Lump (song)
Encyclopedia
"Lump" is a song by alternative rock
band The Presidents of the United States of America
. It was released in 1995 and featured on their self-titled debut album
. The song reached #1 on Billboard
's Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1995. Later in the same year, it debuted on the Album Rock Tracks chart, and went on to hit #7. The song is a playable track on Rock Band 2
, the Nintendo DS
version of Band Hero
and in the Wii
video game Just Dance
.
7" single – UK
for "Lump", directed by Roman Coppola
, takes place in a "boggy marsh" (as the lyrics state). The video shows the band singing in a swamp as well as on the stern of a large barge in Elliott Bay
interspersed with a silhouette scene of the band performing.
Another video was also made for the song. This version, commonly referred to as "Lump 2", was considered too disturbing and dark to be aired on MTV
(reflecting the band's grunge
and post-grunge
origins). It features the band performing on a dark stage while various people lip sync
the lines "She's lump!" during the chorus. This version can be found on "Ten Year Super Bonus Special Anniversary Edition" of The Presidents of the United States of America's debut album
.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band The Presidents of the United States of America
The Presidents of the United States of America (band)
The Presidents of the United States of America, commonly referred to as Pot USA or "PUSA" or The Presidents, are a twice Grammy-nominated American alternative rock band. The band formed in Seattle, USA, in 1993. The three-piece group currently comprises vocalist and "basitarist" Chris Ballew,...
. It was released in 1995 and featured on their self-titled debut album
The Presidents of the United States of America (album)
Critical reception to The Presidents of the United States of America was mainly positive. The Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars and stated: "It's novelty punk...
. The song reached #1 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1995. Later in the same year, it debuted on the Album Rock Tracks chart, and went on to hit #7. The song is a playable track on Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
, the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
version of Band Hero
Band Hero
Band Hero is a spinoff video game as part of the Guitar Hero series of music video games, released by Activision on November 3, 2009, for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS consoles...
and in the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
video game Just Dance
Just Dance (video game)
Just Dance is a music video game developed and published by Ubisoft for the Wii. It was released on November 17, 2009 in North America, November 26 in Australia, and November 27 in Europe. It is similar to the Dance Dance Revolution games in that dancers match moves on screen in order to earn...
.
Track listings
CD single- "Lump" – 2:13
- "Carilyn's Bootie" – 2:17
- "Candy Cigarette" – 2:02
- "Twig in the Wind" – 2:54
7" single – UK
- "Lump" – 2:12
- "Wake Up" – 2:37
Music videos
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 "Lump", directed by Roman Coppola
Roman Coppola
Roman Coppola is an American film director and music video director.-Early life:Coppola was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, the son of set decorator/artist Eleanor Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola was born in the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine while his father was in Paris...
, takes place in a "boggy marsh" (as the lyrics state). The video shows the band singing in a swamp as well as on the stern of a large barge in Elliott Bay
Elliott Bay
Elliott Bay is the body of water on which Seattle, Washington, is located. A line drawn from Alki Point in the south to West Point in the north serves to mark the generally accepted division between the bay and the open sound...
interspersed with a silhouette scene of the band performing.
Another video was also made for the song. This version, commonly referred to as "Lump 2", was considered too disturbing and dark to be aired 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....
(reflecting the band's grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
and post-grunge
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
origins). It features the band performing on a dark stage while various people lip sync
Lip sync
Lip sync, lip-sync, lip-synch is a technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals...
the lines "She's lump!" during the chorus. This version can be found on "Ten Year Super Bonus Special Anniversary Edition" of The Presidents of the United States of America's debut album
The Presidents of the United States of America (album)
Critical reception to The Presidents of the United States of America was mainly positive. The Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars and stated: "It's novelty punk...
.
Parodies
- "Weird Al" Yankovic"Weird Al" YankovicAlfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
released a parody version of the song known as "GumpGump (song)"Gump" is a song by American musical parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of "Lump" by The Presidents of the United States of America and also parodies the 1994 movie Forrest Gump. It is one of several Yankovic songs describing the events of a movie....
", a joking tribute to Forrest GumpForrest GumpForrest Gump is a 1994 American epic comedy-drama romance film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise...
. - ApologetiXApologetiXApologetiX is a Christian parody band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The band was founded in 1992, and since then, has played in 44 states, released 17 studio albums, and built up a fan club that includes 45,000 people. The band is currently composed of J...
also recorded a parody entitled "PlumpTickedTicked is the third album released by Christian parody band ApologetiX. It was also their first album to be released on CD. Later, two songs from the album would be released on the band's greatest hits album.-History:...
". - Canadian ska punk band The JohnstonesThe JohnstonesThe Johnstones are a ska punk band from Ajax, Ontario, Canada formed in 2002 and signed to the Union Label Group. In 2006, they signed to Stomp Records of Montreal, released the full length album Word is Bond and began touring Canada and the U.S. Their video 'Gone for a Long Time' received...
covered "Lump" on their 2008 EP SEX. - Accordionist Duckmandu (Jason Seeman) covered "Lump" on his compilation album Quack Rock: Five Duckades of Accordion Mega-Hits.
- The BlackoutThe Blackout (band)The Blackout is a post-hardcore band from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, formed in 2003. After some time backing Lostprophets on their Liberation Transmission Tour, along with Dopamine, Covergirl, Kids In Glass Houses, The Guns and Men, Women and Children, they released their first mini-album The Blackout!...
have also covered 'Lump' and it features on the end of their album, Hope, released in 2011.
Charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 11 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 28 |
| Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Singles Chart |
21 |
| Canadian RPM Alternative 30 Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
1 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 10 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 8 |
| UK Singles Chart | 15 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 26 |
| Year-end chart (1995) | Position |
|---|---|
| French Singles Chart | 68 |
See also
- Number one modern rock hits of 1995Number one modern rock hits of 1995The following is a comprehensive list of hits that reached number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, published by Billboard magazine. In 1995, there were 15 hits that reached peak position, in 52 issues of the magazine....
- List of RPM Rock/Alternative number-one singles (Canada)