Never widely popular amongst the general public, Suicide are highly influential: critic Wilson Neate argues that Suicide "would prove as influential as The Clash. Listening to their self-titled 1977 debut from the vantage point of late 2002, it's all so obvious: The synthpop, techno, and industrial dance sounds of the '80s and '90s, and now the new New Wave of electroclash, all gesture back to that foundational album. In a November 1970 flyer the band was the first ever to use the phrase "punk music" to advertise a concert. Suicide took their name from the title of a Ghost Rider comic book titled Satan Suicide, a favorite of Alan Vega. Rev's simple keyboard riffs, (initially played on a battered Farfisa organ combined with effects units, before changing to a synthesizer), were accompanied by primitive drum machines, providing a pulsing, minimalistic, electronic backdrop for Vega's murmuring and nervy vocals. They were the first band to use the term punk to describe themselves, which they had adopted from an article by Lester Bangs. Some of their earliest posters use the terms "punk music" and "punk music mass".
Suicide emerged alongside the early glam punk scene in New York, with a reputation for their confrontational live shows. Many of their early shows were at the Mercer Arts Center, alongside bands like the New York Dolls and Eric Emerson and the Magic Tramps. David Johansen once played harmonica with Suicide in an early show there. Vega and Rev both dressed like arty street thugs, and Vega was notorious for brandishing a length of motorcycle drive chain onstage. Vega once stated "We started getting booed as soon as we came onstage. Just from the way we looked they started giving us hell already. This sort of audience confrontation was inspired by Vega's witnessing of an Iggy and the Stooges concert at the New York State Pavilion in August 1969, which he later described as "great art". After the collapse of the Mercer Arts Center in 1973, Suicide played at Max's Kansas City and CBGB, often sharing the bill with emerging punk bands. Their first album was reissued with bonus material, including "23 Minutes Over Brussels", a recording of a Suicide concert that deteriorated into a riot.
Their first album, Suicide (1977), is regarded a classic. One critic writes: "'Che", "Ghost Rider"—these eerie, sturdy, proto-punk anthems rank among the most visionary, melodic experiments the rock realm has yet produced." Of note is the ten-minute "Frankie Teardrop", which tells the story of a poverty-stricken young factory worker, pushed to the edge. Critic Emerson Dameron writes that the song is "one of the most terrifying, riveting, absurd things I’ve ever heard. Nick Hornby in his book 31 Songs described "Frankie Teardrop" as something you would listen to "Only once".
Suicide's albums of the late 1970s and early 1980s are regarded as some of the most influential recordings of their time and helped shape the direction of indie rock, industrial music and dance music. Among others, Steve Albini (Shellac, Rapeman, Big Black), Panthére, Gang Gang Dance, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Sisters of Mercy, She Wants Revenge, Henry Rollins, Joy Division/New Order, Soft Cell, Nick Cave, Cassandra Complex, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Radiohead, Kap Bambino, Spacemen 3, Spiritualized, Angel Corpus Christi (covers of Dream Baby Dream and Cheree with Alan Vega guest vocals), Michael Gira, MGMT, Sonic Boom, Loop, The Fleshtones (both of whom have recorded cover versions of "Rocket USA"), Ric Ocasek of The Cars, Mi Ami, R.E.M. and The Kills have all listed Suicide as an influence. Bruce Springsteen was also influenced by the band, as evident by the song "State Trooper" from his album Nebraska. Furthermore, Springsteen also used a solo keyboard version of "Dream Baby Dream" to close the concerts on his 2005 Devils & Dust Tour.
In 1986, Alan Vega collaborated with Andrew Eldritch of The Sisters of Mercy on the 'Gift' album, released under the name of 'The Sisterhood'. Vega and Rev have both released solo albums, and Suicide released their first album in over a decade with 2002's American Supreme. Sales, however, were slow and critical reception was mixed.
In 2005, SAF Publishing put out Suicide No Compromise, a "docu-biography" by David Nobahkt, which featured extensive interviews with Vega and Rev as well as many of their contemporaries and famous fans.
In 2008, Blast First Petite released a monthly, limited edition series of 10" Vinyl EP's and downloads by major artists, honoring Alan Vega's 70th birthday. Among those paying tribute were Bruce Springsteen, Primal Scream, Peaches, Grinderman, Spiritualized, The Horrors, Sunn 0))+Pansonic, Julian Cope, Lydia Lunch, Vincent Gallo, LIARS, & The Klaxons. The label also released "Suicide: 1977-1978", a 6 CD box-set, the same year.
In September 2009, the group performed their debut LP live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series.
In mid-2009, the band The Horrors released a cover of the song "Shadazz" as part of a tribute to Alan Vega and his work. They've performed it many times live, along with another Suicide song, "Ghost Rider". Later that year, Primal Scream and Miss Kittin covered the song "Diamonds, Fur Coat, Champagne" for a limited-edition 10-inch vinyl pressing. A total of 3,000 copies were pressed and released on March 30, 2009.
"Ghost Rider" was recently featured in a sixth season episode of HBO's Entourage. "Ghost Rider" is featured in movies Finisterrae and Attenberg. The riff from "Ghost Rider" was sampled extensively in M.I.A.'s single, "Born Free", released in April 2010.
"Ghostrider" was covered by the garage punk band The Gories and released on the Cheapo Crypt Sampler No. 2.
In May 2010 the band performed the entire first album live at two London concerts, double billed with Iggy & The Stooges performing Raw Power.
In April 2012, Neneh Cherry released a cover of the song "Dream Baby Dream" which will appear on her album, The Cherry Thing.
Vocalist Alan Vega passed away on July 16, 2016 at the age of 78.
