Laid (song)

"Laid" is the title track from Manchester alternative rock band James' fifth studio album, '' Laid'' (1993). Released on 1 November 1993 by Fontana Records, the song was a commercial success, charting in the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, and has received attention as a theme song for the ''American Pie'' film series.

Composition and reception

The song includes the lyric "she only comes when she's on top". The American release of its music video replaced this lyric with "she only ''sings'' when she's on top" (although Tim Booth is seen to lip-sync the original line, and is accompanied by a subtitle reading "hums").

It quickly gained popularity on American college radio and remains the group's best-known song in the United States.

The song peaked at number 61 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number three on the ''Billboard'' Modern Rock Tracks chart, in part due to its cult status as a popular college song in the US. The song was more successful in the band's native UK, where it peaked at number 25, becoming the band's ninth top-40 hit.

One of the Three, the 'unofficial archive of the band James', has said this of the song:

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Laid" was directed by London-based director Zanna and produced by Deidre Allen for M-Ocean. It was released on 1 November 1993 and in the video, men in dresses redefine gender roles.

Usage in ''American Pie''

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the song gained additional exposure and popularity when it was used as the theme song for the '' American Pie'' films starring Jason Biggs and Seann William Scott. A cover by Matt Nathanson was recorded exclusively for the third film '' American Wedding'', and was later included on the first spin-off '' American Pie Presents: Band Camp''s soundtrack after previously only being in the first two films' trailers. The seventh installment in the franchise, '' The Book of Love'', contains a new cover of "Laid" by singer Aidan Hawken; as of 2012, it had yet to be released on any album or as a single. The eighth film, '' American Reunion'', features the original version by James played during the film for the first and only time in the series' history.

Track listings

* UK CD1 and European CD single
# "Laid"
# "Wah Wah Kits"
# "The Lake"
# "Seconds Away"

* UK CD2
# "Laid"
# "Five-O"
# "Say Something"
# "Sometimes"

* UK 7-inch and cassette single; Australian CD and cassette single
# "Laid"
# "Wah Wah Kits"

* US cassette single
:A1. "Laid" – 2:36
:B1. "Say Something" (preview) – 0:50
:B2. "Sometimes" (preview) – 1:00
:B3. "Low Low Low" (preview) – 0:56

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Covers

"Laid" was covered by New Orleans alt-rock band Better Than Ezra on their 2005 greatest hits compilation. It has been covered by the Butch Walker-led band 1969 on a hidden track on their album ''Maya''.

English band Palma Violets performed a version of the song in July 2015 for '' The A.V. Club'' A.V. Undercover series. The song has also been covered by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

References

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1993 songs
1993 singles
James (band) songs
American Pie (film series)
Better Than Ezra songs
Fontana Records singles
Music videos directed by Zanna (director)
Song recordings produced by Brian Eno