"Republican Party Reptile" is a song by Scottish rock band

Big Country Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1981. The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although it has retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music incorporated Scot ...

, released by

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

in 1991 as an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

from their fifth studio album '' No Place Like Home''. It was written by

Stuart Adamson William Stuart Adamson (11 April 1958 – 16 December 2001) was a Scottish rock guitarist and singer. Adamson began his career in the late 1970s as a founding member and performer with the punk rock band Skids. After leaving Skids in 1981, he ...

and Bruce Watson, and produced by Pat Moran. The "Republican Party Reptile" EP reached No. 37 in the UK and remained in the charts for two weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the EP.

P. J. O'Rourke Patrick Jake O'Rourke (November 14, 1947 – February 15, 2022) was an American libertarian political satirist and journalist. O'Rourke was the H. L. Mencken Research Fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute and a regular correspondent for ''Th ...

's 1987 essay collection, '' Republican Party Reptile'', served as inspiration for the song and O'Rourke is mentioned by name in the song's first verse.

Background

The song is named after a collection of essays ('' Republican Party Reptile'') published in 1987 by

. In a 1991 interview for the Big Country fanzine ''Inwards'', Stuart Adamson described the song as being about politicians: "Here it would be a Northern politician, the bitter-drinking, baby-kissing fat guy with the Burton suit that's always creased when he stands up on the telly! In America it would be one of those Republican guys going around with a big ten-gallon hat on and wearing a poly-viscose suit and tan loafers. It's just about one of those characters really, a corrupt politician." "Republican Party Reptile" was the first Big Country track that Watson contributed some lyrics to, rather than just music. He wrote the lyrics of the song's chorus.

Critical reception

Upon its release, Steve Stewart of the ''

Aberdeen Press and Journal ''The Press and Journal'' is a daily regional newspaper serving northern and highland Scotland including the cities of Aberdeen and Inverness. Established in 1747, it is Scotland's oldest daily newspaper, and one of the longest-running newspap ...

'' commented, "Gone are the wimpy keyboard overlays of the '' Peace in Our Time'' phase, and back are the grating guitars of '' The Crossing'' and ''

Steeltown ''Steeltown'' is the second studio album by Scottish band Big Country. The album was recorded at ABBA's Polar Studios in Stockholm with Steve Lillywhite producing. It was released on 19 October 1984, in the UK and 29 October 1984, in the Uni ...

''. This four-track offering still has a sound all its own and a slightly different vocal style from Adamson." Steven Wells of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' stated, "I'm never going to play this again but it be a very

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...

-esque and sardonic number about wanting to make touchyfeelylickylicky with a Tory. Curious." Ian Gittins of ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' wrote, "In which the caber-tossing, girder monsters attempt their '

Subterranean Homesick Blues "Subterranean Homesick Blues" is a song by Bob Dylan, recorded on January 14, 1965, and released as a single by Columbia Records, catalogue number 43242, on March 8. It was the lead track on the album ''Bringing It All Back Home'', released some ...

' and rail against all things right-wing. As you'd expect, it shimmers rather less than does

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

. Adamson may leave us in no doubt he's voting Labour, but does this labour." In a review of ''No Place Like Home'', Tom Demalon of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

noted that the song "sounds like the band had picked up a few tricks from one-time support act

the Cult The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury's ...

Track listing

;7" single #"Republican Party Reptile" - 3:54 #"Comes a Time" - 3:53 #"You, Me and the Truth" - 4:20 ;12" single #"Republican Party Reptile" - 3:54 #"Freedom Song" - 4:31 #"Kiss the Girl Goodbye" - 5:12 #"I'm Only Waiting" - 4:36 ;CD single #"Republican Party Reptile" - 3:54 #"Freedom Song" - 4:31 #"Kiss the Girl Goodbye" - 5:12 #"I'm Only Waiting" - 4:36

Personnel

Big Country *

- vocals, guitar * Bruce Watson - guitar * Tony Butler - bass Additional musicians * Mark Brzezicki - drums * Katie Kissoon, Carol Kenyon - backing vocals Production * Pat Moran - producer and engineer (all tracks except "I'm Only Waiting") * Big Country - producers of "I'm Only Waiting" Other * Zarkowski Designs - sleeve design, artwork

Charts

References

{{Big Country 1991 songs 1991 EPs Big Country songs Songs written by Stuart Adamson Vertigo Records EPs