There are other artists with this name:
2) A death metal band from Turkey, who pioneered the Turkish death metal scene.
3) A darkstep DJ from Russia. 4)
A grunge / hardcore band from Milevsko, Czech Republic. 5) A Croatian rapper.
2) Suicide is a band from Ankara, Turkey, considered to be the pioneers of the Turkish death metal scene. Suicide was founded by guitarist Erkan Tatoglu and his friends in 1989. Their first concert was at Talip Cinema in Ankara in 1991, where the band played to an audience of approximately 1300 people. After many changes in the line up, Erkan moved to vocals and Hakan Kuscu joined the band as the lead guitarist in 1994. Esad Erbil joined in 1995 as the bass guitar player. The band's current line up was completed after Caglar Yurut joined them in 2003. In Turkey, the band took stage in more than 50 concerts mostly in Ankara, Eskisehir, Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir, Kayseri and Mersin. The band, also known as the "Death Metal Titans" in Turkey have released an EP called "Spiritual Mess" (2000), a split CD containing the "Spiritual Mess" EP and an album called "One of Your Neighbours" (2004). The debut album "One of Your Neighbours" contains 15 years of experience in 14 songs, that devastate the trends in today's death metal while combining the pieces from old school death metal to technical and brutal death.
3) Suicide is a darkstep / DnB DJ from the Russian Federation. Official Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/suicidespb
Rocket Usa
Suicide Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shooting on down the highway
TV star riding aorund
Riding around in a killer's car
It's nineteen seventy seven
Whole country's doing a fix
It's doomsday doomsday
Riding around with my babe
Speeding on down the skyway
Speeding on down the skyway
Rocket rocket USA
Shooting on down
On my way
TV star riding around
Ridign around in a killer's car
It's doomsday doomsday
Speeding on down the skyway
One hundred miles per hour
Gonna crash
Gonna die
And I don't care
Rocket rocket USA
Shooting on down the skyway
Speeding on down the skyway
Rocket rocket USA
The song "Rocket USA" by the American band Suicide is a high-energy punk rock track that describes the reckless and nihilistic attitude of the American youth in the late 1970s. The lyrics portray the late '70s as a time of social and cultural apathy, where citizens' hopes and the country's future were bleak.
The lines "TV star riding around in a killer's car" suggest a sense of celebrity worship and a fascination for extreme, violent behavior. The chorus, "Rocket rocket USA, shooting on down the highway," depicts an explosive, high-speed, and reckless ride down the American highway. The lyrics suggest that this ride is driven by an impending sense of doom and an utter disregard for life, as seen in the lines "one hundred miles per hour, gonna crash, gonna die, and I don't care."
The song can be interpreted as a commentary on the state of American society and the youth culture of the 1970s. It speaks to the cynicism and nihilism that pervaded the era, as well as the reckless and dangerous behaviors that were often born from that sense of hopelessness.
Line by Line Meaning
Rocket rocket USA
The song's protagonist is addressing the United States, likening it to a spacecraft ascending rapidly into the sky.
Shooting on down the highway
The character is blazing down the road at high speeds, perhaps in a car or on a motorcycle.
TV star riding around
The subject is a celebrity who is driving recklessly on the streets.
Riding around in a killer's car
The artist is potentially in dangerous company, possibly riding with someone who has committed a murder in the past.
It's nineteen seventy seven
The events of the song are set in the year 1977.
Whole country's doing a fix
The singer suggests that the entire nation is caught up in a frenzy, perhaps addicted to drugs or caught up in a chaotic political climate.
It's doomsday doomsday
The song's refrain is a repetition of the word 'doomsday,' emphasizing the bleak, apocalyptic tone of the lyrics.
Riding around, riding high
The subject is enjoying the thrill of speeding down the highway at high speeds.
Riding around with my babe
The artist is romantically involved with someone who is also along for the ride.
Speeding on down the skyway
The character is driving recklessly on an elevated road, again emphasizing the danger of their situation.
On my way
The singer is continuing their high-speed journey down the road.
One hundred miles per hour
The song's protagonist is driving at a dangerous speed, significantly over the speed limit.
Gonna crash
The singer suggests that they may experience a fatal accident due to their reckless driving.
Gonna die
The sense of impending doom is heightened as the character accepts their fate and admits that they may not survive their current course of action.
And I don't care
Despite the risk of danger and death, the singer remains unrepentant and unafraid of the potential consequences of their actions.
Lyrics © REVEGA PUBLISHING CO. , Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN VEGA, MARTIN REVERBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@almishti
I've always loved how he uses the vocal echo like it's an instrument.
@stojmonster
I discovered this album in 1990. Couldn’t believe it was made in the 70s. Still superb in 2021.
@funglefin
Same. Still holds up
@systemlfo
Sounds like the no rules 70s to me. It would be strange if it was made in the 40s
@smokibandit3319
@@systemlfo cope mate, keep seething. name another act from the 70s who sounded anything like this.. i beg you
@systemlfo
@@smokibandit3319- it is a mixture of rockabilly punk vocals and minimal synth, both of which were prevalent in the 70s- punk (vocals) and Krautrock (pioneering the use of synth), as well as BBC studios.
Suicides sound also has a sound of 70s CBGB's "don't care about making money' attitude.
'Seething' , settle down sweetheart and try not to get hysterical
@smokibandit3319
@@systemlfo name. another. act. from. the. 70s. who. sounded. anything. like. this.
@websurfer5772
I like how hypnotizing this music is.
@j.c7719
“It’s doomsday, doomsday” beyond genius, this was so seminal and galvanising. Definitely one of the 10 greatest albums of all time.
@Komnen0s
"Gonna crash,
Gonna die,
and I don't care."