"Peaches" is a song by the English rock band the Stranglers, released in 1977 as the second single from their debut album Rattus Norvegicus. Notable for its distinctive bassline, the track peaked at No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart.
Lyrics and response
The lyrics to "Peaches" featured coarse sexual language and innuendo to a degree that was unusual for the time. The song's narrator is girl-watching on a crowded beach one hot summer day. It is never made clear if his lascivious thoughts (such as "there goes a girl and a half") are an interior monologue, comments to his companions, or come-on lines to the attractive women in question. The critic Tom Maginnis wrote that Hugh Cornwell sings with "a lecherous sneer...spill[ing] into macho parody or even censor-baiting territory".
The single was a double A-side with "Go Buddy Go". The latter was played on UK radio at the time and also was performed on the band's first BBC TV Top of the Pops appearance, because the sexual nature of the lyrics of "Peaches" caused the BBC to censor it. Still, "Peaches" was ranked at No. 18 among the top "Tracks of the Year" for 1977 by NME, and it reached No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart.
"Peaches" plays over the opening credits of Jonathan Glazer's 2000 film Sexy Beast.
The song was featured twice in the Back to Mine series of "after hours grooving" DJ mix albums, with Liam Howlett and Audio Bullys both including it. Simon Franks of the latter referred to it as "raw UK old school".
The single was re-issued, with "Go Buddy Go", on green vinyl and with a new sleeve for Record Store Day in 2014.
Personnel
The Stranglers
- Hugh Cornwell – lead vocals, electric guitar
- Jet Black – drums
- Jean-Jacques Burnel – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Dave Greenfield – organ, synthesizer, backing vocals
Charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1977)
!Peak<br />position
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! scope="row"| Australia (Kent Music Report)
|54
|-
|}