"Rocks" is a song by Scottish

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

Primal Scream Primal Scream are a Scottish rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie. The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simone Butler (bass), and Darrin Mooney (drums) ...

, taken from their fourth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, ''

Give Out But Don't Give Up ''Give Out But Don't Give Up'' is the fourth studio album by Scottish rock band Primal Scream. It was released on 28 March 1994 in the United Kingdom by Creation Records and in the United States by Sire Records. It peaked at number 2 on the UK A ...

'' (1994). This song was the first indication of Primal Scream's change in musical style, when compared to their previous album, 1991's ''

Screamadelica ''Screamadelica'' is the third studio album by Scottish rock band Primal Scream. It was first released on 23 September 1991 in the United Kingdom by Creation Records and on 8 October 1991 in the United States by Sire Records. The album marked a ...

'', which featured

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

leanings. "Rocks" (and the whole ''Give Out But Don't Give Up'' album) features a more

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

structure inspired by artists such as T. Rex,

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

, and

Faces The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...

. Faces singer

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

would later cover the song himself, including it on his 1998 album ''

When We Were the New Boys ''When We Were the New Boys'' is the eighteenth studio album by Rod Stewart released on 29 May 1998. It was Stewart's last studio album to be released by Warner Bros. Records. It produced the singles " Ooh La La", " Rocks", and "When We Were t ...

''. "Rocks" was released as a single on 28 February 1994 and reached number seven on 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 ...

, acting as a double A-side with another of the band's songs, "Funky Jam". Together, they were the highest-charting Primal Scream single until " Country Girl" reached number five in 2006. In 2018, the song received a Silver certification from the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...

(BPI) for sales and streams exceeding 200,000.

Track listings

All tracks were written by

Bobby Gillespie Robert "Bobby" Gillespie (born 22 June 1961) is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the lead singer, founding member, and primary lyricist of the alternative rock band Primal Scream. He was also ...

Andrew Innes Andrew Colin Innes (born 16 May 1962 in Glasgow) is a Scottish-born, London-based musician. He is best known for being the rhythm guitarist in Scottish rock band Primal Scream. Biography Early years While in high school in 1978, Innes was the ...

, and Robert Young. UK 7-inch and cassette single # "Rocks" – 3:36 # "Funky Jam" (Hot Ass mix) – 5:21 UK 12-inch and CD single # "Rocks" – 3:36 # "Funky Jam" (Hot Ass mix) – 5:21 # "Funky Jam" (club mix) – 5:27 US and New Zealand 7-inch single # "Rocks" (album version) – 3:36 # "Everybody Needs Somebody" (album version) – 5:22

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1994 singles 1994 songs Creation Records singles Primal Scream songs Sire Records singles Song recordings produced by Tom Dowd Songs written by Andrew Innes Songs written by Bobby Gillespie Songs written by Robert Young (musician)