"You Suffer" is a song by English

grindcore Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. ...

band

Napalm Death Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in 1981 in Meriden, West Midlands. None of the band's original members has been in the group since 1986. But since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch ...

from the band's debut studio album, '' Scum'' (1987). The song is precisely 1.316 seconds long. The song was written by

Nicholas Bullen Nicholas Bullen (sometimes called Nik Napalm; born 1968) is an English musician and a founding member of the grindcore band Napalm Death. Biography Bullen is one of the founding members – with Miles Ratledge (Rat) – of Napalm Death, th ...

Justin Broadrick Justin Karl Michael Broadrick (born 15 August 1969) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the band Godflesh, one of the first bands to combine elements of extreme metal and i ...

, and

Mick Harris Michael John Harris (born 4 October 1967) is an English musician from Birmingham. He was the drummer for Napalm Death between 1985 and 1991, and is credited for coining the term "grindcore". After Napalm Death, Harris joined Painkiller with Joh ...

during the March 1986 demo sessions for ''

From Enslavement to Obliteration ''From Enslavement to Obliteration'' is the second studio album by English grindcore band Napalm Death, released in 1988. It is the final studio album with vocalist Lee Dorrian and guitarist Bill Steer, and the first to feature bassist Shane Em ...

''. The track currently holds the world record for shortest recorded song.

Background and influence

The official four-word lyrics to the song are: "''You suffer, but why?''".

said about the song:

, writer of the song's four-word lyrics, said that the brevity of "You Suffer" was inspired by Wehrmacht's 1985 song "E!". The song has since been recognized by ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' as the shortest ever recorded. "You Suffer" would become an influence on the "noisecore" micro-genre, inspiring many bands such as

Sore Throat Sore throat, also known as throat pain, is pain or irritation of the throat. Usually, causes of sore throat include * viral infections * group A streptococcal infection (GAS) bacterial infection * pharyngitis (inflammation of the throat) * tonsi ...

, 7 Minutes of Nausea, Deche-Charge,

Anal Cunt Anal Cunt, also known as AxCx and A.C., was an American grindcore band that formed in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1988. From its inception, the band underwent a number of line-up changes and never had a bass player. The band, known for its flippan ...

, and others to release full-length recordings of exclusively "microsong" content. Swedish metal band

Opeth Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal/rock band from Stockholm, formed in 1990 by lead vocalist David Isberg. The group has been through several personnel changes, including the replacement of every original member; notably Isberg in 1992. Mikael ...

has covered the song live.

Release

In 1989, "You Suffer" appeared on one side of a 7" single given away free with copies of a compilation album entitled ''Grindcrusher''. The song on the other side, "Mega-Armageddon Death Part 3" by the Electro Hippies, also lasts approximately one second, making the disc the shortest single ever released. Each side features one groove at the outer edge of the disc containing the music, with the rest of the surface containing etched writing and cartoons. To coincide with the release of the ''Scum''

DualDisc The DualDisc is a type of double-sided optical disc product developed by a group of record companies including MJJ Productions Inc., EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and 5.1 Entertainment Group an ...

in March 2007, a music video produced by Earache Records was released for the song. The video shows a girl jumping up and down with fake blood/gunshot effects overlayed on the footage.

Track listing

Vinyl release

Side one

* "You Suffer" :01

Side Two

* "Mega-Armageddon Death Part 3" (performed by Electro Hippies) :01

Digital release

# "You Suffer" :01 # "Dead" :02

In popular culture

In 2018, "You Suffer" was featured in the 2014

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television, premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office busi ...

television series ''

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo County ...

'' in the episode "Chief Operating Officer". The character Gilfoyle uses the song as a notification for bitcoin price fluctuations; specifically, when the price drops below a certain threshold that makes it no longer profitable for his computer to mine.

References

External links

*
Discogs entry
{{Authority control 1987 songs Napalm Death songs 1989 singles Comedy rock songs Grindcore songs