (Previously Unreleased)
- Doctor’s Orders (T-Vox Version)
The music video was directed by Tamra Davis and produced by Kris Krengle. Filmed in Los Angeles, the video features Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna dancing and occasionally interacting with the band members, particularly guitarist Thurston Moore; she accidentally gave Moore a bloody lip during filming. Also featured are a young couple hanging out in a semi-wooded field and stock footage of horses racing.
The scenes of Moore and Lee Ranaldo jumping around on a bed were inspired by a photo of Moore when he was younger. At the time of the video, bassist Kim Gordon was five months pregnant.
Sonic Youth
Thurston Moore: guitar
Kim Gordon: vocals, bass
Lee Ranaldo: guitar
Steve Shelley: drums, percussion
Technical
Butch Vig: recording, mixing, production
John Siket: engineering
Howie Weinberg: mastering
Bil Emmons: technician
Devin Emke: technician
Ed Raso: technician
Fred Kevorkian: technician
Ollie Cotton: technician
Walter Sear: technician
