Demons (Super Furry Animals song)

"Demons"
Single by Super Furry Animals
from the album Radiator
Released24 November 1997
Length5:13
LabelCreation Records
Songwriter(s)Super Furry Animals
Producer(s)Gorwel Owen, Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals singles chronology
"Play It Cool"
(1997) 		"Demons"
(1997) 		"Northern Lites"
(1999)

"Demons" is the fourth and final single from Super Furry Animals' album Radiator. It reached #27 on the UK Singles Chart on its release in November 1997.[1]

Release and critical reception

"Demons" was released on CD, cassette and 7" on 24 November 1997 and reached number 27 on the UK Singles Chart.[1] The cover art is the last in a series of five Pete Fowler paintings commissioned by the band for Radiator and its singles. Fowler's art was inspired by "Demons" and depicts "the unholy tribes of the undead" according to Record Collector.[2] The packaging of the single features the Welsh language quote "Esmwyth! Esmwyth! Dim blewyn o'i le!", which roughly translates into English as "Smooth! Smooth! Not a hair out of place!".[3] It is the last single by the group to contain such a quote, bringing to an end a practice that started with their debut single "Hometown Unicorn". The track was included on the band's 'greatest hits' compilation album Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1, issued in 2004.[4]

A review in Cherwell called the song a "monumental sound" with "unexplainable vocal harmony" and "fantastically absurd lyrics".[5] In a 2015 article in The Guardian, Danny Wright names Demons as one of the band's 10 best songs, calling it "a sombre yet beautiful anthem" which builds up to "a spine-tingling climax".[6]

Music video

The video was filmed in Colombia. It shows humanist scenes of everyday life, with the band observing and sometimes casually interacting with the locals.

Cover versions

Shy Nobleman performed a cover of the song translated to Hebrew as "Shedim" ( שדים )as part of his 2013 album My Day is a Dream. Manfred Mann's Earth Band combined the song with Prefab Sprout's song "Dragons" to produce a new song titled "Demons and Dragons".

Accolades
Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Hot Press Ireland Singles of the year 1997[7] 1997 30
Q United Kingdom 1010 Songs You Must Own!: Indie - Singles[8] 2004 *

* denotes an unordered list

Track listing

All songs by Super Furry Animals.

  • CD (CRESCD283)
  1. "Demons" – 5:13
  2. "Hit and Run" – 3:31
  3. "Carry the Can" – 4:47
  • MC (CRES283), 7" poster pack (CRE283)
  1. "Demons" – 5:13
  2. "Hit and Run" – 3:31

Personnel

Singles chart positions

Chart (1997) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[1] 27

References

  1. ^ a b c Roberts, David, ed. (2003). British Hit Singles (16th ed.). Guinness World Records Ltd. p. 452. ISBN 0-85112-190-X.
  2. ^ Kane, Jack (June 1999), "Super Furry Animals", Record Collector, 238, Diamond Publishing: 46–51
  3. ^ Demons (CD single). Super Furry Animals. Creation Records. 1997. p. [Inside cover].{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1 (CD). Super Furry Animals. New York: Epic Records. 2004. back cover.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ Chris Venables (14 November 1997). "Speed of Sound: Super Furry Animals - Demons". Cherwell. Vol. 219, no. 6. p. 14.
  6. ^ Danny Wright (4 March 2015). "Super Furry Animals: 10 of the best". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Singles of the year 1997". RockListMusic. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  8. ^ "1010 Songs You Must Own!". RockListMusic. Retrieved 2008-08-04.