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Side (song)

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"Side"
Single by Travis
from the album The Invisible Band
B-side
Written2000
Released14 August 2001 (2001-08-14)
StudioOcean Way (Los Angeles)
Length3:59
LabelIndependiente
Songwriter(s)Fran Healy
Producer(s)Nigel Godrich
Travis singles chronology
"Sing"
(2001) 		"Side"
(2001) 		"Flowers in the Window"
(2002)

"Side" is a song by Scottish rock band Travis, released as the second single from their third studio album, The Invisible Band (2001). Frontman Fran Healy began writing the song by composing a rap, which he would later remove, and penning a riff that would support it. In February 2000, he completed the song's lyrics, which describe how everyone shares life and explains that there is no greater existence for anyone who seeks it, as everyone shares the same "side" of life. The song was released as a radio single in the United States in August 2001 and was issued in the United Kingdom the following month.

Produced by Nigel Godrich, "Side" received mixed reviews from music critics and peaked at number 14 on the UK singles chart, becoming a top-50 hit in Ireland, Italy, and New Zealand as well as on two US Billboard charts. The single releases include live versions of "Driftwood" and Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes", as well as a cover of the Bob Dylan song "You're a Big Girl Now". The song's music video has a UFO theme and features Travis being abducted by aliens after performing the song.

Background and composition

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Writing about the song's origin on the band's official website, Fran Healy recalled that the first part of "Side" that he conceived was rap segment, which he would later discard. After completing the rap, he composed the riff and music over the next few weeks so it would complement the rap verse, toying around with the lyrics until penning the final result in February 2000 during a plane trip. It was during this trip that he also created the name of the parent album, The Invisible Band.[1] Healy has stated that "Side" is about how people think that there is a better life for them somewhere in the world, but in actuality, no one is better off than anyone else as life is shared by everyone; in other words, everyone stands on one "side" of life.[2] Many cliché expressions make up the lyric, such as "The grass is always greener on the other side".[3]

Critical reception

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Reviewing The Invisible Band on AllMusic, MacKenzie Wilson wrote that "Side" was "instantly endearing" and noted its "Beatlesque" lyrics.[4] Andy Frankowski of Drowned in Sound compared the track's sound to that of the band's previous album, The Man Who (1999), specifically mentioning the guitars backing the lyrics "grass is always greener on the other side / the neighbour's got a new car that you wanna drive".[5] Pitchfork writer Kristin Sage Rockermann said that she liked the composition but criticised the "cliché" lyrics, such as "The grass is always greener on the other side" and "There is no wrong, there is no right".[6] In 2015, music website Pop Rescue was also ambivalent toward the song's lyrical content, particularly the chorus, and attributed the song's lukewarm reception on the UK singles chart to the lack of a "catchy" refrain.[7]

Music video

[edit]

The video for the song has a UFO theme. It begins with three boys looking for UFOs through their bedroom skylight. When one hovers overhead, they go outside and follow it, only for it to land in a cavern in the desert, where they find Travis performing the song. At the end of the video, the band are abducted by aliens while they are performing out in the desert. The clip ends with a newspaper article regarding their disappearance.

Track listings

[edit]

The single's B-sides include two tracks taken from a gig the group played at the Glasgow Barrowlands in June 2001, including their hit single "Driftwood" and a cover of the Mott the Hoople song "All the Young Dudes", which was originally written by David Bowie, and features lead vocals by Dougie Payne. Another issue of the single includes a cover of the Bob Dylan song "You're a Big Girl Now".

Credits and personnel

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Credits are adapted from The Invisible Band booklet.[18]

Studios

Personnel

  • Fran Healy – writing
  • Nigel Godrich – production, mixing
  • Darrell Thorp – assistant engineer at Ocean Way Studios
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering

Charts

[edit]

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States 14 August 2001 Alternative radio
[33]
United Kingdom 17 September 2001
  • CD
  • cassette
 Independiente [34]
24 September 2001 7-inch vinyl [35]
Australia 8 October 2001 CD [36]
United States 22 October 2001 Triple A radio
  • Independiente
  • Epic
 [37]

References

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  1. ^ "The Invisible Band : Tracklisting". travisonline.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2002. Retrieved 2 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) To view information, click Preview, then Tracklisting | Song Info.
  2. ^ Flick, Larry (26 May 2001). "'Band' Sees Travis Reclaim Its Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 21. p. 22. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  3. ^ Wilonsky, Robert (7 June 2001). "Travis". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  4. ^ Wilson, MacKenzie. "AllMusic Review by MacKenzie Wilson". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  5. ^ Frankowski, Andy (18 July 2001). "Album Review: Travis – The Invisible Band". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  6. ^ Sage Rockermann, Kristin (12 June 2001). "Travis: The Invisible Band Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  7. ^ Pop Rescue (16 December 2015). "Review: "The Invisible Band" by Travis (CD, 2001)". Pop Rescue. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  8. ^ Side (UK CD1 liner notes). Travis. Independiente. 2001. ISOM 54MS.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Side (European CD single liner notes). Travis. Independiente. 2001. ISM 671746 2, 6717462000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ "Travis – Side, Pt. 1". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  11. ^ Side (UK CD2 liner notes). Travis. Independiente. 2001. ISOM 54SMS.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ "Travis – Side, Pt. 2". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  13. ^ Side (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Travis. Independiente. 2001. ISOM 54S.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Side (UK cassette single sleeve). Travis. Independiente. 2001. ISOM 54MCS.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Side (European CD single liner notes). Travis. Independiente. 2001. ISM 671746 1, 6717461011.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ "Side – Single". Apple Music. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  17. ^ Side (Australian CD single liner notes). Travis. Independiente. 2001. 671779 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ The Invisible Band (UK CD album booklet). Travis. Independiente. 2001. ISOM 25CD, 5030502011.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ "Issue 607" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  20. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 19, no. 41. 6 October 2001. p. 15. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  21. ^ "Travis – Side" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  22. ^ "Travis – Side" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  23. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Travis". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  24. ^ "Travis – Side". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  25. ^ "Travis – Side" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  26. ^ "Travis – Side". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  28. ^ "Travis – Side". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  29. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  30. ^ "Travis Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  31. ^ "Travis Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  32. ^ "Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 2002". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. 20 December 2002. p. 16.
  33. ^ "Alternative: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1414. 10 August 2001. p. 104. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  34. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting September 17, 2001: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 15 September 2001. p. 37. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  35. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting September 24, 2001: Singles". Music Week. 22 September 2001. p. 35.
  36. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 8th October 2001" (PDF). ARIA. 8 October 2001. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2002. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  37. ^ "Triple A: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1424. 19 October 2001. p. 111. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
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