"Supernature" is the title track of French

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

drummer and composer

Cerrone Marc CerroneDaryl Easlea, "Supernature Boy", ''Record Collector'', #502, February 2020, pp.60-63 (; born 24 May 1952) is a French disco drummer, composer, record producer and creator of concerts. Cerrone is a producer of 1970s and 1980s disco s ...

's 1977 album ''

Supernature (Cerrone III) ''Supernature'' is Cerrone's third album, released in September 1977. It was released in France on Malligator Records. It is known also as ''Cerrone III'', since it is the third album by Cerrone, who labeled his albums with a number. Track listi ...

''. Along with the tracks "Give Me Love" and "Love Is Here", the song reached number one on the US disco/dance charts in early 1978. The single also crossed over to both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it peaked at number 70, and the soul charts, where it peaked at number 72. In August 1978, "Supernature" peaked at number eight in the UK Singles Chart following heavy exposure on the first series of ''

The Kenny Everett Video Show ''The Kenny Everett Video Show'' (later renamed ''The Kenny Everett Video Cassette'') is a British television comedy and music programme that was made by Thames Television for ITV from 3 July 1978 to 21 May 1981. Overview Philip Jones, Tham ...

''.

Background

The lyrics were written by a young

Lene Lovich Lili-Marlene Premilovich (born March 30, 1949), known professionally as Lene Lovich ( ), is an American-British singer. She first gained attention in 1979 with the release of her hit single "Lucky Number", which peaked at number 3 on the UK Sin ...

, though she was not credited. The song features an environmental theme, imagining a future where the use of artificial chemicals in agriculture has caused "creatures down below" to emerge and "take their sweet revenge" against mankind. The lyrics were inspired by The Island of Dr. Moreau.

Reception

In 2016, ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' ranked "Supernature" as the 187th best song of the 1970s, stating that it "introduced an unprecedented strain of dystopian

dread. Neither

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

nor Berlin-era Bowie had an immediate international dancefloor impact as profound as "Supernature". As the track grows more sinister, mutant monsters take their revenge until humanity reverts to a primitive state where it must once again earn its place." In 2020, ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' ranked the song number four in their list of "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time". In 2025, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine ranked it number seven in their "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time" list.

Charts

¹ J. Garraud & D. Tenaglia mixes

Cover versions

Erasure Erasure may refer to: Arts and media * Erasure (duo), an English pop group * ''Erasure'' (album), 1995, by the British group Erasure * Erasure poetry, a form of found poetry created by erasing words from an existing text * ''Erasure'' (novel), ...

recorded a cover version of this song as a B-side for their 1989 single

You Surround Me "You Surround Me" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure that was issued in November 1989 by Mute Records as the second single from the band's fourth studio album, ''Wild!'' (1989). Written by the duo's Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is a ...

. *

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...

released a cover version on their 2023

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

-themed album ''

Danse Macabre The ''Danse Macabre'' (; ), also called the Dance of Death, is an artistic genre of allegory from the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death. The ''Danse Macabre'' consists of the dead, or a personification of death, summoning represen ...

''.

Popular culture

*An instrumental edit of the song is used in

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's 2018 film ''

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'', being used for its opening choreography. *The band

Goldfrapp Goldfrapp were an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consisted of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, thei ...

named their third studio album after the song.

References