36 Degrees
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| "36 Degrees" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Placebo | ||||
| from the album Placebo | ||||
| Released | 27 May 1996[1] | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, pop punk | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Placebo (Stefan Olsdal, Brian Molko and Robert Schultzberg) | |||
| Producer(s) | Brad Wood | |||
| Placebo singles chronology | ||||
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"36 Degrees" is a song by British alternative rock band Placebo, released as the second single from their eponymous debut album.[2] It reached number 80 in the UK Singles Chart.[3]
There are various suggestions as to the meaning of the song, such as it relates to sexual preferences or it is to do with dying. Some state "36 Degrees" refers to the average human body temperature being generally accepted as 37 °C (99 °F), and that the narrator is dying, or losing the will to live after being dumped by a partner. Singer Brian Molko is stated to have said before a performance "The average body temperature is 37 degrees. This is a song called 36 Degrees", further adding to the speculation. However, the term "36 degrees" also means two people who are not getting on in urban slang; therefore the idea of the song being written for a break-up could well be true. The other numbers mentioned have been said to just be random, as "they just seemed to fit" according to Molko.[4]
Music video
The music video, directed by Chris Cunningham, was shot primarily in a scuba diving pool and shows band members performing the song underwater. Some scenes were shot in a swamp-like area and show Brian Molko singing the lyrics with just his head above the surface of the water. Later band members revealed that this video was extremely hard to shoot and they would never make one underwater again.
