Drip Drip Drip
| "Drip Drip Drip" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Drip Drip Drip (album version)" |
"Drip Drip Drip" (sometimes stylised as "Drip, Drip, Drip") is a song by British alternative band Chumbawamba, from their eighth studio album, Tubthumper.[5] In the spirit of their oft-politicized lyrics, the song discusses slumlords and the injustice faced by tenants; the song can also be viewed as a metaphor for politicians' control and dishonesty.[6][7] It was the third and final single from the album.[5][2]
Lyrics and composition
"Drip Drip Drip" uses horns, synthesizers, and a moderately-slow drum as its primary instrumentation. The lyrics discuss slumlords and the unfairness behind wealth distribution and housing ownership. The song also contains wordplay, with lyrics such as "It's trickle-down theory, and it's coming to me" and "life's a whip-round and I've got the whip."[6] Allmusic classifies the song as "dreamy," "lively," "mechanical," "pulsing," and "striding;" they state that the song's themes are "everyday life," "relationships," and "politics/society."[3]
Release
The song was released as the third and final single from Tubthumper in the United States in 1998, as a follow-up to "Amnesia," which had reached number 101 in the United States. A promotional CD single was made available, featuring the album version and the radio edit of the song.[1] The song was never officially released in the United Kingdom, and thus never charted there.[8]
Despite the failure of "Amnesia" on modern rock radio stations, Universal Records still released "Drip, Drip, Drip" to the stations; it received little play.[9]
Critical reception
The song was met with generally mixed to favorable reviews from music critics. Larry Flick of Billboard magazine called the song, which he thought "oozes with a political subtext," "clever," but felt the song didn't have what it took to be a hit and that the "instrumental energy doesn't always quite match the intensity of the vocals and chants."[2] The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music commented that the song, as well as "The Good Ship Lifestyle" and "Mary Mary", "lay(s) a strong bite in the lyric".[10]
Remix
The song was reworked on "The ABC's of Anarchism." The new version, titled "Smelly Water," discussed water pollution.[11]
References
- ^ a b "Chumbawamba – Drip Drip Drip". Discogs. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ a b c Flick, Larry. "Singles". Billboard. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Chumbawamba Drip, Drip, Drip Composed by Chumbawamba". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "CHUMBAWAMBA - DRIP, DRIP, DRIP (translated)". Austrian Charts. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- ^ a b "Chumbawamba Tubthumper". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Chumbawamba – Drip, Drip, Drip". SongMeanings. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ Tubthumper album booklet
- ^ "UK Albums Chart history". Official Singles. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
- ^ Carter, Kevin; Coveney, Janine; Ross, Sean (18 April 1998). "Radio, Labels Debate 'Ownership'". Billboard. 110 (16): 70–71. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music. Virgin. p. 89. ISBN 0753504278. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ Wolk, Douglas (July 1999). "Review: The ABC's of Anarchism". CMJ New Music Monthly (71): 68. Retrieved 10 May 2017.