Vasoline
1994 single by Stone Temple Pilots
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"Vasoline" is a song by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots from their second album, Purple. The song was the first single from the album, reaching number one on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart for two weeks. The song's odd-sounding intro was created by Robert DeLeo, who ran his bass through a wah-wah pedal to get the said effect. The song's lyrics were written by vocalist Scott Weiland. "Vasoline" also appears on the greatest hits compilation album Thank You. A live version also appears on The Family Values 2001 Tour compilation.
| "Vasoline" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Stone Temple Pilots | ||||
| from the album Purple | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | July 18, 1994 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:56 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Composers | ||||
| Lyricist | Scott Weiland | |||
| Producer | Brendan O'Brien | |||
| Stone Temple Pilots singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio sample | ||||
"Vasoline" | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Vasoline" on YouTube | ||||
Composition and meaning
During STP's performance of "Vasoline" on VH1 Storytellers, Weiland says that the song is about "feeling like an insect under a magnifying glass." During an interview with Greg Prato from SongFacts.com on October 14, 2014, Scott Weiland confirmed that the key line in this song came from a misheard lyric: His parents put on the Eagles song "Life in the Fast Lane", and Weiland thought they were singing, "Flies in the Vaseline."[4]
In his autobiography Not Dead and Not for Sale, he adds that it "is about being stuck in the same situation over and over again. It's about me becoming a junkie. It's about lying to [my first wife] Jannina [sic] (Castaneda) and lying to the band about my heroin addiction."[5]
Music videos
The music videos (directed by Kevin Kerslake) were in heavy rotation on MTV when the single was released in 1994.[6] There are at least three different versions of the video, labeled "X Version", "Y Version", and "Z Version". All versions are similar, using parts of the same footage with some minor differences and shown in different orders. The single album art is taken directly from the music video.
Differentiation
- X Version – begins with a shot of flypaper and then a laughing clown [Robert DeLeo]
- Y Version – begins with a butterfly-catching girl [Deanna Stevens] skipping up to the camera
- Z Version – begins with a man using a sharpening stone wheel
Track listings
UK, European, and Australian CD single[7]
- "Vasoline" – 2:56
- "Meatplow" – 3:38
- "Andy Warhol" (David Bowie cover live from MTV Unplugged) – 3:05
- "Crackerman" (live from MTV Unplugged) – 4:03
German CD single[8]
- "Vasoline" – 2:56
- "Meatplow" – 3:38
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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