Selfish Jean
Encyclopedia
"Selfish Jean" is a song by Scottish
alternative rock
band Travis
, released as the second single from their fifth studio album, The Boy with No Name
on July 9, 2007.
, a novel by Richard Dawkins
. The song was first written by Fran Healy
in 2005 in his apartment in New York, and was demoed using Healy's own computer. He sampled the drum intro from the Iggy Pop
song "Lust For Life
", looped it to create a basic rhythm, and then played the song and recorded vocals over the top of the rhythm track. The demo was then taken to Travis drummer Neil Primrose as an example of what to play, and thus, the song exists in its current form. The lyrics for the song's bridge are taken directly from an earlier B-side, "Standing On My Own", which appeared on the 1997 single "Tied to the 90s
".
playlist, receiving around twenty plays per week. Even though it charted at a relatively disappointing #30 on the UK Singles Chart
, it is a song much loved by Travis fans and is performed at a majority of Travis concerts. B-sides for the single include the newly-written song "You Bring Me Down", as well as two Squeeze covers - "Is That Love
" and "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)
".
. Directed by American comedian Demetri Martin
, the video features Martin who begins by wearing 19 T-shirts with words and pictures to illustrate lyrics from the song, removing them to progressively reveal the T-shirts underneath. Some of these T-shirts have been recreated for sale: 'Aaaaahh... Selfish Jean', stretching from the back and rotating around to the front, and 'Art, Music, Jaffa Cake
s', with additional tick boxes, which have been very popular among fans.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
alternative rock
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 Travis
Travis (band)
Travis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy , Dougie Payne , Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose...
, released as the second single from their fifth studio album, The Boy with No Name
The Boy with No Name
The Boy with No Name is the fifth studio album from Scottish Indie pop band Travis. The album was released on May 7, 2007. The album sold over 442,900 copies worldwide.-Background:...
on July 9, 2007.
Lyrics
The title of the song is a reference to The Selfish GeneThe Selfish Gene
The Selfish Gene is a book on evolution by Richard Dawkins, published in 1976. It builds upon the principal theory of George C. Williams's first book Adaptation and Natural Selection. Dawkins coined the term "selfish gene" as a way of expressing the gene-centred view of evolution as opposed to the...
, a novel by Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
. The song was first written by Fran Healy
Francis Healy
Francis "Fran" Healy is a Scottish musician. He is currently the lead singer and main songwriter of the Scottish band Travis, having written nearly all of the songs on their six studio albums. He is based in Berlin, Germany...
in 2005 in his apartment in New York, and was demoed using Healy's own computer. He sampled the drum intro from the Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
song "Lust For Life
Lust for Life (song)
"Lust for Life" is a 1977 song performed by Iggy Pop and co-written by David Bowie, featured on the album Lust for Life. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it #147 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.-Music:...
", looped it to create a basic rhythm, and then played the song and recorded vocals over the top of the rhythm track. The demo was then taken to Travis drummer Neil Primrose as an example of what to play, and thus, the song exists in its current form. The lyrics for the song's bridge are taken directly from an earlier B-side, "Standing On My Own", which appeared on the 1997 single "Tied to the 90s
Tied to the 90s
"Tied to the 90s" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Travis, released as the third single from their debut studio album, Good Feeling. The lyrics of the song depict the woes of songwriter Fran Healy through the decade. The song peaked at number thirty on the UK Singles Chart...
".
Background
The single found its way onto the BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
playlist, receiving around twenty plays per week. Even though it charted at a relatively disappointing #30 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, it is a song much loved by Travis fans and is performed at a majority of Travis concerts. B-sides for the single include the newly-written song "You Bring Me Down", as well as two Squeeze covers - "Is That Love
Is That Love
"Is That Love" was the first single released from Squeeze's fourth album, East Side Story. It peaked at number 35 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2007, Scottish group Travis covered the song on their single "Selfish Jean"....
" and "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)
Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)
"Pulling Mussels " is a new wave song by the band Squeeze. First released on the 1980 album Argybargy, it received positive critical reviews, peaked at #44 on the UK Singles Chart, and became one of Squeeze's most popular songs...
".
Music video
The music video was released on the band's MySpace page before the release of The Boy with No NameThe Boy with No Name
The Boy with No Name is the fifth studio album from Scottish Indie pop band Travis. The album was released on May 7, 2007. The album sold over 442,900 copies worldwide.-Background:...
. Directed by American comedian Demetri Martin
Demetri Martin
Demetri Martin is an American comedian, actor, artist, musician, writer and humorist. Martin is best known for his work as a stand-up comedian, contributor on The Daily Show and for his Comedy Central show Important Things with Demetri Martin.- Early life :Demetri Martin was born to a Greek...
, the video features Martin who begins by wearing 19 T-shirts with words and pictures to illustrate lyrics from the song, removing them to progressively reveal the T-shirts underneath. Some of these T-shirts have been recreated for sale: 'Aaaaahh... Selfish Jean', stretching from the back and rotating around to the front, and 'Art, Music, Jaffa Cake
Jaffa cake
Jaffa Cakes are a snack in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Whether a Jaffa Cake is a cake or a biscuit is debated. The product was introduced by McVitie and Price in 1927 and were named after Jaffa oranges, sweet oranges native to Jaffa....
s', with additional tick boxes, which have been very popular among fans.
Track listing
- UK CD Single
- "Selfish Jean" - 4:00
- "You Bring Me Down" - 3:23
- "Selfish Jean" (Video)
- 7" Vinyl #1
- "Selfish Jean" - 4:00
- "Is That Love" - 4:18
- 7" Vinyl #2
- "Selfish Jean" - 4:00
- "Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)" - 2:43
- European Single
- "Selfish Jean" - 4:00
- "You Bring Me Down" - 3:23
- "Is That Love" - 4:18
- "Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)" - 2:43
- "Selfish Jean" (Video)
Charts
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 30 |