Out of the Sinking explained

Out of the Sinking
Cover:Out of the Sinking cover.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Paul Weller
Album:Stanley Road
B-Side:Sexy Sadie
Released:1994
Label:Go! Discs
Producer:Brendan Lynch, Paul Weller
Prev Title:Hung Up
Prev Year:1994
Next Title:The Changingman
Next Year:1995

"Out of the Sinking" is a song by British singer-songwriter Paul Weller, released in 1994 by Go! Discs as the first single from his third solo album, Stanley Road (1995). Weller wrote the song and produced it with Brendan Lynch. The B-side to the single is a cover of the Beatles' "Sexy Sadie".

"Out of the Sinking" originally reached 20 on the UK Singles Chart upon release its release. In February 1996, it was re-released and reached a new peak of No. 16.[1] The B-side to the single on the 1996 re-issue is a cover of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released". According to Weller, he wrote "Out of the Sinking" as a "great English Mod love song" and took inspiration from the Small Faces.[2]

Critical reception

Paul Mathur from Melody Maker said that "Out of the Sinking" "is far from the best of Paul Weller's recent releases, slumping at times into the sort of aimlessness that Van Morrison has made his own."[3] Dele Fadele from NME wrote that the song "is a kind of object lesson in getting rid of depression, and, in these post-Nirvana times, putting all those obsessions with death and decay and turmoil and exorcism behind you. A pleasant, summery soupçon of hippy dreams."[4] Another NME editor, Ted Kessler, complimented it as a "well-crafted" single and "bright, vaguely optimistic".[5]

Track listings

  1. "Out of the Sinking"
  2. "Sexy Sadie"
  3. "Sunflower" (Lynch Mob dub)
  1. "Out of the Sinking" (LP version)
  2. "I Shall Be Released"
  3. "Broken Stones"
  4. "Porcelain Gods"

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United Kingdom1994Go! Discs
United Kingdom (re-release)26 February 1996[14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Paul Weller. Official Charts Company. 28 March 2020.
  2. Web site: Paul Weller song meanings. unmask.us. 28 March 2020.
  3. Paul. Mathur. Singles. Melody Maker. 29 October 1994. 39. 14 November 2023.
  4. Dele. Fadele. Singles. NME. 22 October 1994. 50. 6 November 2023. Dele Fadele.
  5. Ted. Kessler. Long Play. NME. 20 May 1995. 44. 20 January 2024.
  6. Out of the Sinking. Paul Weller. 1994. UK 7-inch single sleeve. Go! Discs. GOD 121, 857 738-7.
  7. Out of the Sinking. Paul Weller. 1994. UK 12-inch single sleeve. Go! Discs. GODX 121, 857 739-1.
  8. Out of the Sinking. Paul Weller. 1994. UK CD single liner notes. Go! Discs. GODCD 121, 857 739-2.
  9. Out of the Sinking. Paul Weller. 1994. UK cassette single sleeve. Go! Discs. GOD MC 121, 857 738-4.
  10. Out of the Sinking. Paul Weller. 1996. UK 7-inch single sleeve. Go! Discs. GOD 143, 850 508-7.
  11. Out of the Sinking. Paul Weller. 1996. UK CD single liner notes. Go! Discs. GOD CD143, 850 509-2.
  12. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 11. 46. 24. 12 November 1994.
  13. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 13. 11. 17. 16 March 1996.
  14. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 31. 24 February 1996.