Greedy Fly

"Greedy Fly"
"Greedy Fly"
Single by Bush
from the album Razorblade Suitcase
B-side	"Old"
Released	26 May 1997
Genre	Grunge; hard rock;
Length	4:29 (album version); 3:50 (radio edit);
Label	Trauma; Interscope;
Songwriter	Gavin Rossdale
Producer	Steve Albini
Bush singles chronology
Alternative covers
	UK CD 1 cover

"Greedy Fly" is a song by alternative rock band Bush, released on 26 May 1997 as the second single from their second studio album, Razorblade Suitcase (1996).

Music

"Greedy Fly" was described by Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian to show the band to "have a streak of goth a mile wide".^[3]

Music video

Bush were one of the early pioneers of the enhanced CD single, with the full video being available as a file on CD 2. The video was directed by Marcus Nispel in December 1996 in Los Angeles. The video was shot in the same building Se7en was shot in and cost nearly half a million pounds (around £961,0000 in 2024).^[4]

Commercial performance

"Greedy Fly" was released as the second single from the album, after "Swallowed". The song became a hit, possibly due to its well-known music video, which clocks in at over 7 minutes (although the song itself is only 4:29 long). The song reached the top 5 on both the US Alternative Songs chart and Mainstream Rock Tracks. The song is also the band's second biggest hit in their native Britain where it peaked at #22 (behind "Swallowed" which peaked at #7).

Allusions

In 2023, American musician Corey Taylor, best known as the lead vocalist of alternative metal band Slipknot, named "Greedy Fly" the Bush song he wished he'd written.^[5]

Track listing

All songs written by Gavin Rossdale unless stated.

UK CD 1 Single IND95536 (Cardsleeve)
1. "Greedy Fly [Radio Edit]" - 3:50
2. "Old" - 2:51
3. "Insect Kin [Live at the London Forum]" - 4:57
4. "Personal Holloway [Live]" - 3:28
UK CD 2 Single INDX95536
1. "Greedy Fly [Video]" - 7:09
2. "Greedy Fly [LP Version]" - 4:27
3. "Greedy Fly [Demo]" - 4:25
AUS CD Single IND95536 (Slidecase)
1. "Greedy Fly" - 4:28
2. "Swallowed [Toasted Both Sides Please - Goldie Remix]" - 5:49
3. "Cold Contagious [16"oz Demo Version]" - 5:57
4. "Greedy Fly [Video]" - 7:09

Appearances in the media

- Featured on Cold Case in the episode "Spiders".

Chart performance

Chart (1997)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[6]	78
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[7]	29
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)^[8]	6
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[9]	88
Scotland Singles (OCC)^[10]	21
UK Singles (OCC)^[11]	22
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)^[12]	3
US Radio Songs (Billboard)^[13]	41
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)^[14]	3
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)^[15]	5

References

^ "New Releases: singles". Music Week. 24 May 1997. p. 55.
^ Piccoli, Sean (22 March 1997). "Bush: America's Band". Sun Sentiel. Sun Senitel. Retrieved 23 January 2020.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Sullivan, Caroline (3 March 2000). "Briddish rock hunks". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
^ "Music Video History at OneSecondBush.com - A Comprehensive Fan Site for the Band Bush". Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
^ Rogers, Ellie (9 November 2023). "Gavin Rossdale talks us through Bush's platinum hits: "These songs were not written with a view to any degree of success… I had toiled for many years and nothing had worked"". Music Radar. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
^ "Top RPM Singles: Image 3196". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Image 3175". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 7. 14 June 1997. p. 16. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 7/6/1997 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
^ "Official Singles Chart on 7/6/1997 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart on 7/6/1997 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
^ "Bush Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
^ "Bush Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
^ "Bush Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2017.

External links

"Greedy Fly" Official music video on YouTube

This 1990s rock song-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

[1] "New Releases: singles". Music Week. 24 May 1997. p. 55.

[2] Piccoli, Sean (22 March 1997). "Bush: America's Band". Sun Sentiel. Sun Senitel. Retrieved 23 January 2020.^{[permanent dead link]}

[sullivan-3] Sullivan, Caroline (3 March 2000). "Briddish rock hunks". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 January 2024.

[4] "Music Video History at OneSecondBush.com - A Comprehensive Fan Site for the Band Bush". Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.

[rogers-5] Rogers, Ellie (9 November 2023). "Gavin Rossdale talks us through Bush's platinum hits: "These songs were not written with a view to any degree of success… I had toiled for many years and nothing had worked"". Music Radar. Retrieved 4 September 2024.

[6] Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.

[sc_Canadatopsingles_Bush-7] "Top RPM Singles: Image 3196". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

[sc_Canadarock_Bush-8] "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Image 3175". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

[9] "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 7. 14 June 1997. p. 16. Retrieved 2 September 2020.

[sc_Scotland_Bush-10] "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 7/6/1997 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

[sc_UK_Bush-11] "Official Singles Chart on 7/6/1997 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

[sc_UKrock_Bush-12] "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart on 7/6/1997 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

[sc_Billboardradiosongs_Bush-13] "Bush Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2017.

[sc_Billboardalternativesongs_Bush-14] "Bush Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2017.

[sc_Billboardmainstreamrock_Bush-15] "Bush Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2017.

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v t e Bush
Gavin Rossdale Chris Traynor Corey Britz Nik Hughes Nigel Pulsford Dave Parsons Robin Goodridge
Studio albums	Sixteen Stone Razorblade Suitcase The Science of Things Golden State The Sea of Memories Man on the Run Black and White Rainbows The Kingdom The Art of Survival I Beat Loneliness
Live albums	Zen X Four
Compilation albums	Deconstructed The Best of '94–'99 Loaded: The Greatest Hits 1994–2023
EPs	Loads of Remixes
Home videos	Live!
Singles	"Everything Zen" "Little Things" "Comedown" "Glycerine" "Machinehead" "Swallowed" "Greedy Fly" "Bonedriven" "Cold Contagious" "Mouth (The Stingray Mix)" "The Chemicals Between Us" "Warm Machine" "Letting the Cables Sleep" "The People That We Love" "Headful of Ghosts" "Inflatable" "Afterlife" "The Sound of Winter" "Baby Come Home" "The Only Way Out" "Mad Love" "The Beat of Your Heart" "This Is War" "Bullet Holes" "Flowers on a Grave" "More Than Machines" "Heavy Is the Ocean" "All Things Must Change" "Nowhere To Go But Everywhere"
Related articles	Discography The Partisans Transvision Vamp Helmet Institute Spear of Destiny Stone Gods
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