"Swallow My Pride" is a song by the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

-based

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada * Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...

. Featuring lyrics written by frontman

Mark Arm Mark Arm (born Mark Thomas McLaughlin; February 21, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the vocalist for the grunge band Mudhoney. His former group, Green River, was one of the first grunge bands, along with Malfunkshun, So ...

and music written by guitarist Steve Turner, the song is the third track on the band's debut EP, '' Come On Down'' (1985). It was later re-recorded by Green River and appeared on the band's sole studio album, ''

Rehab Doll ''Rehab Doll'' is the first and only studio album by the American rock band Green River. It was released in June 1988 through Sub Pop Records. Overview Almost immediately following the release of '' Dry As a Bone'', the group re-entered the stu ...

'' (1988).

Composition

"Swallow My Pride" features lyrics written by vocalist

and music written by guitarist Steve Turner. The song's main guitar riff and two of its final verses were respectively copped from the opening riff and main chorus of

Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American Rock music, rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla ( ...

's "This Ain't the Summer of Love" from the 1976 album, ''

Agents of Fortune ''Agents of Fortune'' is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released by Columbia Records on May 21, 1976. The Platinum-selling album peaked at No. 29 on the U.S. Billboard chart, while the cryptic single "( ...

''.

Lyrics

"Swallow My Pride" describes a lover's disdain for his girlfriend's feverish

American patriotism Americanism, also referred to as American patriotism, is a set of nationalist values which aim to create a collective ''American identity'' for the United States that can be defined as "an articulation of the nation's rightful place in the world, ...

, characteristic of many so-called Reaganites during the time of the song's writing.

Cover versions

Another Seattle rock band,

Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yamamo ...

, covered "Swallow My Pride" on the band's 1988 EP, ''

Fopp Fopp may refer to: * "Fopp" (song), a 1975 song by the Ohio Players from ''Honey'' * ''Fopp'' (EP), a 1988 EP by Soundgarden, featuring the song of the same name * '' Screaming Life/Fopp'', a 1990 compilation album by the American rock band Sound ...

''. This version is performed with a predominantly punk-esque, simple chord style and does not include Blue Öyster Cult lyrics. Fellow Seattle rock band the

Fastbacks Fastbacks were a Seattle, Washington, punk rock band. Formed in 1979 by songwriter/guitarist Kurt Bloch (born August 28, 1960), and friends Lulu Gargiulo (guitar and vocals, born October 12, 1960) and Kim Warnick (bass and vocals, born April 7, ...

covered this song for the 1988 compilation album, '' Sub Pop 200'', an album that also featured Green River's song "Hangin' Tree". During a

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

concert in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

on November 30, 1993,

Jeff Ament Jeffrey Allen Ament (born March 10, 1963) is an American musician and songwriter who is best known as the bassist of the American rock band Pearl Jam, which he co-founded alongside Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder. Prior to his wo ...

and

Stone Gossard Stone Carpenter Gossard (born July 20, 1966) is an American musician who serves as a guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the band. G ...

of Pearl Jam (both previously in Green River) reunited with Turner and Arm of

Mudhoney Mudhoney is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988, following the demise of Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison and drummer Dan Peters. Orig ...

to cover the song. The performance was featured on Pearl Jam's 1995 fan club Christmas single."1995 Fan Club Single"
theskyiscrape.com.

References

{{Authority control 1985 songs Soundgarden songs Song recordings produced by Stone Gossard Song recordings produced by Jeff Ament