Veruca Salt was formed alongside the friendship of Louise Post and Nina Gordon. Introduced by Gordon's good friend, actress Lili Taylor, Gordon and Post quickly bonded and formed what is now known as Veruca Salt. Originally, the band was an Indigo Girls-inspired acoustic act, but the women quickly realized this wasn't their sound. They quickly enlisted bass player Steve Lack and eventually Gordon's brother Jim Shapiro joined as a drummer, even though he originally was just drumming as a favor to his sister.
Veruca Salt released a self-funded demo tape and shopped it to labels, and began to play a handful of small club shows. The buzz around the band grew furiously, and after only a few live gigs, the band was signed to Minty Fresh Records and began recording with producer Brad Wood. At the time Brad was popular due to having recently produced Liz Phair's critically acclaimed Exile in Guyville.
The band released an orange 7" single for the song "Seether" to radio. "Seether" was a bratty, distorted alt-rocker about an angry and misunderstood woman. Compared to the rest of Veruca Salt's material, "Seether" was very pop, so much so that Gordon said that when she wrote it, she didn't think the rest of the band would like it. They sent "Seether" to radio, as it was the most radio-friendly song they had written and the reaction was unexpectedly positive. Unfortunately, the album wasn't complete and they found themselves rushing to complete the album, before "Seether" lost its radio momentum. It ended up peaking at #8 on the Modern Rock charts.
Geffen Records signed the band after an intense label bidding war and American Thighs was released October 25, 1994. It peaked on the Billboard Top 100 at 69 and was certified Gold. The follow-up single "All Hail Me" failed to chart Top 40 on Modern Rock, and the last single from the album, "Number One Blind", written by Gordon, did better than the previous single at 20 on Modern Rock chart, but nowhere near as well as "Seether". Gordon and Post were unhappy with the song's video, and it was pulled after airing fewer than five times on MTV.
To support this album, Veruca Salt opened for such acts as Hole, Live and PJ Harvey, as well as their own headlining club tour.
The band released an EP in 1996 titled Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt to tide fans over until their next album.
After touring for American Thighs, Gordon and Post entered the studio with Bob Rock to record their second album. They were inspired to work with Bob after hearing Metallica's "Enter Sandman" on the loud-system before a Veruca Salt concert at an outdoor music festival.
Eight Arms to Hold You, which was released February 11, 1997 on Geffen Records, proved to be a difficult and dividing album. Some fans of American Thighs were disappointed by the polished, hard-rock and distinctively Bob Rock production, in comparison to the laidback indie buzz-bin vibe of American Thighs. The new album garnered mixed reviews from music critics as well. Band members have since admitted that this album was difficult for the band, and the recording process was extremely tense. However, Eight Arms to Hold You sold well due to the success of the first single "Volcano Girls", written by Gordon. It was a catchy, power-pop tantrum that matched "Seether"'s success, peaking at #8 on the Modern Rock charts. This album, however, didn't have longevity, and despite peaking higher (Billboard Top 100 at 55) than American Thighs, sales dropped off drastically when the second single "Shutterbug" failed to chart despite a high budget video and Saturday Night Live performance, as well as other promotion. Three more singles were sent to radio ("The Morning Sad", "Straight" and "Benjamin") but none of them did well enough to warrant a video. However, the Gordon-penned "Benjamin" was released internationally as the third and last commercial single from the album despite having no video and no promotion. "Benjamin" also failed to chart. Shapiro left the band soon after the release of Eight Arms and was replaced by Stacy Jones (of Letters to Cleo and now American Hi-Fi). Jones toured with the band on the Eight Arms tour, but never recorded with them.
Veruca Salt toured extensively for Eight Arms to Hold You, opening for Bush as well as a lengthy international headlining club tour.
Nina Gordon left Veruca Salt in early 1998 amid rumors of stolen boyfriends and physical altercations with bandmate Louise Post. Post, now the only original band member, recruited a new band, consisting of Stephen Fitzpatrick (guitar), Suzanne Sokol (bass) and Jimmy Madla (drums), and continued to record and perform under the Veruca Salt moniker. The new band signed with Beyond Records. The first album with the new lineup was 2000's Resolver.
December 2002 saw the release of both Resolver and lead single "Born Entertainer", in Australia through Embryo Records / MGM. Following the release of "Born Entertainer" Embryo Records / MGM released the single "Officially Dead" which contained newly recorded tracks as well as a remix of 'the Same Person. The band toured Australia, including the "Splendour in the Grass" festival alongside bands such as Placebo and Coldplay. 'Yeah Man' was released as a radio only single.
