"Blubber Boy" is a song by Australian rock band
Regurgitator
Regurgitator are an Australian alternative rock band from Brisbane, Queensland, formed in late 1993 by Quan Yeomans on lead vocals, guitar and keyboards; Ben Ely on bass guitar, keyboards and vocals; and Martin Lee on drums. Their debut stud ...
. The song was released as a radio single in Australia in 1995
promoting the band's second EP ''
New
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995
* "New" (Daya song), 2017
* "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
'' (1995). The song was released in the UK as a CD and 7" Single. The song ranked at number 17 on
Triple J's Hottest 100 in 1995. A remixed version of the song (Riding the Wave of Fashion Mix) was released on the band's debut studio album, ''
Tu-Plang
''Tu-Plang'' (ตู้เพลง Thai for ''Jukebox'') is the debut studio album released by Australian rock band Regurgitator. It was released in Australia in May 1996, where it sold well despite receiving little radio airplay.https://www. ...
'' in 1996.
Details
Yeomans had been inspired by a book on feminist fairy-tales give to him by
Kiley Gaffney. Ely said, "Quan brought the song into practice and Martin and I were going, "Are you sure you want to do this?' To us it was uncool because it wasn't in 7/8 time. But it felt good. And he said the word 'cunt' in it ''quite'' a lot. So then we were like, he's swearing, it must be OK."
Of all the Inuit-based fairy tales in that book, "Blubber Boy" was the tamest one, according to Yeomans.
Reception
In 2019, Tyler Jenke from The Brag ranked Regurgitator's best songs, with "Blubber Boy" coming it at number 3. Jenke said "It's not often that bands get their start by singing a song based upon an
Inuit
Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...
fairytale about drowned boyfriends and blubber… replacements, but Regurgitator aren't exactly a normal band. A prime example of their early talent, 'Blubber Boy' is still a tune whose chorus commands a massive singalong during a live show."
Andrew Stafford, in ''
Pig City'', called it "Unabashed pop, instantly memorable, with a lyric as ribald as it was eccentric."
Live performances
In support of their album ''Tu-Plang'', Regurgitator performed "Blubber Boy" (alongside singles "
F.S.O." and "
Kong Foo Sing") on the Australian music show
Recovery. Looking back at that performance in a 2019 interview with the band,
Dylan Lewis
Dylan Thomas Lewis (born 19 February 1973) is an Australian television and radio host. He is currently the host of ''Arvo's'' on Double J. As a musician, he played in funk/alternative rock band The Brown Hornet under the stage name Dirk Vile. ...
, the show's host, was surprised at how they got away with performing the song on a Saturday morning TV timeslot, considering its lyric. Yeomans considers the Recovery performance to be "one of my proudest moments from the early days
f Regurgitator.
Track listings
Release history
References
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1995 singles
1995 songs
Regurgitator songs
Songs written by Quan Yeomans
Song recordings produced by Magoo (Australian producer)
Warner Music Australasia singles