"Race for the Prize" (subtitled "Sacrifice of the New Scientists"), is a song by

The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (k ...

, released as the first single taken from their 1999 album ''

The Soft Bulletin ''The Soft Bulletin'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released by Warner Bros. Records on May 17, 1999, in the United Kingdom, and on June 22, 1999, in the United States. The album was released to widespread acc ...

'', and reaching #39 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

as the highest-charting single from the album. In 2010

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

included the song at number 30 on their ''Top 200 Tracks of the 90s''. The song is also played live frequently, and is usually featured as a set opener for many of their concerts.

Single release

The single, released in 1999, was the album's highest charting single, reaching the top 40 at #39. The b-side of the UK release featured material previously featured in Flaming Lips U.S. releases. The single's b-sides both featured in the Japanese and UK single releases, "Riding to Work in the Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now)" and "Thirty-Five Thousand Feet of Despair" later appeared in CD5 of the U.S. release of the album's subsequent single "

Waitin' for a Superman "Waitin' for a Superman" (subtitled "Is It Gettin' Heavy??" for the song's U.S. album release) is a song by The Flaming Lips, released as the second single taken from their 1999 album '' The Soft Bulletin'', and reaching No. 73 in the UK Singles ...

Track listing

;UK CD 1 # "Race for the Prize" # "Riding to Work in the Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now)" (From ''

Zaireeka ''Zaireeka'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band The Flaming Lips, released on October 28, 1997, by Warner Bros. Records. The album consists of four CDs designed so that when played simultaneously on four separate audio systems, they ...

'' CD No.1) # "Thirty-Five Thousand Feet of Despair" (From ''Zaireeka'' CD No.1) ;UK CD2 # "Race for the Prize" # "Riding to Work in the Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now)" (From ''Zaireeka'' CD No.2) # "Thirty-Five Thousand Feet of Despair" (From ''Zaireeka'' CD No.2) ;Japan CD # "Race for the Prize" # "Race For the Prize" (Remix) # "Riding to Work in the Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now)" (Stereo remix) # "Thirty-Five Thousand Feet of Despair" (Stereo remix) # "The Big Ol' Bug Is the New Baby Now" (Stereo remix)

Chart positions

Oklahoma City Thunder fight song

In 2012, the band rewrote some of the lyrics to the song to make a fight song for their hometown NBA team: the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. The new song is called "Thunder Up: Race for the Prize." The Thunder played in the NBA Finals that year.The Flaming Lips Rewrite "Race For the Prize" for the Oklahoma City Thunder
/ref>

References

1999 singles The Flaming Lips songs Oklahoma City Thunder 1999 songs Warner Records singles Songs written by Michael Ivins Songs written by Steven Drozd Songs written by Wayne Coyne {{2000s-rock-song-stub