"50ft Queenie" is the third single by the English singer-songwriter

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...

, and the first from her second studio album '' Rid of Me''. It is performed by Harvey's trio, consisting of Harvey on vocals and guitar, Rob Ellis on drums and Steve Vaughan on bass. Released in April 1993, the song charted in the United Kingdom and was a Top 30 hit, but failed to chart in the United States. A promotional music video directed by

Maria Mochnacz Maria Mochnacz is a British photographer and music video director, best known for her collaborations with PJ Harvey. Life Mochnacz holds a degree in fine arts. She also attended a photography course in Weston-super-Mare. Notably, she does n ...

was also filmed.

Background and history

The song was recorded at

Pachyderm Studios Pachyderm Recording Studio is a residential music recording studio located in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, United States, 35.8 mi (57.6 km) southeast of Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. It is located in a secluded old-growth ...

with Steve Albini, who had previously produced albums for Pixies and The Breeders. Harvey praised Albini's work because she thought "the instruments on the album sound like they're breathing and real".

Track listing

All songs written by PJ Harvey. UK CD and European 12" single (Island Records, CID 538, 862 037–2 / 12IS 538, 862 037–1) # 50 ft Queenie – 2:26 # Reeling – 2:39 # Man-Size (demo) – 3:24 # Hook (demo) – 4:33 Tracks 1 and 2 recorded by Steve Albini. Tracks 3 and 4 recorded by PJ Harvey. The demo version of "Hook" later appeared on '' 4-Track Demos.'' UK 7" single (Island Records, IS 538, 862 037–7)PJ Harvey – 50ft Queenie (7")"
''discogs.com''. Retrieved from 30 April 2010. # 50 ft Queenie – 2:26 # Reeling – 2:39 # Man-Size (demo) – 3:24

Music video

Directed by

, the music video for the song shows PJ Harvey performing the song, with the small leopard skin coat as seen in the single's inlay artwork. The backdrop of the video reads "HEY I'M ONE BIG QUEEN". It was later used on ''

Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, ...

''.

Chart positions

References

{{authority control 1993 singles PJ Harvey songs Song recordings produced by Steve Albini Songs written by PJ Harvey 1993 songs Island Records singles