Growing on Me explained

Growing on Me
Cover:Darknessgrowingonme.jpg
Type:single
Artist:the Darkness
Album:Permission to Land
Studio:Chapel (Lincolnshire, England)
Length:3:29
Label:Must... Destroy!!, Atlantic
Producer:Pedro Ferreira
Prev Title:Get Your Hands off My Woman
Prev Year:2003
Next Title:I Believe in a Thing Called Love
Next Year:2003

"Growing on Me" is a song by British rock band the Darkness from their 2003 debut album, Permission to Land. It was released as the second single on 16 June 2003, peaking at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. It also charted at number 42 and 46 in Ireland and Australia, respectively.

Background

Despite rumours surrounding the song's meaning, lead singer Justin Hawkins has refuted suggestions that the lyrics pertain to pubic lice or sexually transmitted infections: "People have said it's about pubic lice, but that's obviously wrong because pubic lice don't grow on you, do they?" Hawkins has also commented on the song's true meaning: "A sweet lady woman that you will never fully fathom or understand, but you love her so much that after a while it doesn't matter."[1]

Music video

The video opens with the spaceship that is seen in later singles being mounted by a Pterodactyl attempting to mate with it, before eventually landing over a large riverbank and dispensing four pods containing each band member as a child. The children all enter a helicopter flying towards a large estate and exit there fully grown. The band then perform the song around the estate, including various moments of humour as Justin Hawkins sings naked from a bathtub or Dan Hawkins fires missiles out of his Les Paul.[2]

Track listings

  1. "Growing on Me"
  2. "How Dare You Call This Love?"
  3. "Bareback"

A. "Growing on Me"

B. "How Dare You Call This Love?"

  1. "Growing on Me" (video + out-takes)
  2. "Growing on Me" (audio)

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the Permission to Land album booklet.[8]

Studios

Personnel

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United Kingdom16 June 2003Must... Destroy[10]
Australia8 December 2003CD[11]
United States19 April 2004[12]

In popular culture

The song is featured in the soundtrack to the film School of Rock, despite not actually appearing in the motion picture. The film itself contains another song by the Darkness, "Black Shuck". This change is likely due to the strong language in "Black Shuck"; changing the song on the released soundtrack would avoid an advisory sticker on the release and allow members of the target audience—namely children—to widely purchase the album. It was also featured in the 2004 film Going the Distance.

Notes and References

  1. Justin Hawkins interview with VH1
  2. Web site: Darkness - Growing On Me (Official Video).
  3. Growing on Me. The Darkness. 2003. UK CD single liner notes. Must... Destroy!!. DUSTY010CD.
  4. Web site: Growing on Me – Single. Apple Music. 19 June 2022.
  5. Growing on Me. The Darkness. 2003. Australian CD single liner notes. Must... Destroy!!. 5046680702.
  6. Growing on Me. The Darkness. 2003. UK 7-inch single sleeve. Must... Destroy!!. DESTROYER10.
  7. Growing on Me. The Darkness. 2003. UK DVD single liner notes. Must... Destroy!!. DUSTY010CVD.
  8. Permission to Land. Permission to Land. The Darkness. 2003. UK CD album booklet. Must... Destroy!!, Atlantic Records. 5050466-7452-2-4.
  9. RR Canada Rock Top 30. Radio & Records. 1562. 63. July 2, 2004. November 20, 2023.
  10. New Releases – For Week Starting 16 June 2003: Singles. Music Week. 27. 14 June 2003. 6 September 2021.
  11. Web site: The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 8th December 2003. ARIA. 25. 8 December 2003. dead. http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080222222426/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20031207-0000/Issue720.pdf. 22 February 2008. 18 July 2022.
  12. Going for Adds. Radio & Records. 1551. 26. 16 April 2004.