[ ]   [ ]   [ ]                        [ ]      [ ]   [ ]
Butthole Surfers — Pepper
Album: Electric LarryLand
Avg rating:
6.9

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2367









Released: 1996
Length: 4:48
Plays (last 30 days): 2
Marky got with Sharon, Sharon got Sherice
She was sharin' Sharon's outlook on the topic of disease
Mikey had a facial scar, and Bobby was a racist
They were all in love with dyin', they were doin' it in Texas

Tommy played piano like a kid out in the rain
Then he lost his leg in Dallas, he was dancin' with a train
They were all in love with dyin', they were drinking from a fountain
That was pourin' like an avalanche comin' down the mountain

I don't mind the sun sometimes, the images it shows
I can taste you on my lips and smell you in my clothes
Cinnamon and sugary and softly spoken lies
You never know just how to look through other people's eyes

Some will die in hot pursuit in fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit while sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life and drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche comin' down the mountain

I don't mind the sun sometimes, the images it shows
I can taste you on my lips and smell you in my clothes
Cinnamon and sugary and softly spoken lies
You never know just how you look through other people's eyes

Another Mikey took a knife while arguing in traffic
Flipper died a natural death, he caught a nasty virus
Then there was the ever present football player-rapist
They were all in love with dyin', they were doin' it in Texas

Paulie caught a bullet, but it only hit his leg
Well, it should have been a better shot, and got him in the head
They were all in love with dyin', they were drinkin' from a fountain
That was pourin' like an avalanche comin' down the mountain

I don't mind the sun sometimes, the images it shows
I can taste you on my lips and smell you in my clothes
Cinnamon and sugary and softly spoken lies
You never know just how you look through other people's eyes
Comments (234)add comment
Beck revisited, a 9 from the get-go!
 FlatCat wrote:

It was a lot sweeter song when I thought the line was "They were all in love with Di and they were doing it in Texas."

 but a better tune with the correct lyrics... depending on what "it" was

 Stefen wrote:

I finally read the lyrics of this song.  It turns that they weren't in love with Diane.  




Right?  I'm shocked lol
 bviner wrote:

OK Butthole Surfers but no Fishbone. Somebody explain that.



Yes, would love to hear Fishbone on RP! Saw them live at Aztlan in Denver in late 80’s, rockin’ show!
Pretty cool song. Lyrics killer. Alum cover Killer Too
OK Butthole Surfers but no Fishbone. Somebody explain that.


A college station used to have annual beach parties/prize digs.
My 4 year old proceeded to break into a dance while this played.
The crowd totally enjoyed this!
Horrible bandname, horrible cover, intriguing song.  I'd better concentrate on my other monitor ...
For some reason, Butthole Surfers was one of the last bands I was expecting to hear on RP. I'm not complaining though - thanks for proving me wrong! 
 Skydog wrote:

i don't like the cover art, the album name and the name of the band
but i like the song 


As someone named Larry, I kind of like the album name.
I like a lot of Pepper on my Butthole when I surf....It gets me moving towards the most Bitchen WavesπŸ«‘πŸ«‘πŸ«‘ πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ€™πŸ€™πŸ€™
Tough one.  Not sure that it's a great track...BUT, it is a great example  of the era for sure...hmmm...7-ish??
 B4D3neaker3 wrote:

wow!! this song reminds me of Jim Carrol Band 

"People Who Died"

From Catholic Boy album 1980 



same. bill played that a few days ago. 
i always thought the lyrics were "they were all in love with Dianne"

huh.
The only song I think I have ever heard by these boys is Electric Larryland.  Its more than 25 years old.  Still sticks with me.
I caught a nasty virus and almost died.
 B4D3neaker3 wrote:

wow!! this song reminds me of Jim Carrol Band 

"People Who Died"

From Catholic Boy album 1980 



truth but how bout Iggy's Dum Dum Boys?
Gibby is an ARTIST
 garrettb wrote:

Not bad - but I ain't gonna wear the T-shirt saying 'Butthole Surfers' :)


No kidding. That band name ranks down there with "Hoobastank". Really? That is the band name you want to be connected to? I'll bet you have some
very witty and profound tattoos too.
I like this song, but that album cover...yikes! (fits the song though)
Not bad - but I ain't gonna wear the T-shirt saying 'Butthole Surfers' :)
wow!! this song reminds me of Jim Carrol Band 

"People Who Died"

From Catholic Boy album 1980 
Geeez. 

I had a chance to see these guys in a bar in Kansas City, back in the 1980s.

