Bittersweet (Hoodoo Gurus song)
Encyclopedia
"Bittersweet" was a single by Australia
n rock
group Hoodoo Gurus
which reached #10 on the Melbourne
Record Charts. It was released on Big Time
Records in June, 1985; and was written by Dave Faulkner
.
"Mars Needs Guitars" (B side), was written by all five Gurus (James Baker
, Clyde Bramley, Faulkner, Mark Kingsmill and Brad Shepherd
) and lead vocals were by Brad Shepherd.
It was also released in 1985 in the United States by Elektra
with "Bring the Hoodoo Down" as the B-side, and in the United Kingdom as a 12" single by Chrysalis Records
with two B-sides, "Bring the Hoodoo Down" & "Turkey Dinner".
provided lead vocals for her band Hole's
version of "Bittersweet" with Faulkner's backing vocals at Hole's 1999 Big Day Out performance.
The song "Bittersweet" was used in the video game MVP Baseball 2004.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band, formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner and later joined by Richard Grossman , Mark Kingsmill , and Brad Shepherd...
which reached #10 on the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
Record Charts. It was released on Big Time
Big Time Records (label)
Big Time Records was an independent record label based in Sydney, Australia. The label was owned by Lance Reynolds and Fred Bestall, who managed Air Supply in their early days among others. From 1979 up until 1981 Big Time was distributed by Wizard Records, who were purchased by EMI Ltd...
Records in June, 1985; and was written by Dave Faulkner
Dave Faulkner (musician)
Dave Faulkner is an Australian rock musician who also performed as Dave Flick. Faulkner is a singer-songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist; he has performed with several bands, but is best known as a member of Hoodoo Gurus...
.
"Mars Needs Guitars" (B side), was written by all five Gurus (James Baker
James Baker (musician)
James Baker is a rock musician from Perth, Western Australia. He has drummed with, and was instrumental in the founding of several influential Australian bands including The Scientists, Le Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon, and The Dubrovniks.-Early days:Baker has named Ronnie Bond of The Troggs as...
, Clyde Bramley, Faulkner, Mark Kingsmill and Brad Shepherd
Brad Shepherd
Brad Shepherd is an Australian rock musician. Shepherd is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and harmonica player; he has performed with several bands, especially the Hoodoo Gurus...
) and lead vocals were by Brad Shepherd.
It was also released in 1985 in the United States by Elektra
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
with "Bring the Hoodoo Down" as the B-side, and in the United Kingdom as a 12" single by Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
with two B-sides, "Bring the Hoodoo Down" & "Turkey Dinner".
"... I vowed to myself that I would write less comic narratives and try to express my sentiments in a more forthright way. I feel I succeeded with "Bittersweet" though at the time I didn't think that a) the band would want to play it and b) our audience would want to hear it. I was happily wrong on both counts." - Dave Faulkner.
Cover versions & others
Courtney LoveCourtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
provided lead vocals for her band Hole's
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
version of "Bittersweet" with Faulkner's backing vocals at Hole's 1999 Big Day Out performance.
The song "Bittersweet" was used in the video game MVP Baseball 2004.
7" version
- "Bittersweet" (Dave Faulkner) — 3:46
- "Mars Needs Guitars" (James BakerJames Baker (musician)James Baker is a rock musician from Perth, Western Australia. He has drummed with, and was instrumental in the founding of several influential Australian bands including The Scientists, Le Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon, and The Dubrovniks.-Early days:Baker has named Ronnie Bond of The Troggs as...
, Clyde Bramley, Faulkner, Mark Kingsmill and Brad ShepherdBrad ShepherdBrad Shepherd is an Australian rock musician. Shepherd is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and harmonica player; he has performed with several bands, especially the Hoodoo Gurus...
) — 2:51
12" version
- "Bittersweet" (Faulkner) — 3:44
- "Bring the Hoodoo Down" (Faulkner) - 3:09
- "Turkey Dinner" (Faulkner) - 4:23
Personnel
Credited to:- James BakerJames Baker (musician)James Baker is a rock musician from Perth, Western Australia. He has drummed with, and was instrumental in the founding of several influential Australian bands including The Scientists, Le Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon, and The Dubrovniks.-Early days:Baker has named Ronnie Bond of The Troggs as...
— drums - Clyde Bramley — bass, backing vocals
- Dave FaulknerDave Faulkner (musician)Dave Faulkner is an Australian rock musician who also performed as Dave Flick. Faulkner is a singer-songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist; he has performed with several bands, but is best known as a member of Hoodoo Gurus...
— lead vocals (track A), guitar - Mark Kingsmill — drums, cymbals
- Brad ShepherdBrad ShepherdBrad Shepherd is an Australian rock musician. Shepherd is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and harmonica player; he has performed with several bands, especially the Hoodoo Gurus...
— guitar, lead vocals (track B), harmonica
- Producer — Charles Fisher
- Engineer — John Bee
- Mastering — Don Bartley