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Peaches (The Presidents of the United States of America song)

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"Peaches" is a song by American alternative rock band the Presidents of the United States of America. It was included on their album The Presidents of the United States of America and released as a single in February 1996. The track was produced by Conrad Uno. The band members have acknowledged that "Peaches" borrows riffs from Bad Company's 1975 song "Feel Like Makin' Love".[6]

"Peaches"
Single by the Presidents of the United States of America
from the album The Presidents of the United States of America
B-side
ReleasedFebruary 27, 1996
Studio
Genre
Length2:51
Label
Songwriter(s)Chris Ballew
Producer(s)Conrad Uno
The Presidents of the United States of America singles chronology
"Lump"
(1995) 		"Peaches"
(1996) 		"Ça Plane Pour Moi"
(1996)

The song was released worldwide as the third single from The Presidents of the United States of America. It peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number eight on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Worldwide, the song reached number one in Iceland and the top 20 in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It received a gold certification in Australia for shipments of over 35,000 units. In 1996, "Peaches" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.[7]

Composition

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Despite speculation that the lyrics contain innuendo,[8][9] in an interview with American Songwriter magazine, the band's lead singer Chris Ballew explained that the song was inspired by two separate incidents: The first, which took place in Boston, involved Ballew taking LSD and going to the house of a woman he was attracted to. After knocking on her door and not receiving an answer, Ballew decided to wait for her underneath a nearby peach tree. According to Ballew, "There were peaches that had fallen, that were in various stages of decay. And ... I just started ... squeezing the peaches and mixing it with my desire for the girl and the desire for the peaches".[10]

The second incident occurred later when Ballew had moved back to Seattle. While waiting for a bus, he overheard a homeless man repeatedly mutter under his breath, "I'm moving to the country, I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches." The phrase originally appeared in the 1971 song "Spanish Pipedream" by acclaimed American singer-songwriter John Prine, the chorus of which is:

"Blow up your TV

Throw away your paper

Go to the country

Build you a home

Plant a little garden

Eat a lot of peaches

Try an' find Jesus on your own."[11]

The phrase stuck with Ballew, and after connecting it to his experience in Boston, he began to develop the lyrics for what would become "Peaches".[10][12]

Ballew said he was emulating Nirvana in the verses by trying to sound "gnarly and growly".[12]

Music video

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The music video features the band performing the song in an orchard filled with trees growing cans of peaches. A crate of the whole fruits rests on the ground between them, and the word "peaches" is written on the top of Ballew's head. During the song's instrumental break, the band is attacked by a group of ninjas attempting to capture them. They fight the ninjas for the remainder of the video and eventually defeat them.

For years, the video was only available in low quality online. On February 28, 2023, the video was remastered in HD and uploaded to YouTube.[13]

Formats and track listings

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Feinberg, Ashley (October 8, 2013). "Presidents of the United States of America: Peaches". Gizmodo. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  2. ^ Ygelsias, Matthew (May 21, 2007). "The Ultimate Nineties Alt-Rock Playlist". The Atlantic.
  3. ^ McLaughlin, Kathleen (February 20, 2008). "Ludo is fired up and ready to play on the national stage". Riverfront Times. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Loftus, Johnny. "The Presidents of the United States of America - The Presidents of the United States of America | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  5. ^ Elbel, Jeff (June 30, 2008). "The Presidents of the United States of America: Dischord (Issue 12)". Paste. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  6. ^ Strauss, Neil (November 21, 1995). "Simplicity and Also Crunch". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015.
  7. ^ "ALBUMS, SOUNDTRACKS: PRESIDENTS ON THE RECORD", The Seattle Times, January 30, 1998.
  8. ^ "'Til the juice runs down my leg: 23 songs that use fruit for sexual metaphor". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  9. ^ Stiernberg, Bonnie. "An Ode to the Peach, Music's Favorite Fruit-Based Innuendo". Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Uitti, Jacob (August 22, 2021). "Behind The Song: PUSA's Chris Ballew Talks 'Peaches,' Madonna and Disorientation". American Songwriter. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  11. ^ "John Prine – Spanish Pipedream".
  12. ^ a b Wiser, Carl (January 4, 2022). "Presidents of the United States of America Founder Chris Ballew : Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  13. ^ The Presidents of the United States of America - Peaches (Official HD Music Video), February 27, 2023, retrieved March 1, 2023
  14. ^ The Presidents of the United States of America (1995). Peaches (US 7-inch single sleeve). Dry Hump Recordings. DH018.
  15. ^ The Presidents of the United States of America (1996). Peaches (US maxi-CD liner notes). Columbia Records. 44K 78255.
  16. ^ The Presidents of the United States of America (1996). Peaches (US cassette single sleeve). Columbia Records. 38T 78254.
  17. ^ The Presidents of the United States of America (1996). Peaches (UK CD single liner notes). Columbia Records, PopLlama Records. 663107 2.
  18. ^ The Presidents of the United States of America (1996). Peaches (UK 7-inch picture disc). Columbia Records. 663107 7.
  19. ^ Peaches (Australian CD single liner notes). The Presidents of the United States of America. Columbia Records. 1995. 662767 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ "The Presidents of the United States of America – Peaches". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  21. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2926." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  22. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 2899." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  23. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 17. April 27, 1996. p. 13. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  24. ^ "The Presidents of the United States of America – Peaches" (in French). Les classement single.
  25. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (9.3. – 15.3. '96)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). March 9, 1996. p. 50. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  26. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Peaches". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  27. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 28, 1996" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  28. ^ "The Presidents of the United States of America – Peaches" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  29. ^ "The Presidents of the United States of America – Peaches". Top 40 Singles.
  30. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  31. ^ "The Presidents of the United States of America – Peaches". Singles Top 100.
  32. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  33. ^ "Billboard Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 15. April 13, 1996. p. 100. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  34. ^ a b "Album Rock Tracks / Modern Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 11. March 16, 1996. p. 103. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  35. ^ "The Presidents of the United States of America Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  36. ^ a b "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1996". ARIA. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2019 – via Imgur.
  37. ^ "RPM Year End Alternative Top 50". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  38. ^ "Árslistinn 1996". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 2, 1997. p. 25. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  39. ^ "Airplay Monitor Best of '96: Modern Rock Tracks" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 4, no. 53. December 27, 1996. p. 24. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
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