Bodies (Sex Pistols song)
Encyclopedia
"Bodies" is a Sex Pistols
song about abortion
from the 1977 album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
. The lyrics contain very graphic imagery about a terminated fetus and feature a great deal of profanity
for the time: the third and final verse begins with a couplet
in which the word fuck
is repeated five times in rapid succession. Along with the later "Belsen Was a Gas
", it is probably the most grisly and blatantly shocking Sex Pistols song in both its subject matter and style. Musically, it is also the fastest and heaviest song in the Sex Pistols canon — characterized by ominously thudding drums, relentlessly droning buzzsaw guitar, and maniacal shouted vocals. As such, it can be considered a significant antecedent to the genre of thrash
and speed metal
that was to emerge in the mid-to-late-1980s.
The song is the only song on Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
on which Sid Vicious
actually plays bass, although his part was later overdubbed. The song was, like all other Sex Pistols songs credited to the entire band, though Vicious was in the hospital with hepatitis
when the band wrote it. It is mostly about a fan named Pauline, who was (as the
song states) from Birmingham
. She had been in a mental institution, where she apparently lived in a tree house, in the garden of the institution. This was where the line 'Her name was Pauline, she lived in a tree' comes from. The institution was also where she had apparently been impregnated by one of the male nurses. When she was released, she travelled to London, where she became a punk rock fan. She had several abortions. According to legend, she showed up once at John Lydon
's door wearing nothing but a clear plastic bag and holding an aborted fetus
in a clear plastic bag as well.
What is known from Lydon's autobiography
, is that she would tell Lydon about becoming
pregnant and then having abortions and describing them in detail to him. This affected Lydon enough
to write the song. Most of the band also had experiences with Pauline, but have spoken less about
it.
With its repeated mentions of "I'm not an animal," of "Mummy," and of a dying baby, the song is widely interpreted as being anti-abortion. Lydon himself, in an interview with Spin Magazine, said "I don't think there's a clearer song about the pain of abortion. The juxtaposition of all those different psychic things in your head and all the confusion, the anger, the frustration, you have to capture in those words." In 2006, National Review
magazine put the song at #8 on its list of the "50 Greatest Conservative Rock songs", citing a pro-life
message. So too, music critic Robert Christgau called it "effectively anti-abortion, anti-woman, and anti-sex."
In 2000, John Lydon went on the record as pro-choice
, supporting the choice of a 13-year-old French girl to use the morning after pill without her parents' knowledge. In an interview, Lydon is quoted as identifying himself as neither pro- nor anti-abortion. He believes the decision belongs to the pregnant woman. In the same interview, Lydon speaks of the song in relation to his mother's miscarriage and how one should not misconstrue that incident as being anti-abortion.
Lydon wrote and recorded with his band Public Image Limited the song "The Body," released as a single from the band's album Happy? (1987). The song's lyrics are related to abortion. PiL's second album, Metal Box
(1979), featured a similarly themed song called "Bad Baby" about a carelessly abandoned newborn child.
In 2005, a "barnyard" arrangement by Steve Jones
and Scott Weiland
was performed on Jones' radio show, with the use of the word "fuck" changed to "pluck".
The song has been covered by grunge-rock band Veruca Salt
, Stone Temple Pilots
, Velvet Revolver
, Manic Street Preachers
, Raimundos
, Killing Joke
and L.A. band Peppermint Creeps
.
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
song about abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
from the 1977 album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols is the only studio album by the highly influential and controversial English punk rock band The Sex Pistols...
. The lyrics contain very graphic imagery about a terminated fetus and feature a great deal of profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
for the time: the third and final verse begins with a couplet
Couplet
A couplet is a pair of lines of meter in poetry. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.While traditionally couplets rhyme, not all do. A poem may use white space to mark out couplets if they do not rhyme. Couplets with a meter of iambic pentameter are called heroic...
in which the word fuck
Fuck
"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
is repeated five times in rapid succession. Along with the later "Belsen Was a Gas
Belsen Was a Gas
"Belsen Was a Gas" is one of the most controversial songs by the British punk rock band Sex Pistols. The song is about one of the concentration camps in Germany during World War II, i.e...
