Bela Lugosi's Dead
Encyclopedia
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is a gothic rock
song written by the band Bauhaus
. The song was the band's first single
, released in August 1979, and is often considered to be the first gothic rock record released. It did not enter the UK charts. The b-side features the song "Boys" and some versions also include an early demo recording of what would be their next single, "Dark Entries
". It was released on CD in 1988 and was compiled on the 1998 album, Crackle - The Best of Bauhaus
. The original sleeve art was taken from a still of the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
. The authors listed on the single are David Haskins, Kevin Haskins, Peter Murphy and Daniel Ash .
, the band's bassist, claims on his website to have written the lyrics. The singing does not start (in the studio version) until several minutes into the track. The dub
-influenced guitar sound was achieved by using partial barre chords and leaving the top E and B strings open.
The title references horror film
star Béla Lugosi
(1882–1956), who did much to establish the modern vampire
image as the title character in the 1931 film Dracula
.
on 26 January 1979. Four more songs were recorded ("Boys", "Harry", "Dark Entries
" and the unreleased "Some Faces") but not used; only "Harry" surfaced in 1982 as a single B-side to "Kick In The Eye".
The song "Boys" was re-recorded at Beck Studios in spring 1979.
cult vampire film The Hunger, with Bauhaus portraying a band in a nightclub, playing it during the opening credits and introduction. A 7" promotional record featuring an edited version of the song was released to theaters playing the film.
It was also played throughout the film Dead Man's Curve/The Curve, and featured in the French film, Sombre
. The song is played in the film Good Luck Chuck
as an introduction for when the Goth girl is on screen and it is on the soundtrack.
The song was used as the intro music for the late 1990s Saturday Night Live
skit "Goth Talk
", which had Chris Kattan
and Molly Shannon
as two goth students. This song was also in an episode in the fifth season of Smallville
, the vampire/Halloween-themed "Thirst". The song was also in an episode of One Tree Hill.
The song was featured in an episode ("Midnight") of the science fiction
/horror
series Fringe
which revolved around a vampire
-esque creature.
Comedian and musician Bill Bailey
parodied the song on his DVD Cosmic Jam as part of a medley in which he and his band, the Stan Ellis Experiment performed Cockney Rock style versions of popular songs - this particular segment of the medley included lyrical changes such as "E ad a girl's name".
The song was played almost in its entirety during the horror film The Collector
during a scene in which the older daughter was attempting to have sex with her boyfriend before they were both viciously murdered.
The song was played in the opening scene of the Supernatural
television series in season 6
, episode 5, "Live Free or Twi-Hard". The episode is vampire-themed, poking particular fun at the Twilight film series
and its romanticism of vampires.
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
song written by the band Bauhaus
Bauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
. The song was the band's first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, released in August 1979, and is often considered to be the first gothic rock record released. It did not enter the UK charts. The b-side features the song "Boys" and some versions also include an early demo recording of what would be their next single, "Dark Entries
Dark Entries
"Dark Entries" is the second single released by British gothic rock band Bauhaus. It showcases the guitar playing of Daniel Ash and tight rhythm section of David J and Kevin Haskins...
". It was released on CD in 1988 and was compiled on the 1998 album, Crackle - The Best of Bauhaus
Crackle - The Best of Bauhaus
Crackle – The Best of Bauhaus, sometimes referred to simply as Crackle, is a greatest hits compilation by the gothic rock band Bauhaus. The album was released in 1998, during the band's Resurrection Tour...
. The original sleeve art was taken from a still of the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a 1920 silent horror film directed by Robert Wiene from a screenplay by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. It is one of the most influential of German Expressionist films and is often considered one of the greatest horror movies of the silent era. This movie is cited as...
. The authors listed on the single are David Haskins, Kevin Haskins, Peter Murphy and Daniel Ash .
Description
The song is over nine minutes in length and was recorded "live in the studio" in a single take. David JDavid J
David John Haskins , better known as David J, is a British alternative rock musician. He was the bassist for the gothic rock band Bauhaus and Love and Rockets....
, the band's bassist, claims on his website to have written the lyrics. The singing does not start (in the studio version) until several minutes into the track. The dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
-influenced guitar sound was achieved by using partial barre chords and leaving the top E and B strings open.
The title references horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
star Béla Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
(1882–1956), who did much to establish the modern vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
image as the title character in the 1931 film Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
.
Recording session
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" was recorded during a six-hour session at Beck Studios in WellingboroughWellingborough
Wellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
on 26 January 1979. Four more songs were recorded ("Boys", "Harry", "Dark Entries
Dark Entries
"Dark Entries" is the second single released by British gothic rock band Bauhaus. It showcases the guitar playing of Daniel Ash and tight rhythm section of David J and Kevin Haskins...
" and the unreleased "Some Faces") but not used; only "Harry" surfaced in 1982 as a single B-side to "Kick In The Eye".
