Veruca Salt is an alternative rock group from Chicago, Illinois, USA formed… Read Full Bio ↴Veruca Salt is an alternative rock group from Chicago, Illinois, USA formed in 1993. The band consists of Louise Post (vocals, guitar), Nina Gordon (vocals, guitar), Steve Lack (bass) and Gordon's brother Jim Shapiro (drums). The band has released five albums: "American Thighs" (1994), "Eight Arms to Hold You" (1997), "Resolver" (2000), "IV" (2006) and "Ghost Notes" (2015).

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.

With David Bowie
Veruca Salt Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

will it ever come?
like it did for you
like it did for you
I kinda heard you singing
oh, I never knew
no, I never knew
my heart skips around
when I hear the sound

I'm never alone
cause you're following me home
I'm falling in love
my walkman and me
with David Bowie
yeah
(you betcha)
with teenage medication
flowing through my veins
I can face the strain and
it's causing a sensation
that I can't explain
yeah, I can't explain
my heart skips around
when I hear the sound
I'm never alone
cause you're following me home
I'm falling in love
my walkman and me
with David Bowie
you want me to sing
I can, I can
you want me to play
I can, I can
you want to be in a band
I can
I'll never be anything more than I was today
than I was today
(yeah)
and will it ever come?
like it did for you
like it did for you
I kinda heard you singing
oh, I never knew
no, I never knew
my heart skips around
when I hear the sound
I'm never alone
cause you're following me home
I'm falling in love
my best friend and me
with David Bowie
him and me
in a tree
i-n-g
yeah

like it did for you
I kinda heard you singing

Overall Meaning

The song "With David Bowie" by Veruca Salt encapsulates the idea of finding solace and friendship through music, particularly through the icon himself, David Bowie. The lyrics begin with the question of whether the same feeling of connection and inspiration that the singer perceives in Bowie's work will ever come to them as well. The singer expresses their admiration and fascination for the way Bowie can make them feel accompanied and understood through his music, despite never having met him in person. The song takes on a dreamy and nostalgic tone, with the singer reminiscing about their teenage years when they found solace and escape in Bowie's music. The line "with teenage medication flowing through my veins" suggests that Bowie's music acted as a form of escapism and release for the singer during a particularly intense and formative period of their lives.

The song describes the feeling of being lost and unsure of oneself, yet comforted by the presence of a hero-figure like Bowie. The singer believes that Bowie follows them home and they are "never alone" when they have their Walkman and Bowie's music playing. The chorus repeats the idea of the singer's heart skipping a beat when they hear Bowie's sound, which represents the way music can affect and connect us emotionally.

In the song, the singer also expresses their dreams and aspirations, acknowledging that they may never become anything more than what they are today. They long to play and sing like Bowie, and even join a band, but they also recognize that the connection they have found through music is enough to bring happiness into their life, even if it doesn't lead to fame or success.

Overall, the song "With David Bowie" captures the timeless and universal power of music to bring people together and offer a sense of belonging, particularly through the work of such an iconic and influential artist as David Bowie.

Line by Line Meaning

will it ever come?
Will I ever achieve success, like you did in your career?

like it did for you
I hope to achieve the level of success that you did in your music career.

I kinda heard you singing
I have heard your music and I am inspired by it.

oh, I never knew
I was not aware of the impact your music would have on me.

no, I never knew
I was not aware of the impact your music would have on me.

my heart skips around
I am filled with excitement and joy when I hear your music.

when I hear the sound
Whenever I am listening to your music.

I'm never alone
I feel your presence and your music is always with me.

cause you're following me home
Your music is always with me, even when I leave the concert venue.

I'm falling in love
I am falling in love with your music and the emotions it evokes in me.

my walkman and me
I am always listening to your music, even when I am alone.

with David Bowie
I am a huge fan of David Bowie and his music.

you want me to sing
If you want me to sing, I am capable of doing so.

you want me to play
If you want me to play music, I am capable of doing so.

you want to be in a band
If you want to start a band, I am willing to participate.

I'll never be anything more than I was today
I accept who I am today and I am content with what I have achieved.

than I was today
I am comfortable with who I am right now in this moment.

and will it ever come?
Will I ever achieve the level of success that you did in your music career?