"Insomniac" is a song by the Britpop band Echobelly. It was released as a single in March 1994 and was included on the band's album, Everyone's Got One. The song, written by Sonya Madan and Glenn Johansson, is primarily about drug abuse.
| "Insomniac" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Echobelly | ||||
| from the album Everyone's Got One | ||||
| Released | March 1994 | |||
| Genre | Britpop | |||
| Length | 4:15 | |||
| Label | Fauve, Rhythm King | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Sonya Madan, Glenn Johansson | |||
| Echobelly singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
The single received positive critical reviews and peaked at #47 on the UK music charts. It was featured on the soundtrack for the film Dumb and Dumber.
Background
edit"Insomniac" was composed by band members Sonya Aurora Madan and Glenn Johansson.[1] It is based on a 4/4 alternating verse/chorus structure and may be a musical homage to one of Echobelly's major influences, Morrissey.[2]
Billboard wrote that the song is a "gentle warning of the dangers of snorting too much speed".[3] However, according to Britpop and the English Music Tradition, the song might be a "dig" at Britpop's cocaine-driven lifestyle at the time (which is highlighted by the lines "Whatever turned you on/You put it up your nose" and "No sleep at all/Carry me home").[2]
Release
edit"Insomniac" was released as a single in March 1994 with the b-side "Talent". It was then included as the seventh track of Echobelly's debut album, Everyone's Got One, which was released in August 1994.[4] The song was also included on the band's 2001 compilation album I Can't Imagine the World Without Me and their 2008 release The Best Of Echobelly.[4][5]
Critical reception
editThe single received positive reviews from music critics, who called it "stunning"[6] and "one of the best singles of 1994".[3] According to author John Harris, "Insomniac" was one of Echobelly's two best songs, along with "Bellyache".[7] Allmusic's Ned Raggett wrote that "at the band's best ... Madan grapples with personal politics and dreams full on -- "Insomniac" and "Close...But," with its pictures of relationships fracturing on all fronts and resolution to look beyond them for something better, make for entertaining blasts of inspiration."[8]
Morrissey praised the song in an interview, stating that it was, "in a sane world, an indisputable top five record. It is astonishing."[9]
Chart performance
edit"Insomniac" charted at #47 in the UK for the week ending on April 2, 1994. This was the single's only appearance on the music charts.[10]
In popular media
edit"Insomniac" was featured on the soundtrack for the film Dumb and Dumber.[11]
Music video
editThe song's music video features three performances by the band, with songwriter-vocalist Madan wearing three different outfits: black clothes and black make-up; a white Union Jack T-shirt; and a red sequined dress and blonde wig. The video "takes full advantage of Madan's dramatic presence",[12] and she dances in front of the camera for the duration of the song in the three contrasting outfits, before taking the wig off at the end.[13]
Track list
edit- "Insomniac" - 3.46
- "Centipede" - 4.03
- "Talent" - 2.07
- Tracks 2 & 3 were re-released on the expanded version of Everyone's Got One.
Charts
edit| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles[10] | 47 |
References
edit- ^ "Insomniac". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
- ^ a b Bennett, Andy and Stratton, Jon. Britpop and the English Music Tradition (Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2010), p. 67.
- ^ a b Sinclair, David. "Global Music Pulse". Billboard, Oct 14, 1995, p. 53.
- ^ a b c Strong, Martin Charles. The Great Rock Discography (The National Academies, 2002).
- ^ "The Best of Echobelly". Amazon UK.
- ^ Robbins, Ira A. The Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock (Simon & Schuster, 1997), p. 228.
- ^ Harris, John. Britpop! (Da Capo Press, 2004), p. 396.
- ^ Raggett, Ned. "Everybody's Got One - Echobelly". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
- ^ Woods, Paul A. (1 October 2017). Morrissey In Conversation: The Essential Interviews. Plexus Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85965-874-4.
- ^ a b "Official Charts Company - Echobelly - Insomniac". OfficialCharts.com. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
- ^ Cronin, Peter. "Brits Around the World". Billboard, Feb 18, 1995, p. 52.
- ^ Bennett, p. 66.
- ^ "ECHOBELLY 'Insomniac'". youtube.com, September 11, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
- ^ "Echobelly – Insomniac (1994, CD)". Discogs.