"Seether" is a 1994 single by American

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band

Veruca Salt Veruca Salt is an American alternative rock band founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1992 by vocalist-guitarists Nina Gordon and Louise Post, drummer Jim Shapiro and bassist Steve Lack. They are best known for their first single, " Seether", that ...

Background

The song was written by Veruca Salt singer-guitarist

Nina Gordon Nina Rachel Gordon Shapiro (born November 14, 1967), known as Nina Gordon, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She co-founded the alternative rock band Veruca Salt and played on their first two studio albums, ''American Thighs'' ( ...

. "Seether" was more pop-sounding compared to the rest of the band's material. In a 1994 interview with

Much Music Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. MuchMusic launched on August 31, ...

, an interviewer suggested that "Seether" could either be about female "animalistic instincts" or bouts of rage. Gordon agreed that her songs' meanings often changed during and after the writing process. "You write a song, think it's about one thing for five minutes....and discover that it's about many different things and working on many different levels." In Veruca Salt's 1997 hit single "Volcano Girls," the seether was identified as "Louise," which presumably refers to Veruca Salt singer-guitarist Louise Pos

Release

Veruca Salt recorded the song in early 1994, with production by

Brad Wood Brad Wood is an American record producer located in Los Angeles. He has produced many albums, including Liz Phair's ''Exile in Guyville'' and Placebo's debut. Career Wood is from Rockford, Illinois, United States. In 1988, Wood, along with ...

. They then released "Seether"/"All Hail Me" as their debut single on the independent label

Minty Fresh Minty Fresh is a Chicago-based record label, founded in 1993 by Jim Powers with Anthony Musiala. The label is known for launching the careers of Veruca Salt. They also gave the Swedish band The Cardigans their first US release and released the d ...

. "Seether" quickly became popular on college and alternative radio stations.Erlewine, Stephen Thomas
"Veruca Salt"
allmusic.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.Caro, Mark

chicagotribune.com. July 3, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2020. Its success led the band to record and release their debut album ''

American Thighs ''American Thighs'' is the 1994 debut studio album by American alternative rock band Veruca Salt. The album features the hit single " Seether" and received positive critical reviews. Background and release Singer-guitarists Nina Gordon and Louis ...

'', which included "Seether", later that year. Shortly thereafter, the band signed with the major label

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

, which re-released the album. "Seether" peaked at number 8 on the ''Billboard''

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart, became a hit on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, and launched the band into fame.

Legacy and Reception

In 1994, the song was number 3 in British Radio One DJ

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

Festive Fifty The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's 50 (though the exact figure varied above and below this number) best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. It was usually do ...

. In a 2014 retrospective, music magazine '' Paste'' listed "Seether" at number 10 on their list of the 50 greatest grunge songs of all time. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' called it, "bubblegrunge at its finest, all guitar fuzz and pop stickiness and crackling angst animating a personification of anger that just can't be leashed. "I try to cram her back in my mouth," co-frontwoman Nina Gordon sings in the verse, but she didn’t really try that hard.

Music video

The video features band members Nina Gordon,

Louise Post Louise Lightner Post (born December 7, 1966) is an American musician. She is best known for being a vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band Veruca Salt, which she co-founded with Nina Gordon in 1993. Early life Post was born in St ...

, Jim Shapiro, and Steve Lack playing the song in front of the iconic shimmering red

Randolph Street Gallery Randolph Street Gallery (RSG) was an alternative exhibition space in Chicago, Illinois, from 1979 until its closing in 1998 and a vital local force in the development of a variety of new art forms and the contemporary national and international arts ...

building when it was located at 756 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. The indoor shots of the band with cats roaming about and in acclimating cages were taken at Tree House Humane Society at their former location, 1212 W Carmen Street, Chicago. Tree House is a stray cat shelter and adoption center founded in 1971 and operating from that address until 2017.

Charts

Seether version

The band

Seether Seether are a South African rock band founded in 1999 in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. The band originally performed under the name Saron Gas until 2002, when they moved to the United States and changed it to Seether to avoid confusion wit ...

named themselves after this song, and in 2013, recorded a cover of the song for their greatest hits album '' Seether: 2002–2013''. It was released as a lead single to the compilation on September 3, 2013.

References

External links

Official artist websiteVeruca Salt
at ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' {{Authority control 1994 debut singles 1994 songs Veruca Salt songs Songs written by Nina Gordon