"Marblehead Johnson"
Single by the Bluetones
Released16 September 1996 (1996-09-16)
Length3:21
LabelSuperior Quality
Songwriter(s)Eds Chesters, Adam Devlin, Mark Morriss, Scott Morriss
Producer(s)Hugh Jones
The Bluetones singles chronology
"Cut Some Rug/Castle Rock"
(1996)		 "Marblehead Johnson"
(1996)		 "Solomon Bites the Worm"
(1998)

"Marblehead Johnson" is a song by English indie rock band the Bluetones, released as a standalone single in 1996. It peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart in late September 1996. It was also included on the band's 2006 compilation, A Rough Outline: The Singles & B-Sides 95 – 03. The song was written as a tribute to Bill Hicks.

Music video

The members of the Bluetones spent the day wearing full prosthetic fat suits. The usually skinny guys carry on regular band activities like rocking out, having a kick-around, going for a drive, walking, making tea etc., but now as four hundred pound men. Frontman Mark Morriss said they got the idea for the video while watching the French and Saunders sketch where the two comediennes play big fat men.[1]

Mark sports a Liverpool Football Club jersey over his padded fat suit. As well as donning the suits and masks, the boys also wore slip-on rubber fat hands to complete the illusion of them being overweight. Eds and Adam's suits also came with rubber man boobs and fat bellies that can only be seen briefly in the making-of featurette.[1]

Dom and Nic, who were responsible for the Bluetones' Bluetonic promo, also directed this video.

Track listings

UK CD single[2]

  1. "Marblehead Johnson"
  2. "The Simple Things"
  3. "Nifkin's Bridge"
  4. "Are You Blue or Are You Blind?" (not listed on artwork or disc)

UK 7-inch and cassette single[3][4]

  1. "Marblehead Johnson"
  2. "The Simple Things"

Japanese CD single[5]

  1. "Marblehead Johnson"
  2. "The Simple Things"
  3. "Nifkin's Bridge"

Charts

Chart (1996) Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[6] 39
Scotland (OCC)[7] 4
UK Singles (OCC)[8] 7

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 16 September 1996
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Superior Quality [9]
Japan 11 November 1996 CD A&M [10]

References

  1. 1 2 "The Bluetones – Making of Marblehead Johnson". 1996. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  2. ↑ Marblehead Johnson (UK CD single liner notes). The Bluetones. Superior Quality Recordings. 1996. BLUE 006CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ↑ Marblehead Johnson (UK 7-inch single sleeve). The Bluetones. Superior Quality Recordings. 1996. BLUE 006X.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ↑ Marblehead Johnson (UK cassette single sleeve). The Bluetones. Superior Quality Recordings. 1996. BLUE 006MC.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ↑ Marblehead Johnson (Japanese CD single liner notes). The Bluetones. A&M Records. 1996. POCM-1193.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 40. 5 October 1996. p. 16. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  7. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  8. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  9. ↑ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 14 September 1996. p. 29. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  10. ↑ "マーブルヘッド・ジョンソン | ブルー・トーンズ" [Marblehead Johnson | Blue Tones] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
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