But I chose not to to. What a dummy.
 cely wrote:

The band that launched a thousand Cakes.



Maybe just one.
He said "Butthole". They are so edgy.
Man I love this song as much today as I did the first day I heard it. Oddly enough not a huge BS fan. Oh well. Good music is where you find it.
Surfer
Do I miss the 1990's and  the Alt Rock  heyday..
Fortunately, my happiness doesn't depend on me liking this song. Lucky me.
It was a lot sweeter song when I thought the line was "They were all in love with Di and they were doing it in Texas."
cool song.
great lyrics, great vibe
Ugh, I always thought the lyrics were "they were all in love with Diane"  Now this takes on a very different meaning.  Love this song anyway and the band name....genius.  
I'm with Steely_D... 88 lines about 44 people who died. Fun fact - the Buttholes are my #1 Worst Concert Experience. Toronto late 80s with acoustics that didn't need pencils to make your ears bleed. And background vids of surgical procedures - most of which seemed to be flaying penii. Lovely.
So cool.
Whoops my nineties is showing.
ETA: It just struck me that this song would play well with Jim Carroll's "People Who Died."
 On_The_Beach wrote:
Ack; that cover art.
I can't look directly at it.
 
Nor can I.  Brings back immediate memories of a horrific murder from 1974.  It was a ball point pen, not a pencil, in that case.  Disturbed the heck out of me.  Read about it if you dare: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
 eatingdesign wrote:
Most excellent album not just this song!! A rare track to be heard over any wave length.
 
Gro0vy College Anthem from early 90's.

Funky video that was once featured on Beavis and Butthead. 

(They cut the lyrics on the video: "...football player rapist..." and "...should have been a better shot got 'em in the head..." among other phrase were bleeped out.)
This is eclectic!!!
The band that launched a thousand Cakes.
It's not hard for me to imagine this song lasting as a snapshot of our era.  Brilliant.  Also sounds a lot like the excellent Cake.

I’m a father to two boys who are now adults and much to my delight they agreed to come on holiday with The Wife and I last summer. This song (along with Camper Van Beethovens, Might is Right) will always remind me of driving between Vancouver and Seattle, to a Radio Paradise motivated playlist, with the boys bickering about who’s turn it was to get to drive the hire SUV. Happy days!

This always makes me think of “Susan’s House“ by The Eels.  Sure I had them together on an old playlist.  Now there’s an idea...
One of my old favs {#Dancingbanana_2}turn it up guys
I have to say this is a great song but somehow falls just shy of being truly inspirational.  The lyrics are incredibly poetic, would stand alone in an anthology of poetry, I think.  Powerful stuff.  Execution lacking something.  Can't put my finger on it.  Still, I give it a 9
 zigzag wrote:

Better check your dates.

"Loser" (which is what this song clearly borrows from) was 1994.

Unimportant as they're both great songs. 

 
I'm hearing The Nails "88 Lines About 44 Women" and Jim Carroll's "People Who Died." But maybe I'm showing my age.
 easmann wrote:

zigzag is correct, though, technically, Beck's Loser was released as a single on March 8, 1993 and began getting significant airplay, which led to a record deal and the release of his first album in 1994 on which Loser was included. This song was released in 1996. I like both songs.
The Surfers were almost certainly inspired by Beck, not the other way round (as I too would have guessed).

Surprise.

All artists are inspired, and influenced, by the art of other artists. All of them. 

Peace.

 
I'm not sure if you guys are keying in on the drums or some other aspect, but it may be worth mentioning the drums in Loser are directly sampled from Johnny Jenkins' cover of Dr. John's Walk on Gilded Splinters.
Classic tune, but alway cringe at the album cover....{#Frown}
 Rockit999 wrote:
I nominate this for the music trifecta....Best group name, best album name & best album cover.

 
No, no, and no. Novel song, not much more than that. Isn't even holding up to time very well. IMHO of course, what the hell do I know really?
I nominate this for the music trifecta....Best group name, best album name & best album cover.
 {#Yes}jhorton wrote:
The only thing that would make this classic better would be if they let the guitar solo at the end go on for another ten minutes or so.

 


The only thing that would make this classic better would be if they let the guitar solo at the end go on for another ten minutes or so.

This is rap for RP! 

This might be the only Butthole Surfers track I recognize and like.  It's a 7 for me.


Why is the song called "Pepper"? 
nice!  a previous girl friend gave me this this CD for my birthday - i give it a 7 
-  
Which reminds me, I need to read "A Nihilist's guide to meaning" again. 
 impediguy wrote:

Why does Beck sound like the Butthole Surfers, Van Morrison, etc.?

 
 impediguy wrote:

Why does Beck sound like the Butthole Surfers, Van Morrison, etc.?

