Dogs Are Everywhere
by Pulp

Album: Non-Album Single (1986)
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Songfacts®:

  • "Dogs Are Everywhere" has a slightly odd genesis. After Jarvis Cocker had fallen out of a window in 1985 trying to impress a girl with a Spider-Man impression, he was badly injured and had to use a wheelchair at shows already booked by the band. Whilst in a fairly inactive state, Cocker requested his mum to bring in a keyboard, and on it he wound up writing "Dogs Are Everywhere" - a much softer ballad, out of step with the more abrasive sound of the B-sides and current direction the band were going, but a throwback to first album It.
  • Cocker describes the song's formation thus: "I wrote 'Dogs Are Everywhere' inspired by one night after playing in Chesterfield. Magnus and Pete were always pissing about and getting stoned. Myself and Russell were puritanical and thought that was terrible. They'd have these mates hanging around, which got on my nerves. That night, they nicked bottles of beer from behind the bar, and we got into loads of trouble. That's what 'Dogs Are Everywhere' is about - people who display a doggish attitude."
  • The single was more of an EP, with four tracks included as B-sides: "Mark Of The Devil," "97 Lovers," "Aborigine" and "Goodnight."

    Cocker talked about the single in the 1994 Record Collector interview: "It's got five tracks - good value, that E.P. 'Mark Of The Devil' is not a good recording but I thought that was our best song. I'd decided disco was the thing to go for, because I was sick of the over-the-top emotional business. Giorgio Moroder didn't have any emotion: it was robot music. I was intrigued with the idea of that beat and style but with something emotional over the top. The chord structure of '97 Lovers' got recycled for 'O.U.' years later. That was the first time I got some good lyrics out. One bit was about my auntie - in her bedroom, she had a picture of Roger Moore above the bed, with this short towel and dressing gown. I always thought, God, I bet it's weird when they're in bed having it off underneath that picture. My uncle must know she's probably thinking it's Roger whilst he's doing it to her.

    'Aborigine' was so called because it sounded like aboriginal music. It's not a digereedoo, it's Russell playing low notes with a violin bow on a bass, and it's got a very primitive beat. That's about a bloke who's always kidding himself his life's about to start, and become exciting, but ends up wasting his time and becoming very fat. 'Goodnight' was a concept piece that sounded like falling asleep. Then I had to spoil it by having some nightmare part at the end - that's the impetuousness of youth for you."

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