F.M. Doll Explained

F.M. Doll
Cover:FM Doll cover.jpg
Caption:Original 2002 cover art
Type:single
Artist:Queenadreena
Album:The Butcher and the Butterfly
B-Side:Kissing My Disgrace
Length:3:11
Producer:Clive Goddard
Prev Title:Pretty Like Drugs
Prev Year:2002
Next Title:Medicine Jar
Next Year:2005

"F.M. Doll" (originally titled "Fuck-Me Doll")[1] is a song by English alternative rock band Queenadreena, first released as a standalone single in 2002 by Rough Trade Records. The track was later re-recorded and released both as a single and included on their third album, The Butcher and the Butterfly (2005) through One Little Independent, after the band had switched record labels.[2] It peaked at number 81 on the UK Singles Chart in 2005.

The track is inspired by the 1996 unsolved murder of American child pageant competitor JonBenét Ramsey. The painting featured on the original 2002 single is by artist Simon Henwood.[3]

Composition

According to vocalist and songwriter KatieJane Garside, the song was inspired by JonBenét Ramsey. In a 2002 interview, she stated: "I know because of the lyrical content it won’t get on [the radio]. It's about child murder. Do you remember the JonBenét case in America? The child beauty queen who was supposedly murdered by her mother and father? It's about that and the endemic infection in the female psyche."[1]

The lyrics of the song mention JonBenét Ramsey by name, and allude to stripping and sexual abuse.

Release

The track was first released as a CD single on 18 November 2002 by Rough Trade Records.[4]

It was re-recorded by the band and re-released as a 7" vinyl and CD by One Little Independent Records on 21 March 2005,[5] [6] as well as appearing on the band's third album, The Butcher and the Butterfly.

Reception

Nick March of Drowned in Sound gave the single a positive review, writing: "When the 'FM Doll' charges out of the stereo speakers, it greets your eardrums with a "we-didn't-come-to-fuck-around" urgency. This puppy's a re-recorded version of an earlier release that's been beefed up a bit, so it's worth adjusting your aural settings accordingly. You should either listen to it at bloody-murder volume or turn it off."[7]

The South Wales Argus, reviewing the 2005 reissued single, wrote: "Garside's version of events is told with lots of high-pitched screaming suggesting hair tearing from head and plenty of equally harsh guitar riffing plus impromptu bursts of manic percussion. It's typical of the type of dark subjects and lurid presentation enjoyed by Queen Adreena who've been described as one half Hole, the other Kate Bush."[5] Contactmusic.com echoed a similar sentiment in their review, noting: "This three-minute train wreck from ultra-fierce psycho-punks Queen Adreena is a ride from Satan’s own backyard amusement park. That is to say; if it’ll scare the Dark One, it’ll scare anyone."[8]

Track listing

2002 UK CD single (RTRADESCD071)

  1. "FM Doll" (KatieJane Garside, Crispin Gray, Pete Howard, John Orion) – 3:11
  2. "Kissing My Disgrace" (Garside, Gray, Orson Wajih) – 3:18

2005 UK CD and 7" singles (465TP7CD, 465TP7)

  1. "FM Doll" (Garside, Gray, Howard) – 3:08
  2. "Kissing My Disgrace" (Garside, Gray, Wajih) – 3:13

Personnel

Queenadreena
Art direction
Technical personnel

Notes and References

  1. QueenAdreena in Wonderland. Black Velvet Magazine. Jackson, David. February 2003. 35. https://archive.today/20190214093725/https://blackvelvetmagazine.com/queenadreena.htm. 14 February 2019. 22 September 2016. live.
  2. Web site: F.M. Doll. Apple Music. 18 November 2002 . live. https://archive.today/20230210034021/https://music.apple.com/gb/album/f-m-doll-single/1473842330. 10 February 2023.
  3. FM Doll liner notes. Rough Trade Records (2002)
  4. F.M. Doll. Rough Trade Records. Compact disc. RTRADESCD071.
  5. Web site: Queening it in Cardiff. South Wales Argus. 18 March 2005. live. https://archive.today/20230210034824/https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/4596520.queening-it-in-cardiff/. 10 February 2023.
  6. F.M. Doll. One Little Independent Records. 7" vinyl LP. 465TP7.
  7. Web site: Queen Adreena – FM Doll. March, Nick Cohen. 21 March 2005. 22 September 2016. Drowned in Sound. 4 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170104143836/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/6452/reviews/11493-. dead.
  8. Web site: Single Review: FM Doll. Contactmusic.com. live. https://archive.today/20230210034637/https://www.contactmusic.com/pages/queenadreenax23x03x05. 10 February 2023. Raven.
  9. Web site: Queen Adreena. The Official Charts Company. https://archive.today/20200605163631/https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/8141/queen-adreena/. 5 June 2020. live.