"We Are All Prostitutes" is a song by English

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

band

The Pop Group The Pop Group are an English rock band formed in Bristol in 1977 by vocalist Mark Stewart, guitarist John Waddington, bassist Simon Underwood, guitarist/saxophonist Gareth Sager, and drummer Bruce Smith. Their work in the late 1970s crossed ...

. It was released as the band's second single on 9 November 1979 through

Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis, who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis and Jeannette Lee and ...

. The song is a critique of

consumerism Consumerism is a socio-cultural and economic phenomenon that is typical of industrialized societies. It is characterized by the continuous acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing quantities. In contemporary consumer society, the ...

. The song was included as the third track in the 2016 reissue of The Pop Group's 1980 album '' For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?''

Reception

Songwriter

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

declared the song to be the band's masterpiece, saying, "It had everything that I thought rock and roll should have. It was violent, paranoid music for a violent, paranoid time." Writer

Mark Fisher Mark Fisher (11 July 1968 – 13 January 2017), also known under his blogging alias k-punk, was an English writer, music critic, political and cultural theorist, philosopher, and teacher based in the Department of Visual Cultures at Golds ...

described the song "scouring, seesawing, seasick

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

, a

pied piper The Pied Piper of Hamelin (, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The legend dates back to the Middle Ages. The earliest refere ...

’s exit from dominant reality, fired by a fissile compound of millenarian terror and militant jubilation." Fisher, Mark
"The Pop Group's ''How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?''
" ''

Fact A fact is a truth, true data, datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance. Standard reference works are often used to Fact-checking, check facts. Science, Scientific facts are verified by repeatable careful observation or measurement by ...

''. February 2016.

Legacy

(*) designates unordered lists.

Formats and track listing

All songs written by

. *UK 7" single (RT 023) # "We Are All Prostitutes" – 3:08 # "Amnesty International Report on British Army Torture of Irish Prisoners" – 3:08

Credits and personnel

The Pop Group * Dan Catsis – bass guitar *

Gareth Sager Gareth Sager (born 10 August 1960 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a Scottish guitarist, keyboardist, musician, composer and songwriter, and is a founding member of The Pop Group, Rip Rig + Panic (with Neneh Cherry), Float Up CP and Head. In his ...

– guitar, saxophone *

Bruce Smith Bruce Bernard Smith (born June 18, 1963) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for 19 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football for the Vir ...

– drums, percussion * Mark Stewart – vocals * John Waddington – guitar Additional musicians *

Tristan Honsinger Tristan Honsinger (October 23, 1949 – August 5, 2023) was an American cellist active in free jazz and free improvisation. He is perhaps best known for his long-running collaboration with free jazz pianist Cecil Taylor and guitarist Derek Baile ...

– cello (B-side) Technical personnel * Maxwell Anandappa – mastering *

Dennis Bovell Dennis Bovell (born 22 May 1953) is a Barbados-born reggae guitarist, bass player and record producer, based in the United Kingdom. He was a member of a progressive rock group called Stonehenge, who later changed name and became the British r ...

– production *

Adam Kidron Adam Kidron is a British-born ex-music producer, serial entrepreneur, and the ex-Chief Executive Officer of Urban Box Office (UBO), a reggaeton and urban Latino record label, and Yonder Music. Record producer Adam Kidron began his career in the ...

–

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

– production

Charts

References

External links

*
"We Are All Prostitutes"
at

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:We Are All Prostitutes 1979 songs 1979 singles The Pop Group songs Protest songs Songs about consumerism Songs against capitalism Rough Trade Records singles Songs written by Gareth Sager Songs written by Bruce Smith (musician) Songs written by Mark Stewart (English musician)