Bela Lugosi's Dead


"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is a song by the English post-punk band Bauhaus. It was the band's first single, released on 6 August 1979 by record label Small Wonder. It is often considered the first gothic rock record.

History

"Bela Lugosi's Dead" was recorded "live in the studio" in a single take during a six-hour session at Beck Studios in Wellingborough on 26 January 1979. It was the first thing they recorded together, six weeks after the band had formed. All four band members are credited as writers of the song: vocalist Peter Murphy, guitarist Daniel Ash, drummer Kevin Haskins and bassist David J. David J has claimed that he wrote the lyrics. Alternate versions of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" also included a portion of the early demo recording of their next single, "Dark Entries".
Four additional songs were also recorded during the same session: "Boys"; "Bite My Hip"; "Some Faces" and the ska-reggae tune "Harry", which was about Deborah Harry, the lead singer of Blondie. Regarding this session, Kevin Haskins said, "There’s power pop in there, and ska too. We were trying to find our voice."
Of the songs recorded during that session only "Harry" found an official release; in 1982 as a B-side to the single "Kick in the Eye." A version of "Boys" recorded at Beck Studios later in 1979 was used as a B-side to the original release of the "Bela Lugosi's Dead" single. The remaining tracks, including the original recording of "Boys," remained unreleased until 2018 when "The Bela Session" was released on vinyl, CD and made available for digital download by the band.

Content

The song is over nine minutes long; the vocals start several minutes into the track. The dub-influenced guitar sound was achieved by using partial barre chords and leaving the open.
The song takes its name from the horror film star Bela Lugosi, who is known for his role as the title character in the 1931 film Dracula. He died in 1956; 23 years before the song was written and recorded.
The sleeve cover art was taken from the 1926 film The Sorrows of Satan, directed by D. W. Griffith.

Releases

"Bela Lugosi's Dead" was released in August 1979, but did not enter the UK charts. It was released on CD in 1988, and was compiled on the 1998 Bauhaus compilation album Crackle. The original 12" release was on white vinyl and limited to 5,000 copies. Various other releases are included in the following:
In 2018 the track was released again on vinyl, CD and digital download as part of "The Bela Session" along with four other recordings made during the same session in early 1979, three of which were unreleased up to that point.

Other releases

In the 1983 horror film The Hunger, Bauhaus performed the song during the opening credits and introduction. A 7″ promotional record featuring an edited version of the song was released to theaters playing the film.
A live version of the track, released in 1982 and recorded on 24 February 1982 at The Old Vic, London, is found on Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape, and the same version is also found on the band's compilation album Bauhaus 1979–1983.
On the band's 1998 best-of album Crackle, a version dubbed the "Tomb Raider Mix" is used.

Legacy

"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is considered the harbinger of gothic rock music and has been immensely influential on contemporary goth culture. In an article by The Guardian titled ”Bauhaus invent goth”, the newspaper ranked the song number 19 on their list of the 50 key events in indie music history, stating;
The song was featured in numerous films and TV shows including The Hunger, Smallville, The Curve, Good Luck Chuck, The Collector, Fringe, Supernatural and . The song was used as the intro music for the late 1990s Saturday Night Live skit "Goth Talk", which featured Chris Kattan and Molly Shannon as two goth high school students.

Other versions

"Bela Lugosi's Dead (Undead Is Forever)"

12" single
The Hunger MixThe Bela Session EP

Personnel

; Bauhaus