Pure Massacre

"Pure Massacre"
Single by Silverchair
from the album Frogstomp
B-side	"Faultline" (live) "Stoned" (live)
Released	16 January 1995 (1995-01-16)
Genre	Grunge alternative metal
Length	4:34
Label	Murmur
Songwriter(s)	Daniel Johns Ben Gillies
Producer(s)	Kevin "Caveman" Shirley
Silverchair singles chronology
"Tomorrow" (1994) "Pure Massacre" (1995) "Israel's Son" (1995)

"Pure Massacre" is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair, released on 16 January 1995 as the second single from their debut album, Frogstomp (1995). It was a successful follow-up to the band's debut number-one single, "Tomorrow" (1994), peaking at number two in both Australia and New Zealand. It also reached number 17 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 12 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. Silverchair played the song during a live performance on Saturday Night Live on 9 December 1995.[1][2][3] The song was included on Silverchair's The Best Of: Volume 1 compilation album, released on 13 November 2000. A live recording of "Pure Massacre" was included on the bonus "Rarities" CD with the Frogstomp: 20th Anniversary remaster, released on 27 March 2015.[4]

Lyrics

According to interviews with lead singer and guitarist Daniel Johns in January 1995 and 1996, the song and its lyrics are inspired by the Bosnian War:[5]

"It's pretty stupid, war, like that. So, it seemed the right thing to write a song about, rather than about the usual--girls or whatever. It took about a half an hour; it came straight to my head."[6][7]

Music video

The Australian music video was directed by Robert Hambling and consists of Silverchair concert footage in Sydney, Australia.[8][9] The video was filmed in December 1994. The American music video was directed by Peter Christopherson.[10] The Australian "Pure Massacre" music video and a live video performance of the song from June 1995 were included on the Frogstomp: 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition bonus DVD in March 2015.

Track listing

Australian CD and cassette single (MATTCD005; MATTC005)

1. "Pure Massacre"
2. "Faultline" (live in Newcastle, 21 October 1994)
3. "Stoned" (live in Newcastle, 21 October 1994)

European CD single (6612872)

1. "Pure Massacre"
2. "Acid Rain"
3. "Blind"
4. "Stoned"

UK CD single (6622642)

1. "Pure Massacre"
2. "Acid Rain"
3. "Blind"

UK 12-inch single (0166226420)

1. "Pure Massacre"
2. "Acid Rain"
3. "Stoned"
4. "Blind"

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1995) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[11] 2 Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[12] 13 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 2 Scotland (OCC)[14] 91 UK Singles (OCC)[15] 71 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[16] 17 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[17] 12 US Radio Songs (Billboard)[18] 72

Year-end charts Chart (1995) Position Australia (ARIA)[19] 31 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20] 37

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[21]	Platinum	70,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Australia	16 January 1995	CD cassette	Murmur	[22]^[failed verification]
United Kingdom	17 July 1995	12-inch vinyl CD		[23]

References

1. "Chairpage News Archive".
2. "Chairpage News Archive".
3. SNL Archives | Detail. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
4. "Silverchair – News Archive – Silverchair Frogstomp Turns 20 Today". chairpage.com. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
5. "Chairpage News Archive".
6. "Billboard". 13 January 1996.
7. "Gena Marie's Article File BB".
8. "Silverchair - Pure Massacre". 26 October 2017 – via Vimeo.
9. "Interview with Daniel Johns". Dolly Magazine. 1 September 1995.
10. "Silverchair releases Frogstomp 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition". Front View Magazine. 20 April 2015.
11. "Silverchair – Pure Massacre". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
12. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 2821." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
13. "Silverchair – Pure Massacre". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
14. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
15. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
16. "Silverchair Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
17. "Silverchair Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
18. "Silverchair Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
19. "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1995". ARIA. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
20. "End of Year Charts 1995". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
21. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
22. Silverchair – Gallery
23. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 15 July 1995. p. 31.

External links

• "Pure Massacre" (Audio) on YouTube
• "Pure Massacre" (Australian music video) on YouTube
• "Pure Massacre" (American music video) on YouTube