Bela Lugosi's Dead Explained

Bela Lugosi's Dead
Cover:Bela Lugosi's Dead Cover.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Bauhaus
B-Side:Boys
Released:6 August 1979
Recorded:26 January 1979
Studio:Beck Studios, Wellingborough
Length:9:36
Label:Small Wonder
Next Title:Dark Entries
Next Year:1980

"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is the debut single by the English post-punk band Bauhaus, released on 6 August 1979 on the Small Wonder label.[1] It is often considered the first gothic rock record.[2]

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 work they recorded together, six weeks after the band had formed.[3] 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.[2] 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.[4] [5] Regarding this session, Kevin Haskins said, "There's power pop in there, and ska too. We were trying to find our voice."[6]

Of the songs recorded during that session (aside from "Bela Lugosi's Dead") 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.[7] The remaining tracks, including the original recording of "Boys", remained unreleased until 2018 when The Bela Session was released on vinyl and CD, and made available for digital download by the band.[8] Of the additional tracks, Classic Rock magazine wrote that, "The rest of the material finds a band fumbling for direction, even touching on ska."[9]

Content

The song is over nine minutes long; the vocals start (in the studio version) almost three minutes into the track. The dub-influenced guitar sound was achieved by using partial barre chords and leaving the open.[10] [11] [12]

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. After a career decline in his later years, Lugosi died in 1956 at the age of 73.

The sleeve cover art was taken from the 1926 film The Sorrows of Satan, directed by D. W. Griffith.[13]

Releases

"Bela Lugosi's Dead" was released in August 1979, but did not enter the UK charts. The original 12" release was on white vinyl and limited to 5,000 copies. Various other releases are included in the following:

It had a few releases on CD single:

The song was included on the 1998 Bauhaus compilation album Crackle. 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.[14]

Other releases

In the 1983 erotic 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.[15] [16] 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. For the 1998 greatest-hits collection Crackle, Beggars Banquet stitched together the "Tomb Raider Version" from outtakes and live recordings. The band never approved it and refers to it instead as the "Frankenstein version".[17]

Legacy

"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is considered the harbinger of gothic rock music and has been immensely influential on contemporary goth culture.[18] 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 ranked #60 in Rolling Stones "The 100 Greatest Debut Singles of All Time".[19]

Other versions

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

Cover versions

Track listing

12" singleThe Hunger Mix[16] The Bela Session EP[14]

