Alright (Supergrass song)

"Alright" is a song by British alternative rock band Supergrass. It was released with "Time" as a double A-side single from their debut album, I Should Coco (1995), on 3 July 1995. It was concurrently released on the soundtrack of the 1995 movie Clueless, which helped it become a big hit for the band. It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, number six in Iceland, number eight in Ireland, number 30 in France and number 96 in Australia.

"Alright"
Single by Supergrass
from the album I Should Coco
A-side"Time"
B-side
Released3 July 1995 (1995-07-03)[1]
StudioSawmills (Golant, England)
GenreBritpop[2]
Length3:00
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)Supergrass
Producer(s)Sam Williams
Supergrass singles chronology
"Lenny"
(1995)		 "Alright" / "Time"
(1995)		 "Going Out"
(1996)

Music and lyrics

The "bona fide teen anthem",[3] with its upbeat lyrics and cheerful piano tune, seemed to epitomise British youth culture at the time, when Britpop was at its height. The band's youthful appearance (lead singer Gaz Coombes had only just turned 19 when it was released) added weight to the lyrics.

However, Coombes himself argued in an interview around October 1995, "it wasn't written as an anthem. It isn't supposed to be a rally cry for our generation. The stuff about 'We are young/We run green...' isn't about being 19, but really 13 or 14. and just discovering girls and drinking."

"It's meant to be light hearted and a bit of a laugh, not at all a rebellious call to arms." with Danny Goffey also saying: "It certainly wasn't written in a very summery vibe. It was written in a cottage where the heating had packed up, and we were trying to build fires to keep warm."[4]

The second A-side "Time" is a slower, more blues-driven track, with the song even incorporating a harmonica solo. The B-side, "Condition", is a cover of "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" by Mickey Newbury and originally a hit for Kenny Rogers. "Je Suis Votre Papa Sucre" (French for "I Am Your Sugar Daddy") is a short instrumental.

Reception

"Alright" was the fifth single to be released from I Should Coco. While "Caught by the Fuzz", "Mansize Rooster", "Lose It", and "Lenny" all charted (with "Lenny" even scraping the Top Ten in the UK Singles Chart) and were warmly received by the critics, it was "Alright/Time" – the final release from the album – which proved to be their breakthrough single, largely due to the popularity of the song "Alright". In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "If every band has their masterpiece in them, then this is surely the one for Supergrass." He added, "Sounding like a cross between the Small Faces and Duran Duran, "Alright" was a smash before it had even been released, one of those perfect pop records that makes you want to turn the radio up as loud as possible whenever you hear it."[5] A reviewer from Music Week gave the song four out of five, commenting, "The irrepressible trio manage yet again to come up with a catchy summer single that could almost become an anthem for the younger generation. These boys can do no wrong."[6] Leesa Daniels rated it five out of five in the 5 July issue of Smash Hits, calling it "a lovely jaunty affair with plinky, plonky piano and guitars."[7]

"Alright/Time" reached number two in the UK Singles Chart,[8] making it Supergrass' highest-charting single to date along with "Richard III". It remained in the top three for one month. The song became a huge hit with school leavers within the United Kingdom that summer, leading to a huge demand for the track back in the United Kingdom. The double A-side also peaked at number 96 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart in October 1995.[9] "Alright" by itself peaked at number eight in Ireland and number 30 in France.[10][11]

In 1999, in an interview, Coombes joked "We don't play 'Alright' anymore. We should play it in a minor key, and in the past tense."[12]

Music video
Danny, Gaz and Mick in a scene from the video to "Alright".

The success of the record was helped by a lively promotional video directed by Dom and Nic featuring the band joyfully messing around on bicycles and a wheeled bed at Portmeirion in North Wales and recreated elements of 1960s television series The Prisoner also filmed there. Having seen the video, Steven Spielberg approached the band and proposed that they work together on a television series in the style of The Monkees.[13]

The group turned him down,[13] preferring to work on their second album In It for the Money. Troy Carpenter, co-director of Nude as the News, claims "the gesture says a lot about the band's personality – one which has stuck with the group throughout its career – which is basically that of a fun-loving rock group whose undeniable musical talent is sometimes overshadowed by the sheer ebullience of its music."[14]

Track listings
CD
No.TitleLength
1."Alright"3:00
2."Time"3:09
3."Condition"2:43
4."Je suis votre papa sucre"1:46
7-inch vinyl
No.TitleLength
1."Alright"3:00
2."Time"3:09

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Covers and other versions

References
  1. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 1 July 1995. p. 31. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  2. Molanphy, Chris (12 May 2023). "Champagne Supernova Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  3. Review of I Should Coco from allmusic.com by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
  4. Maconie, Stuart (October 1995). "Hey! Hey! We're The Cheeky Monkeys!". Q.
  5. Masterton, James (9 July 1995). "Week Ending July 15th 1995". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  6. "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 24 June 1995. p. 29. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  7. Daniels, Leesa (5 July 1995). "Singles". Smash Hits. No. 433. p. 54.
  8. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  9. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 272.
  10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Alright". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  11. "Supergrass – Alright" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  12. 1999 interview with Johnathan Cohen from nudeasthenews.com
  13. Everdell, Abby (6 June 2008). "Artist of the Day: Supergrass". Spin. Archived from the original on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  14. Bio of Supergrass at nudeasthenews.com
  15. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 30. 29 July 1995. p. 12. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  16. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (9.9. '95 – 15.9. '95)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 9 September 1995. p. 26. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  17. "Supergrass – Alright" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  18. "Supergrass – Alright" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  19. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  20. "Árslistinn 1995". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1996. p. 25. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  21. "Top 100 Singles 1995". Music Week. 13 January 1996. p. 9.
  22. "British single certifications – Supergrass – Alright". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  23. "Music Video Premiere: Travie McCoy Says 'We'll Be Alright' (Plus Poll)!". cbslocal.com. 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
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