"I'm a Cuckoo" is the second single from Scottish

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

band

Belle & Sebastian Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released twelve studio albums. They are often compared with acts such as the Smiths and Nick Drake. The band took their name from ...

's sixth studio album, ''

Dear Catastrophe Waitress ''Dear Catastrophe Waitress'' is the sixth studio album by the Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, released on 6 October 2003 on Rough Trade Records. It was produced by Trevor Horn. "Stay Loose" was released to radio on 24 February 200 ...

'' (2003). Produced by

Trevor Horn Trevor Charles Horn (born 15 July 1949) is an English record producer and musician. His influence on pop and electronic music in the 1980s was such that he has been called "the man who invented the eighties". Horn took up the bass guitar at an ...

, the track was released as a single on 16 February 2004. B-side "Stop, Look and Listen" merges into "Passion Fruit" at the end of a song—an instrumental piece which was performed live prior to its release. The front cover features Shantha Roberts. "I'm a Cuckoo" fared better on the UK Singles Chart than previous single " Step into My Office, Baby", reaching number 14. It is the only Belle & Sebastian song to chart in Spain, peaking at number 19, and was their most recent hit in Sweden, reaching number 59. A

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

version of the song was released as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

to the Japanese version of Belle & Sebastian's subsequent EP, ''

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''.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

reviewer described the track as being "like the indie pop version of

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. The band initially consisted of bass guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter Phil Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon although Wr ...

", who are also mentioned in the lyrics. Reviewing the remix, ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' said, "

the Avalanches The Avalanches are an Australian electronic music group formed in Melbourne in 1997. They have released three studio albums, ''Since I Left You'' (2000), ''Wildflower (The Avalanches album), Wildflower'' (2016), and ''We Will Always Love You'' ...

’ remake draws out a more organic side with casual wind instruments and warm percussion. The samples of hustling, bustling chit-chat strike a note of extroverted gregariousness that shy, retiring types like Belle and Sebastian sometimes need someone else to bring out of 'em."

Music video

The video for "I'm a Cuckoo" features Scottish Olympic 100m gold medallist

Allan Wells Allan Wipper Wells (born 3 May 1952) is a British former track and field sprinter who became the 100 metres Olympic champion at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. In 1981, he was both the IAAF Golden Sprints and IAAF World Cup gold medall ...

as a running coach and lead singer, Stuart Murdoch, as an aspiring runner.

Track listings

Standard CD single # "I'm a Cuckoo" # "Stop, Look and Listen" # "I'm a Cuckoo (by

)" # "(I Believe In) Travellin' Light" # "I'm a Cuckoo" (video) UK 7-inch single # "I'm a Cuckoo" # "(I Believe In) Travellin' Light" UK DVD single # "I'm a Cuckoo" (video) # "Stop, Look and Listen" (video) # "I'm a Cuckoo (by the Avalanches)" (audio) # "(I Believe In) Travellin' Light" (audio)

Charts

Release history

References

External links

"I'm a Cuckoo" at belleandsebastian.com
{{Authority control Belle and Sebastian songs 2004 singles 2003 songs Rough Trade Records singles Song recordings produced by Trevor Horn