"Living Type" is the third single released from

Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins and drum ...

's second album ''

Double Allergic ''Double Allergic'' is the second studio album by Australian alternative rock band Powderfinger. Released in Australia on 2 September 1996 Polydor, the album was produced by Tim Whitten and widely considered Powderfinger's mainstream breakthro ...

''. The single was released on 11 November 1996. The song, written by

Bernard Fanning Bernard Fanning (born 15 August 1969) is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist of Queensland alternative rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989. Born and raised in Toowong, Brisbane, Fanning receive ...

, the band's

lead singer 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 th ...

, concerned the victims of

Charles Manson Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four loca ...

. The song was well received by the public, who voted it onto the

Triple J Hottest 100, 1996 The 1996 Triple J Hottest 100, counted down in January 1997, was a countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. A CD featuring 31 of the songs was released. A countdown of the ...

. This was the first time Powderfinger had appeared on the chart.

History

"Living Type" was released with one

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

track, dubbed "Other Delicacies". The track consisted of six 90 second blocks of music, with

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instr ...

backgrounds.

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 ...

Darren Middleton Darren Middleton (born 4 October 1971) is an Australian musician, best known as lead guitarist and songwriter for alternative rock band Powderfinger. He was also lead singer/songwriter for Drag; his current solo tour is 'Splinters', a follow-u ...

explained that the single would only have two tracks listed, and when referring to "Other Delicacies", said that "all the songs are recorded in a block so you can't skip them, you have to listen to the whole ingle. "Living Type" was first performed live by Powderfinger whilst opening for

You Am I You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by its lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Rogers. They formed in December 1989 and are the first Australian band to have released three successive albums that have each debuted ...

on their "Uptight Express Tour". The shows were considered highly successful; much more so than Powderfinger's live performances with American heavy metal band

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup consist ...

, which the band found to be problematic.

Song meanings

Whilst there was some speculation that "Living Type" was "a cheesy, angsty love song", Powderfinger's

(who wrote the song), said it was actually about

, and the people affected by his

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal ...

. Fanning said that he was unable to control what people thought about the song, and so didn't try, but that "cheesy love song" that it had been dubbed was "not the intention" of the song. In a subsequent

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

, Fanning told ''

Juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such ...

'' that people had been asking him if "Living Type" was about

menstruation Menstruation (also known as a period, among other colloquial terms) is the regular discharge of blood and mucosal tissue from the inner lining of the uterus through the vagina. The menstrual cycle is characterized by the rise and fall of ...

, which he dismissed as being "so stupid". However, he also re-iterated his statement that he was unable to control interpretations of the song, saying that "people have a freedom to think what they like".

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

for "Living Type" was directed by David Barker, and filmed in Harrisville, near Powderfinger's home town;

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. It was proclaimed as "most lavish visual work to date" by numerous commentators. The video tells the story of Squinty B Jones (played by Fanning), a man on the run from forces unknown (it is likely he is running from a psychiatric ward, which would tie in with the song's background). The video was praised as "dripping with Australiana." When asked which Powderfinger videos "had been crap",

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer' ...

Jon Coghill Jon Coghill (born 26 August 1971) is an Australian drummer best known for his work with Australian rock band, Powderfinger, although he has also toured with Regurgitator. Coghill replaced Powderfinger's original drummer Steven Bishop in 1991 wh ...

jokingly said that they all had, before stating that he liked the videos for "Living Type" and "

Good-Day Ray "Don't Wanna Be Left Out" and "Good-Day Ray" are songs from Powderfinger's third studio album '' Internationalist''. These songs were released together as a single on 9 November 1998, which reached the top 60 on the ARIA Singles Chart ...

", and stating that he hadn't always understood the "vibe" of the band's other videos.

Response

"Living Type" was received favourably by the public, who voted it onto the

. This was the first time Powderfinger had appeared on the chart, and "

Pick You Up "Pick You Up" is the first single released from Powderfinger's second album ''Double Allergic''. The single was released on 13 April 1996, and was Powderfinger's first moderate success both on commercial and Indie radio stations, and the most s ...

", another single from ''

'', came in at #6 on the chart.

Track listing

# "Living Type" # "Other delicacies" ("Entrees", "Mains" "Dessert")

Charts

References

{{authority control Powderfinger songs 1996 singles Cultural depictions of Charles Manson 1996 songs Polydor Records singles Songs written by Jon Coghill Songs written by John Collins (Australian musician) Songs written by Bernard Fanning Songs written by Ian Haug Songs written by Darren Middleton