  
Why do these guys sound like themselves? Like I said a few days ago here , "The Shame of Life" sounds a lot like a glossy techno version of this song.
 On_The_Beach wrote:
Ack; that cover art.
I can't look directly at it.

 
i don't like the cover art, the album name and the name of the band
but i like the song 
 Stefen wrote:
I finally read the lyrics of this song.  It turns that they weren't in love with Diane.  

 
I had no idea what you were talking about, so I read them too.  Huh.  I didn't know what Diane had to do with any of this, either.  {#Cheesygrin}
A guilty pleasure, but how could anyone give this song a low rating?!!!
Ack; that cover art.
I can't look directly at it.
 Stefen wrote:
I finally read the lyrics of this song.  It turns that they weren't in love with Diane.  

 
{#Lol}
I finally read the lyrics of this song.  It turns that they weren't in love with Diane.  
 dookie wrote:
Check your dates.
beck sounds like them. He was 8-10 years later 

 
Better check your dates.

"Loser" (which is what this song clearly borrows from) was 1994.

Unimportant as they're both great songs. 
 DigitalJer wrote:
8 —> 9!!!  Never gets old...

 
Agreed
 
Psychedelica {#Cool} 
Check your dates.
beck sounds like them. He was 8-10 years later 
 joempie wrote:
Why does this sound like Beck?

 
Why does Beck sound like the Butthole Surfers, Van Morrison, etc.?
8 —> 9!!!  Never gets old...
Why does this sound like Beck?
An automatic 9, no 10. My kids loved this good n loud and used to mime to the song, they were rather entertaining. With no idea what the song was about.
There is just something about this song! - 7
One of the best drug-like-guitar bending pieces of its time… 

…have the late '90s really been 20 years ago? Hard. To. Believe. 
 eatingdesign wrote:
Most excellent album not just this song!! A rare track to be heard over any wave length.

 
+10
Classic!  Wow didn't know I would hear this on RP - first time for me here...gotta love RP!
Most excellent album not just this song!! A rare track to be heard over any wave length.
I saw these guys once in a bar in 1990? Weird band but fun. 

Butthole + Pepper = Pain. 

 
 kingart wrote:
Weird, grating, bound to wig out a passenger in your car. But I LIKE it! Great guitar riff. This is a 7 and later an 8. Holy shit. 
 
Everybody in my mushrooming multitude of churches loves this song...  we give it a big 10 for that guitar work...
Weird, grating, bound to wig out a passenger in your car. But I LIKE it! Great guitar riff. This is a 7 and later an 8. Holy shit. 
 Lyndra_Ski wrote:
This song sucks - but I've always liked it...that''s weird...
 

For some things, the amount it sucks directly relates to how good it really is.  You just don't know how good it is because it hides under all the sucking.  But later - sometimes much later - you realize how much it doesn't suck. 

Unless it's Primus.  They suck.
What is this crap?  I tune in to listen to music, not industrial strength beats.  Crap, simply crap!!!
Not funny.
I love this album and independent worm saloon.
Let's hear some of the other great songs by the buttholes!
Can anyone upload "Who was in my room last night?" by the Butthole Surfers? It's awesome! One of the best guitar riffs I've ever heard! And the song just smokes! It's a great 'pedal to the metal' driving song!. Check it out!
 25demayo wrote:


Oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought you'd left us. {#Arghhh}
 
So, what do you think the experiment was? Combining the body of a man with the mind (and music taste) of a chicken?

(Just teasing, ManBird!) {#Nyah}
 Manbird wrote:

  deleted!

 
Thanks goodness for image blocking technology.....bye bye manbird graphics!


 Papernapkin wrote:
The city of Butt Hole in on the cover the NYtimes.com today. Butt in this case means a water vessel.
  I think he said in an interview that 'Butthole Surfers' are people who sit on their surfboards on the beach to be part of the scene, but who can't actually surf.


 NeilBlanchard wrote:
Add a gratuitously violent cover, and you make it pretty hard to listen to the music.

Neil
 


Add a gratuitously violent cover, and you make it pretty hard to listen to the music.

Neil
Let's pick a name for the band which will make sure we are never mainstream.  OK, but let's make powerful music.  Good idea, that.

It would appear that "manbirdexperiment"  just may have a hard-on for the "Butthole Surfers."
Ya think ?  

