The Wild Ones (song)


"The Wild Ones" is the second single from the album Dog Man Star by Suede, released on 14 November 1994 on Nude Records. The song peaked at #18 in the UK.

Background

The ballad is considered a favourite among fans and is one of their most notable songs of this period. Brett Anderson has said on numerous occasions that he regards this song as not only the high-water mark of his writing partnership with Bernard Butler, but his favourite of all Suede songs. The song is one of several notable Suede songs including "So Young" and "Stay Together", which were inspired by Anderson's ex-girlfriend Anick.
The B-side, "Modern Boys", appears as an album track in the US edition of Dog Man Star. The single also features a version of "Introducing the Band" by electronic pioneer Brian Eno. Another B-side, "This World Needs a Father" is the only Suede song to feature input from both Bernard Butler and Richard Oakes. While the band were putting the final touches to the album, producer Ed Buller felt that the song needed more work and offered new guitarist Oakes to play Hammond organ.

Music video

"The Wild Ones" music video was filmed in Dartmoor and was directed by Howard Greenhalgh. The band met Greenhalgh at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York on a promo trip, where he won best video for Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun". One of the band's few big-budget videos, it cost £150,000, most of it for computer special effects. Although Anderson is a fan of the song, he dislikes the music video. While promoting album Night Thoughts in 2016, he said: "That really annoys me, because it’s the greatest song Suede ever wrote, and it’s got this awful video. It makes me shiver. That fucking video gives me night thoughts."

Reception and legacy

Music & Media wrote: "For the first time, the Anderson assembly live up to their name. Semi-acoustic with violins and all, bad ass Brett recalls forgotten heroes like Ian McCulloch and Scott Walker." Linda Ryan of the Gavin Report felt the song marked a major change in the band’s songwriting, by evoking classic country songwriters’ tales of "what might’ve beens." She considered it a "more serious songwriting effort... a far cry from the tawdry lust that clung to many songs on the band’s debut. Just beautiful."
In 2014, NME ranked the song at number 370 in its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Canadian rock band Destroyer, named their 2017 album ken after the song’s original title.

Track listings

All songs written by Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler except where noted.
12" vinyl
  1. "The Wild Ones"
  2. "Eno's Introducing the Band"
Cassette
  1. "The Wild Ones"
  2. "Modern Boys"
CD1
  1. "The Wild Ones"
  2. "Modern Boys"
  3. "This World Needs a Father"
CD2
  1. "The Wild Ones"
  2. "Eno's Introducing the Band"
  3. "Asda Town"