After planning to take some time to step away from the music industry the band once again toured and performed at some festival shows in Australia. The tour took in the capital cities as well as performances at both the "Falls Festival" and the newly created Southbound festival in Perth. The band completed the 2 week tour and upon arrival back in the United States performed a show at the iconic "Viper Room". The band debuted the tracks 'Blissful Queen' and 'Circular Trend' live, both would end up on the album "IV"
2005 saw another couple of line-up changes with Sokol and Madla leaving, being replaced by Solomon Snyder on bass and Michael Miley on drums for the recording of the EP Lords of Sounds and Lesser Things (LOSALT). The band then went on tour as Post, Fitzpatrick, drummer Kellii Scott and bassist Nicole Fiorentino. LOSALT was released and sold independently at the bands shows and via the website and included six new songs. The title of the EP is an extract from Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. This preluded the full length album, "IV", released September 2006 and accompanied by a US tour. The lead single "So Weird" was released to radio at the end of October 2006.
They recorded a cover of Neil Young's song "Burned" for a 2007 Breast Cancer Benefit album due for release in October 2007. The band became inactive sometime after that, announcing in 2012 that they had entered an indefinite hiatus.
In 2013, the original lineup of the band reunited. In 2014, the band released the single "The Museum of Broken Relationships." and went on a tour of the United States and Australia. The band's first album in nine years, "Ghost Notes", was released in July 2015.
Seether
Veruca Salt Lyrics
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Seether is neither black nor white
I try to keep her on a short leash
I try to calm her down
I try to ram her into the ground, yeah
Can't fight the seether
Can't fight the seether
Can't fight the seether
I can't see her till I'm foaming at the mouth
Seether is neither big nor small
Seether is the center of it all
I try to rock her in my cradle
I try to knock her out
I try to cram her back in my mouth, yeah
Can't fight the seether (seether)
Can't fight the seether (seether)
Can't fight the seether
I can't see her till I'm foaming at the mouth
Keep her down, boiling water
Keep her down, what a lovely daughter
Oh she is not born like other girls
But I know how to conceive her
Oh she may not look like other girls
But she's a snarl tooth seether, seether
Can't fight the seether
Can't fight the seether
Can't fight the seether
I can't see her till I'm foaming at the mouth
Can't fight the seether (seether)
Can't fight the seether (seether)
Can't fight the seether
I can't see her till I'm foaming at the mouth
Yeah
"Seether" by Veruca Salt is a song about obsession and the inability to control powerful emotions. The lyrics describe a person trying to keep their "seether," or their powerful and intense feelings, under control. The singer describes their attempts to "keep her on a short leash" and "calm her down," but ultimately fails as they "can't see her till [they're] foaming at the mouth." The metaphorical language of the song suggests that the seether is a force that is not easily contained or tamed.
The second verse continues the metaphor, describing the seether as "the center of it all." The singer tries to comfort themselves by rocking their seether "in [their] cradle," but ultimately resorts to violence, saying they "try to cram her back in [their] mouth." The bridge of the song takes a sinister turn, as the singer suggests that their seether is like a child that they have conceived and that they must keep "down" with "boiling water." The final lines of the song describe the seether as a "snarl tooth seether," suggesting that it is wild and dangerous.
Overall, the lyrics of "Seether" paint a picture of a person struggling to contain their intense emotions, resorting to violent thoughts and actions in an attempt to keep their seether under control.
Line by Line Meaning
Seether is neither loose nor tight
Seether is not easily contained or controlled
Seether is neither black nor white
Seether is not simple or straightforward
I try to keep her on a short leash
I try to control Seether's actions and behavior
I try to calm her down
I attempt to soothe Seether and keep her from causing trouble
I try to ram her into the ground, yeah
I forcefully attempt to subdue Seether
Can't fight the seether
I cannot resist the power and influence of Seether
I can't see her till I'm foaming at the mouth
Seether drives me to a state of madness and uncontrolled behavior
Seether is neither big nor small
Seether is not defined by size or stature
Seether is the center of it all
Seether is the source of power and chaos
I try to rock her in my cradle
I try to manipulate and control Seether
I try to knock her out
I attempt to suppress Seether's negative influence
I try to cram her back in my mouth, yeah
I try to contain and hide Seether's destructive tendencies
Keep her down, boiling water
I attempt to subdue Seether using any means necessary
Keep her down, what a lovely daughter
I appreciate and embrace Seether's destructive qualities
Oh she is not born like other girls
Seether is unique and unlike anything else
But I know how to conceive her
I am responsible for creating and nurturing Seether's power
Oh she may not look like other girls
Seether's appearance does not represent her true nature
But she's a snarl tooth seether, seether
Seether is a fierce and uncontrollable force
Lyrics ยฉ Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: Nina Gordon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Charles
on Volcano Girls
Louise and Nina are the two singersโฆ