Personnel

Bauhaus

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bauhaus: Bela Lugosi's Dead . iTunes Music . Apple . https://web.archive.org/web/20140915073439/http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bela-lugosis-dead-single/id160070991 . 15 September 2014 . live .
  2. The 'Ground Zero' of Goth: Bauhaus, 'Bela Lugosi's Dead' and the Origins of Gothic Rock . Carpenter . Alexander . 2012 . Popular Music and Society . . Abingdon, England. 35 . 1 . 25–52 . 10.1080/03007766.2010.537928 . 191488666 . 1740-1712 .
  3. https://www.stonesthrow.com/news/2018/09/bauhaus “Bauhaus - The Bela Session - “bela Lugosi's Dead" Official Reissue By Leaving Records”
  4. Web site: Daniel Ash returns! exclusive interview with former Bauhaus guitarist. Louder Than War. 29 November 2014.
  5. Web site: Bauhaus before Bauhaus - an in depth look on the bands that led to the formation of the iconic band. Louder Than War. 3 September 2017.
  6. https://daily.bandcamp.com/2018/11/19/big-ups-bauhaus/ "Big Ups: Bauhaus' Kevin Haskins Dompe and David J Haskins Pick Their Bandcamp Favorites"
  7. Web site: Bauhaus Archives - Page 4 of 6 - Indigo Eyes: A Peter Murphy Fan Site. Indigo Eyes: A Peter Murphy Fan Site. 2017-12-07. 2022-10-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20221014181551/http://indigoeyes.info/ctl-stories/bauhaus/page/4/. dead.
  8. Web site: The Bela Session, by Bauhaus. Bandcamp. 2019-06-29.
  9. December 2018 . The Bela Session . . 93.
  10. News: Bauhaus invent goth | Music . . 2014-03-13 . 2016-10-14.
  11. Web site: [{{AllMusic|song|mt0009080553|pure_url=yes}} Review of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" ]. Thompson . Dave . Dave Thompson (author) . . . San Francisco . https://web.archive.org/web/20121126015455/http://www.allmusic.com/song/bela-lugosis-dead-mt0009080553 . 26 November 2012 . live . From those basics, 'Bela Lugosi's Dead' crackles in on percussion alone, a tapping, rattling rhythm into which a three-note bass line only gradually intrudes itself before Ash's treated guitar slides in, echoed and echoing the most atmospheric dub..
  12. Matthew. Perpetua. The 15 Greatest Songs About Vampires. Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. New York City. June 24, 2011. January 11, 2019.
  13. Web site: BAUHAUS Exhumed—An Interview with Kevin Haskins . Post Punk.com . 16 March 2018 . 15 August 2019.
  14. Web site: The Bela Session, by Bauhaus. Bandcamp. 2019-06-29.
  15. Web site: Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead. Discogs. 1983 . en. 2020-05-10.
  16. Web site: Bela Lugosi Is Dead (The Hunger Mix) - Single by Bauhaus. Apple Music. en-us. 2020-05-10.
  17. Web site: Bauhaus: The Bela Session. 2020-11-15. Pitchfork. en.
  18. Book: Park, Jennifer . Steele . Valerie . Valerie Steele . Park . Jennifer . Melancholy and the Macabre: Gothic Rock and Fashion . Gothic: Dark Glamour . 2008 . . New Haven, Connecticut . 117 . 978-0-300-13694-4 . 2008024961 . 216936076 . 891133W.
  19. The 100 Greatest Debut Singles of All Time . Rolling Stone . Penske Business Media, LLC. . 19 April 2021 . May 19, 2020.
  20. Web site: Bela Lugosi's Dead (Undead is Forever) : David J (official). 31 October 2013. David J. BandCamp. 4 November 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131103014636/http://davidjofficial.bandcamp.com/track/bela-lugosis-dead-undead-is-forever. 3 November 2013. dmy-all.
  21. Web site: Bela Lugosi's Dead (Undead is Forever). https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/7yA0pkE3o1M . 2021-12-13 . live. 30 October 2013. David J. YouTube. 4 November 2013.
  22. Web site: Chris Cornell - 17) Bela Lugosi's dead (Argentina 2007). https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/kMuyvZLr-Y8 . 2021-12-13 . live. Youtube . 25 April 2014.
  23. Daniel. Kreps. Nine Inch Nails Wave Goodbye to New York With Bauhaus' Murphy . Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. New York City. August 27, 2009. January 11, 2019.
  24. Web site: Peter Murphy announces world tour; will only play Bauhaus material. Fact. The Vinyl Factory. London, England. 7 March 2013. 11 January 2019.
  25. Web site: Matthew . Solarski. Live Review: Massive Attack V Adam Curtis at New York's Park Avenue . Consequence of Sound. Consequence Holdings, LLC. Chicago, Illinois. April 25, 2014 . September 29, 2013 . They played a wide range of covers that tied in to varying degrees with the agitprop documentary taking place onscreen. Some, like The Jesus and Mary Chain's "Just Like Honey" and Bauhaus' "Bela Lugosi's Dead", seemed chosen more for mood..
  26. https://www.post-punk.com/massive-attack-are-now-covering-bauhaus-bela-lugosis-dead-on-their-mezzanine-tour/ “Massive Attack are Now Covering Bauhaus’ Bela Lugosi’s Dead on Their Mezzanine Tour”
  27. Web site: Dead Cross . 20 August 2017.
  28. Web site: John Gentile . Damned cover Bauhaus, Dave Vanian dresses as Nosferatu at 'Gathering of the Vampires' . Punknews.org . 30 October 2019 . October 29, 2019 . Last night the The[sic] Damned played the "Gathering of the Vampires," where they tried to host the largest vampire event ever. During the show, the band covered Bauhaus' "Bela Lugosi's dead." Also, singer Dave Vanian was in a dead ringer Nosferatu costume..

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