"Supernature" is the title track of

Cerrone Marc Cerrone Daryl Easlea, "Supernature Boy", ''Record Collector'', #502, February 2020, pp.60-63 (, ; born 24 May 1952) is a French disco drummer, composer, record producer and creator of concert shows. Cerrone is a producer of 1970s and 1980 ...

's 1977 album '' Supernature (Cerrone III)''. Along with the tracks "Give Me Love" and "Love Is Here", the song reached number one on the US disco/dance charts early in 1978. The single crossed over to both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it peaked at number 70, and the soul charts, where it peaked at number 72. In August 1978, it peaked at number 8 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 ...

after heavy use in the first series of ''

The Kenny Everett Video Show ''The Kenny Everett Video Show'' (later renamed ''The Kenny Everett Video Cassette'') is a British television comedy and music programme that was made by Thames Television for ITV from 3 July 1978 to 21 May 1981. Overview Philip Jones, Tham ...

''.

Background

The lyrics were written by a young

Lene Lovich Lene Lovich (; born Lili-Marlene Premilovich; March 30, 1949) is an English-American singer, songwriter and musician. She first gained attention in 1979 with the release of her hit single "Lucky Number", which peaked at number 3 on the UK Single ...

, though she was not credited. The song has an environmental theme, imagining a future in which the use of artificial chemicals in agriculture has caused "creatures down below" to emerge and "take their sweet revenge" against mankind.

Reception

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 ...

'' named it the 187th best song of the 1970s, saying it "introduced an unprecedented strain of dystopian disco dread. Neither

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...

nor Berlin-era Bowie had an immediate international dancefloor impact as profound as "Supernature". As the track grows more sinister, mutant monsters take their revenge until humanity reverts to a primitive state where it must once again earn its place."

Charts

¹ J. Garraud & D. Tenaglia Mixes

Cover versions

*It was covered by

Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...

in 1989, released with their single "

You Surround Me "You Surround Me" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure that was issued in November 1989 by Mute Records as the second single from the band's fourth studio album, ''Wild!'' (1989). Written by the duo's Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is a ...

". *It was also covered by

The Time Frequency The Time Frequency (TTF) are a Scottish electronic dance music group, founded by Jon Campbell in early 1990. Members that TTF have included are fellow keyboard players Paul Inglis, Steven Nelson, Kyle Ramsay and later Colin McNeil. Mary Kiani ...

in 1994 for their debut album, '' Dominator''.

Popular culture

*An instrumental edit of the song is used in

Gaspar Noé Gaspar Noé (, ; born 27 December 1963) is an Argentine filmmaker based in Paris, France. He is the son of Argentine painter, writer, and intellectual Luis Felipe Noé. In the early 1990s, Noé along with his wife Lucile Hadžihalilović were ...

's 2018 film ''

Climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community th ...

'', being used for its opening choreography. * The band

Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...

named their third studio album after the song. *TK Maxx used the song in their Christmas 2022 TV advertising campaign.

References