I See Red (Split Enz song)
"I See Red" | ||||
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Single by Split Enz | ||||
from the album Frenzy | ||||
B-side |
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Released | December 1978 | |||
Recorded | Starling Studios, England, 1978 | |||
Genre | New wave, punk rock, hard rock | |||
Length | 3:15 | |||
Label | Mushroom Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Tim Finn | |||
Producer(s) | David Tickle | |||
Split Enz singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
![]() Cover to the 1989 re-release. |
"I See Red" is a 1978 song by New Zealand art rock group Split Enz. It was released in December 1978 as the lead single from their studio album Frenzy.
"I See Red" was the second Split Enz song to achieve a top 20 chart position, peaking at #15 in Australia and #43 in the band's native New Zealand.[1]
Recording
i said, "That's a one-off thing we did at Startling Studios which is Ringo Starr's studio - it used to be John Lennon's place. The engineer out there got to know us and liked us and gave us some free time when the studio wasn't being used."[2] Elsewhere, he said, "We were on the bones of our arse. Somebody suggested this young guy (David Tickle) that they thought would be worth trying. It was an experiment. We ended up at Startling Studios, which was John Lennon's house when he and Yoko were doing Imagine and all that. So, it had acres of legendary pathos and meaning for us to be there."[3]
Music video
The music video for "I See Red" begins with Tim Finn angrily ripping his hair out as he can see a woman out a window walking along (as the first line of the lyrics indicates "When my baby's walking down the street/I see red, I see red, I see red"). Finn then resumes his regular position with the band and sings the rest of the song with them. The band, including Finn, are all wearing grey suits with black markings on them with white shirts and red ties. The studio is low lit with a white or red spotlight on different members of the band, though occasionally lighting up a backdrop completely, though still predominantly keeping to white and red light. At the very end of the song, musically, the song silences very suddenly instead of fading out or being ended at the end of a bar, due to the tape running out during recording. In the music video at this moment, the band members disappear from the performance area leaving the space only with instruments in place.
Track listing
All songs written by Tim Finn.
7" vinyl
- Side A
- "I See Red" - 3:15
- Side B
- "Hermit McDermitt" - 3:42
- "Message Boy" - 3:51
Coloured 7" vinyl reissue
Reissued in 1989 to coincide with the release of greatest hits album History Never Repeats - The Best Of Split Enz. Released with new artwork to match History Never Repeats. Live version recorded at Festival Hall, Melbourne, November 1984.
- "I See Red" - 3:15
- "I See Red" (live) - 4:15
Personnel
- Tim Finn — vocals, piano
- Neil Finn — vocals, guitar
- Noel Crombie — vocals, percussion
- Eddie Rayner — vocals, keyboards
- Malcolm Green — vocals, drums
- Nigel Griggs — vocals, bass
Charts
Weekly charts
Chart (1979) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] | 15 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[5] | 43 |
Year-end charts
Chart (2016) | Rank |
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Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] | 90 |
Cover Versions
In 2012, the New Zealand Army Band covered the song as part of their performance for the Arrowtown 150th anniversary celebrations.[7]
Notes
- ^ I See Red by Split Enz : Reviews and Ratings. Retrieved 20 July 2007.
- ^ Milne, Bruce (March 1979). "Split Enz Blood n Guts Romantics". Roadrunner. Parkside, SA: 12–13.
- ^ Dan Condon. "'We wouldn't let the industry defeat us': How True Colours changed Split Enz forever". Double J.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives: Australian Chart Book. p. 288. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988.
- ^ "Split Enz – I See Red". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Kent Music Report No 288 – 31 December 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1979". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 3 December 2020 – via Imgur.com.
- ^ "New Zealand Army band 'See Red' with Split Enz classic". The New Zealand Herald. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.