Dig Up Her Bones
Encyclopedia
"Dig Up Her Bones" is the seventh single
by the horror punk
band the Misfits. It was the first single released by the re-formed lineup of the band, after the original incarnation broke up in 1983. It was the only single released from their 1997 album American Psycho
, and the accompanying music video
was the first official Misfits music video ever released.
Jerry Only
and his brother, guitarist
Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein
, seeking writing credits and the rights to the Misfits name from singer
/songwriter
Glenn Danzig
. The result was an out-of-court settlement in 1995 which gave Only and Doyle the rights to record and perform as the Misfits, sharing merchandising rights with Danzig. They quickly formed a new incarnation of the band, recruiting singer Michale Graves
and drummer
Dr. Chud
. The new lineup released American Psycho
in 1997 with "Dig Up Her Bones" as the seventh track.
single was distributed to radio stations. The B-side
of the single is "Hate the Living, Love the Dead", also from American Psycho.
for "Dig Up Her Bones" was directed by John Cafiero
, who also directed a video for "American Psycho". It was the first official music video ever released by the Misfits and was composed of live footage of the band, Graves singing in a mock graveyard
, and clips from the 1935 horror film
Bride of Frankenstein
. An image of the Bride was used as the cover image for the single. Permission to use the likeness of Boris Karloff
, who played the Monster in the film, was given by his daughter Sarah Karloff. Permission was also given by the estate of Elsa Lanchester
, who played The Bride, to use her likeness. Two cuts of the music video were released, the only difference being that one version incorporated an intro with the 1930s Universal Pictures
logo and a dialogue clip from Bride of Frankenstein.
The video debuted on MTV
's 120 Minutes
and was also featured on the Sci Fi Channel
. Along with the "American Psycho" video, it continued to run in rotation on MTV, MTV Europe
, MTV Japan
, MTV Latin America
, MuchMusic
, and The Box.
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...
by the horror punk
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films...
band the Misfits. It was the first single released by the re-formed lineup of the band, after the original incarnation broke up in 1983. It was the only single released from their 1997 album American Psycho
American Psycho (album)
American Psycho is an album by the Misfits. Released May 13, 1997, it was the first to be recorded and released without founder and leader Glenn Danzig...
, and the accompanying music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was the first official Misfits music video ever released.
Background
The original incarnation of the Misfits had been active from 1977 to 1983. A series of legal battles ensued in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with bassistBassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Jerry Only
Jerry Only
Jerry Only is an American bassist. He is the current bassist and vocalist for the Misfits. He is credited with creating the infamous hair style known as the devilock.-Life and career:...
and his brother, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein
Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein
Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein , is an American guitarist best known for his material with the horror punk band the Misfits.-Life and career:...
, seeking writing credits and the rights to the Misfits name from singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
/songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...
. The result was an out-of-court settlement in 1995 which gave Only and Doyle the rights to record and perform as the Misfits, sharing merchandising rights with Danzig. They quickly formed a new incarnation of the band, recruiting singer Michale Graves
Michale Graves
Michael Emanuel , better known by his stage name Michale Graves, is an American singer and songwriter, singing for the late 1990s re-incarnation of The Misfits from 1995 to 1998 and again from late 1998 until late 2000. Graves grew up in Dumont, New Jersey...
and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Dr. Chud
Dr. Chud
Dr. C.H.U.D. is an American rock drummer and singer.-Life and career:...
. The new lineup released American Psycho
American Psycho (album)
American Psycho is an album by the Misfits. Released May 13, 1997, it was the first to be recorded and released without founder and leader Glenn Danzig...
in 1997 with "Dig Up Her Bones" as the seventh track.
Release information
5,000 copies of the single were issued on blue 7" vinyl, while a promotional CDCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
single was distributed to radio stations. The B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the single is "Hate the Living, Love the Dead", also from American Psycho.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Dig Up Her Bones" was directed by John Cafiero
John Cafiero
John Cafiero is an American punk rock musician, film director and film producer. He is best known as the frontman for the punk supergroup Osaka Popstar, whose debut album was released the summer 2006...
, who also directed a video for "American Psycho". It was the first official music video ever released by the Misfits and was composed of live footage of the band, Graves singing in a mock graveyard
Graveyard
A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...
, and clips from the 1935 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...
Bride of Frankenstein
Bride of Frankenstein
Bride of Frankenstein is a 1935 American horror film, the first sequel to Frankenstein...
. An image of the Bride was used as the cover image for the single. Permission to use the likeness of Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
, who played the Monster in the film, was given by his daughter Sarah Karloff. Permission was also given by the estate of Elsa Lanchester
Elsa Lanchester
Elsa Sullivan Lanchester was an English-American character actress with a long career in theatre, film and television....
, who played The Bride, to use her likeness. Two cuts of the music video were released, the only difference being that one version incorporated an intro with the 1930s Universal Pictures
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
logo and a dialogue clip from Bride of Frankenstein.
The video debuted on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's 120 Minutes
120 Minutes
120 Minutes is a television show in the United States dedicated to alternative music, originally airing on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then on MTV's sister channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003....
and was also featured on the Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
. Along with the "American Psycho" video, it continued to run in rotation on MTV, MTV Europe
MTV Europe
MTV Europe is a pan-European 24-hour entertainment cable and digital television network launched on August 1, 1987. Initially, the channel served all regions within Europe being one of the very few channels that targeted the entire European continent...
, MTV Japan
MTV Japan
MTV Japan is the Japanese version of the cable television network based in Japan. It is a subsidiary of MTV Networks, and was launched on December 24, 1992. It can be viewed on cable television, SKY PerfecTV!, SKY PerfecTV! e2 and IPTV.-History:MTV originally was a music block on JORX-TV from 1989...
, MTV Latin America
MTV Latin America
MTV Latin America is a cable television specialty service aimed at residents in Hispanic American countries. It was launched on October 1, 1993 as MTV en Español. The channel is a Hispanic American version from MTV...
, MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
, and The Box.
Track listing
Band
- Michale GravesMichale GravesMichael Emanuel , better known by his stage name Michale Graves, is an American singer and songwriter, singing for the late 1990s re-incarnation of The Misfits from 1995 to 1998 and again from late 1998 until late 2000. Graves grew up in Dumont, New Jersey...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Jerry OnlyJerry OnlyJerry Only is an American bassist. He is the current bassist and vocalist for the Misfits. He is credited with creating the infamous hair style known as the devilock.-Life and career:...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Doyle Wolfgang von FrankensteinDoyle Wolfgang von FrankensteinDoyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein , is an American guitarist best known for his material with the horror punk band the Misfits.-Life and career:...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Dr. ChudDr. ChudDr. C.H.U.D. is an American rock drummer and singer.-Life and career:...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....