"Chalk Dust Torture" is a 1992 song by the American band

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...

. It is the thirteenth track from their 1992 album ''

A Picture of Nectar ''A Picture of Nectar'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Phish. The album was released on February 18, 1992, by Elektra Records and was the band's debut release for a major record label. The album is dedicated to Nector Rorris, ...

'' and was also released as their first

promotional single A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

. The song is a riff-based, fast-paced

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

song written by Phish

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

and

lead vocalist The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

Trey Anastasio Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III (born September 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, composer, and singer-songwriter best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 ...

and

lyricist A lyricist is a writer who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income derives ...

Tom Marshall. The studio recording features a lowered pitch effect on Anastasio's lead vocal, and in order to accommodate the lower pitch (one half-step down), the song's typical key of E was dropped to Eb. "Chalk Dust Torture" was the band's first song to receive significant radio airplay, peaking at No. 53 on the ''

Radio & Records ''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...

Album-oriented rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the late 1960s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. US rad ...

chart in 1992.

History

The main guitar riff for the song originated in the fall of 1990 on a track called "Self." Recorded in studio in August 1991 (and later released in 1994 on '' Crimes of the Mind)'', it featured a collaboration between Phish and their longtime friend,

The Dude of Life Steve Pollak (born ), best known by his stage name The Dude of Life, is a musician and lyricist. Early life Steve Pollak is from White Plains, New York. He attended high school in the early 1980s. He earned the alias Dude of Life in high school ...

(aka, Steve Pollak). The song was re-worked and included in the recording sessions for ''A Picture of Nectar.'' In addition to the CD single, the track was also released as an unedited LP to radio stations. Played at over a quarter of their live shows, band members have taken a particular liking to playing the song in a live setting. Since debuting in February 1991, drummer

Jon Fishman Jon Fishman (born February 19, 1965) is an American drummer and co-founder of the band Phish, which was, in part, named after him. He is credited with co-writing nineteen Phish songs, eight with a solo credit. Early life Fishman was born in Ph ...

claims that the song went from being among his "least favorite" in the Phish catalog, to one that he hopes to play well into his eighties. He sarcastically notes that the lyric "can I live while I'm young?" sounds ever "more desperate" the older the band gets. In 1994, Phish performed the song on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

'', supposedly at the host's request. As the song's lyricist, Marshall has said that it was among the last he wrote by hand before switching to a computer.

Track listing

#"Chalk Dust Torture" (

, Tom Marshall) - 4:35

Personnel

– guitars, vocals :

Page McConnell Page Samuel McConnell (born May 17, 1963) is an American multi-instrumentalist, most noted for his work as the keyboardist and a songwriter for the band Phish. McConnell joined Phish in 1985, and is the only member of its long-standing quartet li ...

– keyboards, backing vocals :

Mike Gordon Michael Eliot Gordon (born June 3, 1965) is an American bass guitarist and vocalist most recognized as a founding member of the band Phish. In addition to bass, Gordon plays banjo, piano, and guitar. He is a filmmaker ('' Rising Low'', '' Outs ...

– bass guitar, backing vocals :

– drums

Also appears on

*''

A Live One ''A Live One'' is a live album by the American rock band Phish, released on June 27, 1995, by Elektra Records. The album was the band's first official live release, their first album to be certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Associatio ...

'' (1995) *''

Live Phish Volume 2 ''Live Phish Vol. 2'' was recorded live on July 16, 1994, and was released on September 18, 2001, as part of the Live Phish Series. The show was performed on the side of a ski slope at the Sugarbush Resort in the town of North Fayston, located i ...

'' (2001) *'' Live Phish Volume 6'' (2001) *'' Live Phish Volume 7'' (2002) *'' Live Phish Volume 8'' (2002) *'' Live Phish Volume 16'' (2002) *'' Live Phish Volume 17'' (2003) *'' It (DVD)'' (2004) *'' Live Phish 04.02.98'' (2005) *'' New Year's Eve 1995'' (2005) *'' At the Roxy'' (2008) *''

The Clifford Ball (DVD) ''The Clifford Ball'' is a seven-DVD box set released on March 3, 2009 by the rock band Phish. It was performed on August 16 and August 17, 1996 at Plattsburgh Air Force Base in Plattsburgh, NY, chronicling the first of ten Phish festivals. The ...

'' (2009) *'' Hampton/Winston-Salem '97'' (2011) *''

Chicago '94 ''Chicago '94'' is a live album by the rock band Phish. It contains two complete concerts on six CDs, and was recorded at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois on June 18 and November 25, 1994. It was released by JEMP Records on July 31, 2012. C ...

'' (2012) *'' Ventura'' (2013)

Notes

{{authority control 1992 songs Songs written by Trey Anastasio Songs written by Tom Marshall (singer) Phish songs Elektra Records singles 1992 debut singles