We Are All Prostitutes
1979 single by The Pop Group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"We Are All Prostitutes" is a song by English post-punk band The Pop Group. It was released as the band's second single on 9 November 1979 through Rough Trade Records.[1] The song is a critique of consumerism.[2]
| "We Are All Prostitutes" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by The Pop Group | ||||
| B-side | "Amnesty International Report on British Army Torture of Irish Prisoners" | |||
| Released | 9 November 1979 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:08 | |||
| Label | Rough Trade | |||
| Songwriter | The Pop Group | |||
| Producers | Dennis Bovell, The Pop Group | |||
| The Pop Group singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song was included as the third track in the 2016 reissue of The Pop Group's 1980 album For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?
Reception
Songwriter Nick Cave declared the song to be the band's masterpiece, saying, "It had everything that I thought rock and roll should have. It was violent, paranoid music for a violent, paranoid time."[3] Writer Mark Fisher described the song "scouring, seesawing, seasick funk, a pied piper’s exit from dominant reality, fired by a fissile compound of millenarian terror and militant jubilation."[4]
Legacy
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mojo | United Kingdom | 100 Punk Scorchers[5] | 2001 | 33 |
| Gary Mulholland | United Kingdom | This Is Uncool: The 500 Best Singles Since Punk Rock[6] | 2002 | * |
| Mojo | United Kingdom | The Mojo 100 Greatest Protest Songs[7] | 2004 | 93 |
| Q | United Kingdom | The Ultimate Music Collection (Punk)[8] | 2005 | * |
(*) designates unordered lists.
Formats and track listing
All songs written by The Pop Group.
- UK 7" single (RT 023)
- "We Are All Prostitutes" – 3:08
- "Amnesty International Report on British Army Torture of Irish Prisoners" – 3:08
Credits and personnel
The Pop Group
- Dan Catsis – bass guitar
- Gareth Sager – guitar, saxophone
- Bruce Smith – drums, percussion
- Mark Stewart – vocals
- John Waddington – guitar
Additional musicians
- Tristan Honsinger – cello (B-side)
Technical personnel
- Maxwell Anandappa – mastering
- Dennis Bovell – production
- Adam Kidron – engineering
- The Pop Group – production
Charts
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Chart[9] | 8 |