TOP TEN Placebo Songs

Published on December 28, 2011 by Christian Sellers · 1 Comment

For a short time during the mid-1990s it seemed that glam rock was destined to make a much-needed return. Marilyn Manson flirted with early David Bowie on Mechanical Animals and Rachel Stamp looked set to become the next big thing before slipping into obscurity, yet arguably the most interesting of these bands was Placebo, who broke into the mainstream in 1997 with their gender-bending classic Nancy Boy. Their eponymous debut was a curious affair mixed the ’70s glam excess of T.Rex with the ’80s nihilism of The Smiths, somehow coming together to create something fresh, sexy and exciting.

It has been suggested before that if their first album was the party then their 1998 masterpiece Without You I’m Nothing was the hangover, revealing a band that were worn out and slowly coming apart. While 2000′s Black Market Music failed to gain the same kind of recognition as its predecessors, Sleeping With Ghosts, released three years later, proved to be yet another success. 2006′s Meds featured some of the band’s most underrated work, while 2009′s Battle for the Sun divided critics; Drowned in Sound referred to it as “tripe,” while Rock Sound described it as an “album of sharply contrasting moods.”

10. NARCOLEPTIC
It is a shame that Taste in Men was chosen as the lead single from Black Market Music as it seemed like an unfair representation of the album. While the single was far from their best material, the record itself contained some truly underrated songs that perhaps lacked the commercial appeal of a single but nonetheless demonstrated the diversity and heart of Placebo. One such track was Narcoleptic, one of the album’s many ballads. “You’d better keep it in check or you’ll end up a wreck and you’ll never wake up,” warned singer Brian Molko.

9. HAPPY YOU’RE GONE
Further proof that a Placebo album should not be judged solely on the merits of its singles, as while For What It’s Worth and The Never-Ending Why are by-the-numbers songs there are a few gems lost among them. Happy You’re Gone is perhaps the most emotional track on the album, with Molko stating, “This melody will fade away and die, just for today breathe me and say goodbye.”

8. HANG ON TO YOUR IQ
There was a simplicity to Placebo’s debut that was enchanting, despite Nancy Boy proving to be not only the most famous song on the album but also from their entire repertoire. Hang on to Your IQ, however, was one of the standout moments from the record, demonstrating Molko’s unique guitar styles that made their debut so memorable.

7. BURGER QUEEN FRANCAIS
The original version of Burger Queen had been chosen as the final track for Without You I’m Nothing and had shown Molko at his most emotional. The following year the band decided to re-record the song for release in France, which was retitled Burger Queen Français and released as a single with a new B-side entitled Aardvark. Molko had already sun in French on a Placebo track, the B-side Mars Landing Party, and would again on the songs Protège-Moi and Je T’aime, Moi Non Plus, the latter performed with Trash Palace and Italian actress Asia Argento.

6. INFRA RED
Although the generic Because I Want You was chosen as the first single off Meds, third release Infra Red would have been the more appropriate choice, being both commercial and indicating that the band were experimenting with their sound. Meds was perhaps their most unpredictable album and the energetic Infra Red would have served as an ideal introduction for first-timers. Heavy on keyboards, Meds saw Placebo moving further away from three-minute guitar songs and venturing into ’80s synthesiser territory. Infra Red seemed more lyrically aggressive too, with Molko saying, “I’m coming up on infra red, forget your running, I will find you.”

5. ION
While Placebo have always occasionally experimented with their B-sides, they first truly noticable departure from their signature sound was Ion, which was released on their 1998 single You Don’t Care About Us. Although both the lead track and a cover of the T.Rex classic 20th Century Boy were inspired by glam rock, Ion was a four-minute instrumental track that saw the band flirting with dance music more often associated with the likes of The Orb.

4. THE MOVIE ON YOUR EYELIDS
Placebo were not only known for hiding some of their best material as B-sides on their singles but also occasionally as hidden or bonus tracks on their albums. One such song was The Movie on Your Eyelids, which was included on the Deluxe and vinyl editions of Battle for the Sun. Based around a haunting piano riff, the track saw Molko talking in much the same way as he did on earlier songs like Swallow.

3. DRINK YOU PRETTY
Opening with a funky drumbeat, Drink You Pretty should not have been hidden away on the back of the second CD of The Bitter End single. Another song that would feature prominent talking from Molko, Drink You Pretty is a hypnotic gem that varies little through its four-minute running time but is all the better for it.

2. PEEPING TOM
Based around a bizarre guitar sound and haunting piano riff, Peeping Tom, the closing track from Black Market Music, remains one of Placebo‘s most overlooked and emotional songs. “With every bet I lost and every trick I tossed, you’re still the one who makes me feel much taller than you are,” confesses Molko.

1. FOLLOW THE COPS BACK HOME
Meds has several classic Placebo songs that have failed to gain the recognition they deserve, such as Pierrot the Clown and Blind, but without a doubt the best song on the album was Follow the Cops Back Home, which managed to be both emotional and humorous at the same time and has an air of anti-authority about it with its simple-yet-authority sing-a-long chorus of “Let’s follow the cope back home and rob their houses.” Molko has never sounded as sincere as when he sings, “The call to arms was never true. I’m medicated, how are you?” Meds is an album even casual fans should seek out and Follow the Cops Back Home is by far its most perfect moment.