Bricks Are Heavy is the third album by the Los Angeles band L7, released in… Read Full Bio ↴Bricks Are Heavy is the third album by the Los Angeles band L7, released in April 1992 through Slash Records. Backed by the single "Pretend We're Dead", the album became a breakthrough hit and the band became the "poster girls" of grunge music.
The album was released shortly after grunge had broken into the mainstream with the surprise success of Nirvana's Nevermind. In July 1992, the song "Pretend We're Dead" gained popularity among American rock radio stations, where it received regular airplay. By late August, the album had reached #1 on Billboard's Heatseekers album chart, and two weeks later it peaked at #160 on the Billboard 200.
Musically the album is heavier and dirtier than the band's previous recordings. While the band retained its punk and hardcore punk roots, there was more emphasis on heavy metal than before. It was produced by Butch Vig, who is renowned for his work with bands such as Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, and later Garbage.
* Rolling Stone: "The Essential Recordings of the 1990s"
* The Village Voice: "Pazz & Jop 1992 Critics Poll: Albums" – #32
* The Village Voice: "Pazz & Jop 1992 Critics Poll: Singles" – #11 ("Pretend We're Dead")
The song Pretend We're Dead was featured on the video games Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Rock Band 2. The song "Shitlist" was featured in the Oliver Stone's 1994 film Natural Born Killers and its soundtrack.
The album was released shortly after grunge had broken into the mainstream with the surprise success of Nirvana's Nevermind. In July 1992, the song "Pretend We're Dead" gained popularity among American rock radio stations, where it received regular airplay. By late August, the album had reached #1 on Billboard's Heatseekers album chart, and two weeks later it peaked at #160 on the Billboard 200.
Musically the album is heavier and dirtier than the band's previous recordings. While the band retained its punk and hardcore punk roots, there was more emphasis on heavy metal than before. It was produced by Butch Vig, who is renowned for his work with bands such as Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, and later Garbage.
* Rolling Stone: "The Essential Recordings of the 1990s"
* The Village Voice: "Pazz & Jop 1992 Critics Poll: Albums" – #32
* The Village Voice: "Pazz & Jop 1992 Critics Poll: Singles" – #11 ("Pretend We're Dead")
The song Pretend We're Dead was featured on the video games Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Rock Band 2. The song "Shitlist" was featured in the Oliver Stone's 1994 film Natural Born Killers and its soundtrack.
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Bricks Are Heavy
L7 Lyrics
Diet Pill My diet pill is wearing off My diet pill is wearing…
Everglade Glade told her ma, "Home scene's lame" "I gotta go head…
Monster Come on over It's getting late It's time to fish No time to…
Mr. Integrity stranded in the streets of san francisco a rust car pulled…
One More Thing I've just 'bout had enough I'm drowning from too much stuff …
Pretend We're Dead What's up with what's going down In every city, in every…
Scrap I met a skinhead named Scrap He lived in my friend's…
Shitlist When I get mad And I get pissed I grab my pen And…
Slide I put your stuff out on the porch - lettin'…
This Ain't Pleasure No raving beauty She's got a good heart He's got escaping …
Wargasm Wargasm, wargasm one, two, three Tie a yellow ribbon around …
Fartley Hawgshlong
on Pretend We're Dead
The L7 song "Scrap" explores themes of identity, rebellion, and self-destruction. The narrator of the song describes a skinhead named Scrap who lives in his friend's garage and spends his days inhaling spray paint fumes. The lyrics suggest that he is searching for something, perhaps a sense of purpose or meaning, but is unable to find it. He meets some Christians from hell and goes on a trip to Las Vegas with them, but ultimately returns to the garage only to find it gone. The song ends with the suggestion that he is now growing his hair and moving on, perhaps to a new phase of his life.
The lyrics use vivid imagery to convey the sense of disorientation and desperation that Scrap feels. The repetition of the line "Grab a paper bag like an oxygen mask / Until your mind starts to gel" suggests that he is constantly seeking some kind of escape or release from his reality. The reference to the "funky dying brain cell" adds a sense of urgency and danger to the situation, emphasizing the potentially harmful effects of his lifestyle.
Overall, "Scrap" is a powerful and thought-provoking song that explores the darker aspects of human nature. It paints a vivid picture of a troubled individual trying to find his way in a confusing and sometimes hostile world.