Slither (song)
| "Slither" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
Single by Velvet Revolver | ||||
| from the album Contraband | ||||
| Released | May 24, 2004 | |||
| Format | CD single, 12" picture disc | |||
| Recorded | August–December 2003 at NRG and Pulse Recording, Los Angeles, California | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 4:08 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Scott Weiland, Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum, Dave Kushner | |||
| Producer(s) | Josh Abraham | |||
Velvet Revolver singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio sample | ||||
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"Slither" is a song by American hard rock band Velvet Revolver, featured on their 2004 debut album Contraband. When it was released as the second single from the album in 2004, "Slither" topped both the American Billboard Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts, as well as reaching number 56 on the main Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 35 on the UK Singles Chart.[1] The song won the 2005 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.
Contents
1 Composition
2 Chart performance
3 Music Video
4 Success and awards
5 Other appearances
6 Track listings
7 Personnel
8 References
9 External links
Composition
In a November 2014 interview with Songfacts, Scott Weiland said, "The lyrics are about a relationship. 'When you look you see right through me, cut the rope, fell to my knees, born and broken every single time.' It's just feeling not right in a situation."[2]
Chart performance
The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and stayed there for 9 weeks. It also became their sole No. 1 hit on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, maintaining the position for 4 weeks. "Slither" also charted at No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Velvet Revolver's highest charting song and one of the highest charting songs that Scott Weiland has appeared on.
| Chart (2004) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
Billboard Hot 100 | 56 |
Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 1 |
Irish Singles Chart[1] | 47 |
UK Singles Chart | 35 |
Music Video
The video was filmed in Prague, Czech Republic and Los Angeles. It starts with the band members playing their instruments inside a tunnel while a woman is driving a car seeking for the way to get to that tunnel. As the song continues, people become much more aggressive and the underground concert reaches a peak as band members play hard. Often in the video, Scott Weiland is seen standing before a wall made of human skulls.
Success and awards
Most famous for its instantly recognizable opening bass riff and its unmistakable guitar riff, it is arguably the band's signature song, and was frequently the closer to their shows. It was awarded a Grammy in 2005 for Best Hard Rock Performance, an award Weiland had won with his previous band, Stone Temple Pilots, for the song "Plush" in 1994. In 2009, the song was named the 85th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.[3]
Other appearances
- In 2005, professional wrestler B.J. Whitmer used the song as his entrance theme in Ring of Honor.
- In 2006, "Weird Al" Yankovic sampled a part of "Slither" for his song "Polkarama" on the album Straight Outta Lynwood.
- In 2007, the song was used in a Victoria's Secret advertising campaign.
- The song appears in the commercial for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. The song was available in a Velvet Revolver download pack for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Slash played the song in his tours with vocalist Myles Kennedy and the band The Conspirators. Recordings include the Live in Manchester and Made in Stoke 24/7/11 live albums.
Guns N' Roses, with Slash and Duff, performed the song in 2018 during the Not in This Lifetime... Tour.
Track listings
| European 2-track edition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Slither" | Scott Weiland, Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum, Dave Kushner | 4:08 |
| 2. | "Negative Creep" (Nirvana cover) | Kurt Cobain | 4:17 |
| European 3-track edition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Slither" | Weiland, Slash, McKagan, Sorum, Kushner | 4:08 |
| 2. | "Bodies" (live Sex Pistols cover) | John Lydon, Steve Jones, Paul Cook | 3:19 |
| 3. | "Negative Creep" (Nirvana cover) | Cobain | 4:17 |
| United Kingdom double CD edition (disc one) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Slither" | Weiland, Slash, McKagan, Sorum, Kushner | 4:08 |
| 2. | "Bodies" (live Sex Pistols cover) | Lydon, Jones, Cook | 3:19 |
| 3. | "Negative Creep" (Nirvana cover) | Cobain | 4:17 |
| United Kingdom double CD edition (disc two) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Slither" | Weiland, Slash, McKagan, Sorum, Kushner | 4:08 |
| 2. | "Money" (Pink Floyd cover) | Roger Waters, David Gilmour | 7:38 |
| 3. | "Set Me Free" (live) | Weiland, Slash, McKagan, Sorum, Kushner | 7:11 |
| United Kingdom 12" picture disc (side A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Slither" | Weiland, Slash, McKagan, Sorum, Kushner | 4:08 |
| United Kingdom 12" picture disc (side B) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Set Me Free" | Weiland, Slash, McKagan, Sorum, Kushner | 4:07 |
Personnel
Scott Weiland – lead vocals
Slash – lead guitar
Duff McKagan – bass, backing vocals
Matt Sorum – drums
Dave Kushner – rhythm guitar
References
^ UK Singles Chart info Chartstats.com. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
^ "Scott Weiland: Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts. Retrieved January 31, 2018..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
^ "spreadit.org music". Retrieved February 5, 2009.
External links
"Slither" Official music video on YouTube
