"Pretend We're Dead"
Single by L7
from the album Bricks Are Heavy
B-side"Shitlist"
ReleasedApril 1992
StudioSmart Studios (Madison, WI), Sound City Studios (Van Nuys, CA)
GenreGrunge[1]
Length3:55
LabelSlash
Songwriter(s)Donita Sparks
Producer(s)L7, Butch Vig
L7 singles chronology
"Shove"
(1990)		 "Pretend We're Dead"
(1992)		 "Everglade"
(1992)
Music video
"Pretend We're Dead" on YouTube

"Pretend We're Dead" is a 1992 song by American all-female rock band L7, from the album Bricks Are Heavy.[2] It was written by Donita Sparks. It was the first single from Bricks Are Heavy and achieved moderate international success. It spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks,[3] peaking at #8. It also reached #21 on the UK Singles Chart and charted in Belgium and Australia.

It has been featured in the video games Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Rock Band 2, as well as numerous TV programs and films.[4]

A documentary about L7 directed by Sarah Price and titled L7: Pretend We're Dead was released in 2016.[5][6] The film covers the band discussing challenges associated with producing the video for "Pretend We're Dead" including a crane failure that injured Suzi Gardner and heavy handed video producers that stifled the creative vision of Sparks.

Conception

Donita Sparks was in her apartment in Echo Park trying to write lyrics to a cassette she had made. She was heartbroken at the time due to a recent breakup, and she says the first thing that came to her was, "I just pretend that you're dead." She did not mean it as wanting her former paramour to be dead but felt that the only way she could get through the breakup was to pretend he was dead. Then, immediately, in her mind, she thought "I'm not writing that. It's just not gonna happen. What about, "pretend we're dead"?" She liked that because playing dead was a children's game, and it also served as a kind of commentary on Reagan/Bush–era apathy.[3]

Sparks stated that there was an unspoken sentiment in the band that love songs were to be avoided. In an interview regarding the early formation of "Pretend We're Dead" Sparks stated "We chose fierceness and humor over vulnerability because we were, you know, navigating challenging waters — women in hard rock. You had to be tough."[3]

Track listing

  1. "Pretend We're Dead" (Sparks)
  2. "Shitlist" (Sparks)
  3. "Lopsided Head"
  4. "Mr. Integrity" (Sparks)

Charts

Chart (1992) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[7] 50
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] 21
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[9] 8
UK Singles (OCC)[10] 21

References

  1. ↑ Danaher, Michael (August 4, 2014). "The 50 Best Grunge Songs". Paste.
  2. ↑ Watts, Ted (September 7, 1995). "L7's Finch doesn't rock by the numbers". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Reilly, Phoebe (March 7, 2012). "An Oral History of L7's 'Pretend We're Dead'". Spin. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  4. ↑ Ling, Dave (August 2, 2016). "The Story Behind L7's Pretend We're Dead". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  5. ↑ "L7 Detail 'Pretend We're Dead' Documentary Release". Rolling Stone. August 16, 2017.
  6. ↑ Edwards, Briony (November 8, 2017). "6 things we learned from new documentary L7: Pretend We're Dead". loudersound. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  7. ↑ "L7 – Pretend We're Dead". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  8. ↑ "L7 – Pretend We're Dead" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  9. ↑ "L7 Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  10. ↑ "L7: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
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