", it is probably the most grisly and blatantly shocking Sex Pistols song in both its subject matter and style. Musically, it is also the fastest and heaviest song in the Sex Pistols canon — characterized by ominously thudding drums, relentlessly droning buzzsaw guitar, and maniacal shouted vocals. As such, it can be considered a significant antecedent to the genre of thrash
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
and speed metal
Speed metal
Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from NWOBHM and hardcore punk roots. It is described by Allmusic as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music....
that was to emerge in the mid-to-late-1980s.
The song is the only song on Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols is the only studio album by the highly influential and controversial English punk rock band The Sex Pistols...
on which Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
actually plays bass, although his part was later overdubbed. The song was, like all other Sex Pistols songs credited to the entire band, though Vicious was in the hospital with hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
when the band wrote it. It is mostly about a fan named Pauline, who was (as the
song states) from Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. She had been in a mental institution, where she apparently lived in a tree house, in the garden of the institution. This was where the line 'Her name was Pauline, she lived in a tree' comes from. The institution was also where she had apparently been impregnated by one of the male nurses. When she was released, she travelled to London, where she became a punk rock fan. She had several abortions. According to legend, she showed up once at John Lydon
John Lydon
John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
's door wearing nothing but a clear plastic bag and holding an aborted fetus
Fetus
A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.-Etymology and spelling variations:The...
in a clear plastic bag as well.
What is known from Lydon's autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, is that she would tell Lydon about becoming
pregnant and then having abortions and describing them in detail to him. This affected Lydon enough
to write the song. Most of the band also had experiences with Pauline, but have spoken less about
it.
With its repeated mentions of "I'm not an animal," of "Mummy," and of a dying baby, the song is widely interpreted as being anti-abortion. Lydon himself, in an interview with Spin Magazine, said "I don't think there's a clearer song about the pain of abortion. The juxtaposition of all those different psychic things in your head and all the confusion, the anger, the frustration, you have to capture in those words." In 2006, National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
magazine put the song at #8 on its list of the "50 Greatest Conservative Rock songs", citing a pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
message. So too, music critic Robert Christgau called it "effectively anti-abortion, anti-woman, and anti-sex."
In 2000, John Lydon went on the record as pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
, supporting the choice of a 13-year-old French girl to use the morning after pill without her parents' knowledge. In an interview, Lydon is quoted as identifying himself as neither pro- nor anti-abortion. He believes the decision belongs to the pregnant woman. In the same interview, Lydon speaks of the song in relation to his mother's miscarriage and how one should not misconstrue that incident as being anti-abortion.
Lydon wrote and recorded with his band Public Image Limited the song "The Body," released as a single from the band's album Happy? (1987). The song's lyrics are related to abortion. PiL's second album, Metal Box
Metal Box
Metal Box is the second album by Public Image Ltd, released in 1979 by Virgin Records.The title refers to the album's original packaging, which consists of a metal 16mm film canister embossed with the band's logo and containing three 12" 45rpm records...
(1979), featured a similarly themed song called "Bad Baby" about a carelessly abandoned newborn child.
In 2005, a "barnyard" arrangement by Steve Jones
Steve Jones (musician)
Stephen Philip "Steve" Jones is an English rock guitarist, singer and actor, best known as guitarist and founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols.-Childhood:...
and Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland is an American musician, lyricist, and vocalist, most notable for his work with Grammy Award-winning rock band Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland is also known for his five-year career with supergroup Velvet Revolver as well as his own solo career...
was performed on Jones' radio show, with the use of the word "fuck" changed to "pluck".
The song has been covered by grunge-rock band Veruca Salt
Veruca Salt (band)
Veruca Salt is an alternative rock band founded in 1993 in Chicago, Illinois. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included vocalist-guitarist Louise Post. Guitarist Stephen Fitzpatrick has been with the band since 1999 and drummer Kellii Scott has worked with the group on and off since 1999...
, Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
, Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver is an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band Wasted Youth. Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland was Velvet Revolver's lead singer from their formation until...
, Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
, Raimundos
Raimundos
Raimundos is one band often categorized as punk/hardcore, sometimes as Forrocore, which plays brazilian hardcore punk. They have some minor influences of Forró and some major influences of 80's punk and hardcore bands, especially Ramones...
, Killing Joke
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
and L.A. band Peppermint Creeps
Peppermint Creeps
Peppermint Creeps are a Glam metal band from Hollywood, California, formed in 1997. Their music can be compared to KISS' style and J-Rock styles with a Pop-Punk sound...
.