Oh crap. I cannot believe that I agree with manbirdexperiment about a song. This worries me greatly.
I love this death set.
 lophrequa wrote:
...well, Mom, the good news is - it's not the Revolting Cocks...
 

 
On_The_Beach wrote:

{#Lol}   . . . or Throbbing Gristle.
 
or The Pork Dukes. . .


 lophrequa wrote:
...well, Mom, the good news is - it's not the Revolting Cocks...
 
{#Lol}   . . . or Throbbing Gristle.


Thanks for that bit of etymology. I had always wondered what on earth would have caused a band to adopt what would seem to be an almost unmarketable name.

 
Papernapkin wrote:
The city of Butt Hole in on the cover the NYtimes.com today. Butt in this case means a water vessel.
 


My grandma always said if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all.  Here's my song comment:
"___________________________________________"
Thanks.

            Buthole Surfers
            Pepper
 Pearl Jam
Nothing As It Seems

 
 Youngbloods
Darkness, Darkness
 
 Paul Simon
She Moves On


The mood I'm in all right.......



Well, yeah.
You never know just how you look through other peoples eyes......great 60s sound.....kinda like Yardbirds

This song sucks - but I've always liked it...that''s weird...
 djengs wrote:
Funny- I lived in Austin while this band was causing ER visits in the mosh pits, but was not into them. Partially because my roomate was, I guess, but I still liked this song and I had no idea they did it at the time. Probably not enough to convice me to body slam for entertainment, but you just have to love it if you were into Austin music. It has some fun nods to a few of the locals from the 60's. Not representative of their other work-just fun in the studio, and what's wrong with that?
 

Never saw them at Club Foot?  I didn't either.  They put on quite a show, though, from what I heard back in the day.
The city of Butt Hole in on the cover the NYtimes.com today. Butt in this case means a water vessel.
 lophrequa wrote:

...well, Mom, the good news is - it's not the Revolting Cocks...

 
or Nashville Pussy....

I haven't heard this in a long while... bravo!

 fatcatjb wrote:
"Hi Mom! Guess what? I'm in a NEW BAND!" "How nice, dear. What's the name of your new group?" "Uhhhh...."
 
...well, Mom, the good news is - it's not the Revolting Cocks...

Funny- I lived in Austin while this band was causing ER visits in the mosh pits, but was not into them. Partially because my roomate was, I guess, but I still liked this song and I had no idea they did it at the time. Probably not enough to convice me to body slam for entertainment, but you just have to love it if you were into Austin music. It has some fun nods to a few of the locals from the 60's. Not representative of their other work-just fun in the studio, and what's wrong with that?

A Generation X Icon for sure. I am still trying to decide whether this period marked the beginning of the great decline in which we are immersed.
I was late for work one day 'cos my wife asked me to make a mental note of something, and I got the pencil stuck in my ear.
effing good stuff
I wonder if this is a tribute to Gibby's dad, Mr. Peppermint.
mr peppermint


 fatcatjb wrote:
"Hi Mom! Guess what? I'm in a NEW BAND!" "How nice, dear. What's the name of your new group?" "Uhhhh...."
 
I heard an interview with the Fun Lovin' Criminals where one of the band seriously claimed his mother believes the name of the group is "FUN LOVIN' GUYS" because he didn't have the nerve to tell her the truth.

Classic!
They worked hard to make it. The musical concept, I don't think, was ever clear. It's hard to say something when you're stabbing in the dark at phantoms.
oh, am I an ass.

I thought it was "they were all in love with Diane" as well.

{#Drunk}  I blame it on college, as I haven't head this since.


 a_genuine_find wrote:
The Buttholes are best known for their black humor, a sound that incorporates elements of punk rock, psychedelia, heavy metal, noise rock, and electronica, as well as their use of sound manipulation and tape editing. Acclaimed for their chaotic live shows, the Buttholes have a well-reported appetite for recreational drugs, particularly psychedelics, an evident influence on their sound.

Although they were respected by their peers and attracted a devoted fan base, the Butthole Surfers had little commercial success until 1996's Electriclarryland, their only gold record to date. The album contained the hit single "Pepper," which climbed to #1 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart that year.

 
Yeah! I saw BS in 1994 when they opened for Pearl Jam. There seemed no difference between songs and it was so loud and awful I wanted to kill myself.

I do like this song. They had nothing even resembling this when I saw them.

 redeyespy wrote:
This would make a fascinating bookend with Jim Carroll's "People Who Died."
 
Ask and ye shall receive! 

I agree, this song does rock.  First listen and I'm looking forward to a second.