The song "Boys" was re-recorded at Beck Studios in spring 1979.
Use in film and television
The song was featured in the 1983 Tony ScottTony Scott
Anthony D. L. "Tony" Scott is an English film director. His films include Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Last Boy Scout, True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, The Taking of Pelham 123, and Unstoppable...
cult vampire film The Hunger, with Bauhaus portraying a band in a nightclub, playing it during the opening credits and introduction. A 7" promotional record featuring an edited version of the song was released to theaters playing the film.
It was also played throughout the film Dead Man's Curve/The Curve, and featured in the French film, Sombre
Sombre
Sombre is a 1998 French film directed by Philippe Grandrieux, starring Marc Barbé and Elina Löwensohn. The film was nominated for the Golden Leopard and won the C.I.C.A.E...
. The song is played in the film Good Luck Chuck
Good Luck Chuck
Good Luck Chuck is a 2007 romantic comedy film starring Dane Cook and Jessica Alba. In the film, women find their "one true love" after having sex with a dentist named Chuck...
as an introduction for when the Goth girl is on screen and it is on the soundtrack.
The song was used as the intro music for the late 1990s Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
skit "Goth Talk
Goth Talk
Goth Talk was a recurring sketch on the American television series Saturday Night Live from the late 1990s.The sketch was about a late-night Tampa Bay Public-access television cable TV show recorded in the home of Azrael Abyss, Prince of Sorrows , a goth high school student. Another goth student,...
", which had Chris Kattan
Chris Kattan
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan is an American actor/comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California. His father, Kip King, was an actor and voice actor who appeared on the series Reno 911! as Larrie Plum. His mother, Hajnalka E....
and Molly Shannon
Molly Shannon
Molly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
as two goth students. This song was also in an episode in the fifth season of Smallville
Smallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
, the vampire/Halloween-themed "Thirst". The song was also in an episode of One Tree Hill.
The song was featured in an episode ("Midnight") of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
/horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
series Fringe
Fringe (TV series)
Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security...
which revolved around a vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
-esque creature.
Comedian and musician Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey is an English comedian, musician and actor. As well as his extensive stand-up work, Bailey is well known for his appearances on Black Books, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI.Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in...
parodied the song on his DVD Cosmic Jam as part of a medley in which he and his band, the Stan Ellis Experiment performed Cockney Rock style versions of popular songs - this particular segment of the medley included lyrical changes such as "E ad a girl's name".
The song was played almost in its entirety during the horror film The Collector
The Collector (2009 film)
The Collector is a 2009 American horror film written by Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton and directed by Marcus Dunstan. Originally titled The Midnight Man, the script was originally intended to be a Saw prequel, but the producers were against the idea and quickly dismissed it.-Plot:Arkin, is an...
during a scene in which the older daughter was attempting to have sex with her boyfriend before they were both viciously murdered.
The song was played in the opening scene of the Supernatural
Supernatural (TV series)
Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
television series in season 6
Supernatural (season 6)
The sixth season of Supernatural, an American television series is the fifth season to air on The CW television network. The season aired on Fridays at 9:00pm Eastern/8:00pm Central in the United States on The CW and premiered on September 24, 2010....
, episode 5, "Live Free or Twi-Hard". The episode is vampire-themed, poking particular fun at the Twilight film series
The Twilight Saga (film series)
The Twilight Saga is a series of supernatural romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on the four Twilight series novels by the American author Stephenie Meyer. The films star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner. The series has grossed over $2 billion in worldwide...
and its romanticism of vampires.
Personnel
- Peter MurphyPeter Murphy (musician)Peter John Murphy is an English rock vocalist. He was the vocalist of the rock group Bauhaus, and later went on to release a number of solo albums, such as Deep and Love Hysteria...
— vocals - Daniel AshDaniel AshDaniel Gaston Ash is the guitarist for Bauhaus, Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets, and solo projects.-Life and work:After going to concerts in his teenage years, Ash made a decision to be on a stage in some way...
— guitar - David JDavid JDavid John Haskins , better known as David J, is a British alternative rock musician. He was the bassist for the gothic rock band Bauhaus and Love and Rockets....
— bass - Kevin HaskinsKevin HaskinsKevin Haskins also known as Kevin Michael Dompe is a drummer best known from the British rock group Bauhaus. He was also a member of Tones on Tail and Love and Rockets...
— drums
Printing information
The original 12" release was on white vinyl and limited to 5,000 copies. Various re-releases included the following:- black vinyl with black-on-white sleeve
- blue vinyl with blue-on-white sleeve
- clear vinyl with brown-on-white sleeve
- green vinyl with green-on-white sleeve
- pink vinyl with pink-on-white sleeve
- red vinyl with red-on-white sleeve
- glow-in-the-dark picture disk with clear plastic sleeve