"Pretend We're Dead" is a 1992 song by American all-female

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 L7, from the album ''

Bricks Are Heavy ''Bricks Are Heavy'' is the third studio album by American rock band L7, released on April 14, 1992, by Slash Records. The album peaked at number 160 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and number one on the Heatseekers Albums chart. As of June 2000, '' ...

''. It was written by Donita Sparks. It was the first single from ''Bricks Are Heavy'' and achieved moderate international success. It spent 20 weeks 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 ...

, peaking at #8. It also reached #21 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 ...

and charted in Belgium and Australia. It has been featured in the video games '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' and '' Rock Band 2'', as well as numerous TV programs and films. A documentary about L7 directed by Sarah Price and titled ''L7:'' ''Pretend We're Dead'' was released in 2016. The film covers the band discussing challenges associate with producing the video for "Pretend We're Dead" including a crane failure that injured

Suzi Gardner Suzanne Gardner (born August 1, 1960) is an American musician and creative director best known for being a guitarist, vocalist, and co-founder of the punk rock band L7. Early life Gardner was born in Altus, Oklahoma on August 1, 1960 to A ...

and heavy handed video producers that stifled the creative vision of Sparks.

Conception

Donita Sparks was in her apartment in

Echo Park Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east- central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake to the west and Chinatown to the east. The culturally diverse neighborhood has become known ...

trying to write lyrics to a cassette she had made. She was heartbroken at the time due to a recent breakup, and she says the first thing that came to her was, "I just pretend that you're dead." She did not mean it as wanting her former paramour to be dead but felt that the only way she could get through the breakup was to pretend he was dead. Then, immediately, in her mind, she thought "I'm not writing that. It's just not gonna happen. What about, "pretend we're dead"?" She liked that because playing dead was a children's game, and it also served as a kind of commentary on

Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

/ Bush–era

apathy Apathy is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern about something. It is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation, or passion. An apathetic individual has an absence of inter ...

. Sparks stated that there was an unspoken sentiment in the band that love songs were to be avoided. In an interview regarding the early formation of "Pretend We're Dead" Sparks stated "We chose fierceness and humor over vulnerability because we were, you know, navigating challenging waters — women in hard rock. You had to be tough."

Track listing

# "Pretend We're Dead" ( Sparks) # "Shitlist" (Sparks) # "Lopsided Head" # "Mr. Integrity" (Sparks)

Charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1992 songs 1992 singles Song recordings produced by Butch Vig L7 (band) songs Songs written by Donita Sparks Songs with feminist themes Slash Records singles Songs against capitalism