World Shut Your Mouth (song) explained

World Shut Your Mouth
Cover:	Julian Cope - World Shut Your Mouth.jpeg
Type:	single
Artist:	Julian Cope
Album:	Saint Julian
B-Side:	Umpteenth Unnatural Blues
Length:	3:34 (album version) 3:05 (single version)
Label:	Island
Producer:	Ed Stasium
Prev Title:	Sunspots
Prev Year:	1985
Next Title:	Trampolene
Next Year:	1987

"World Shut Your Mouth" is a song by English singer-songwriter Julian Cope, released as the first single from his third album, Saint Julian (1987), on 15 September 1986. The title of the song is the same as the title of Cope's first solo album, World Shut Your Mouth, but the track does not appear on that album.

Release

"World Shut Your Mouth" was released as a single from Saint Julian in September 1986. The song is Julian Cope's biggest hit, reaching number 19 in the UK and number 84 in the US, his only single to chart there. Cope said of the success he achieved with the song, "I hated [being a pop star]. I hated the assholes. And I hated the fact ... it's what Smithy [<nowiki/>[[Mark E. Smith]]] said himself, that all the English bands act like peasants with free milk. All their belligerence went and they turned into forelock-tugging gruelheads as soon as they were around record company types".^[1]

Ned Raggett of AllMusic described the song as a "simply fantastic hit UK single".^[2]

Accolades

Year	Publication	Country	Accolade	Rank
1986	NME	United Kingdom	"Singles of the Year"	27	^[3]
2010	Robert Dimery	United States	1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die		^[4]
2011	NME	United Kingdom	"501 Lost Songs"		^[5]
"*" denotes an unordered list.

Track listings

All songs were written by Julian Cope except where noted.

UK 7-inch single (IS 290)

1. "World Shut Your Mouth" – 3:34
2. "Umpteenth Unnatural Blues" – 2:58

UK 12-inch single (12 IS 290)

1. "World Shut Your Mouth" – 3:34
2. "(I've Got) Levitation" (Hall, Sutherland) – 3:02
3. "Umpteenth Unnatural Blues" – 2:58
4. "Non-Alignment Pact" (Pere Ubu) – 2:48
5. "Transporting" (Julian Cope Group) – 3:34

UK 12-inch remix single (12 ISX 290)

1. "World Shut Your Mouth" [Remix by [[Trouble Funk]] - Long Version] – 4:35
2. "(I've Got) Levitation" (Hall, Sutherland) – 3:02
3. "World Shut Your Mouth" [Remix by Trouble Funk - Short Version] – 3:09

UK cassette single (C IS 290)

1. Interview – 8:00
2. "World Shut Your Mouth" – 3:34
3. "(I've Got) Levitation" (Hall, Sutherland) – 3:02
4. "Umpteenth Unnatural Blues" – 2:58
5. "Non-Alignment Pact" (Pere Ubu) – 2:48

Charts

Chart (1986–1987)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[6]	51
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)^[7]	67
US Billboard Hot 100^[8]	84
US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)^[9]	22

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
United Kingdom	15 September 1986		Island	^[10]
United Kingdom (re-release)	27 July 1992			^[11]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Hattenstone . Simon . Julian Cope interview: 'I live in a visionary state … I'm a wild beast' . The Guardian . 27 June 2014 . 19 January 2020.
2. Web site: Raggett . Ned . Saint Julian - Julian Cope . . 19 January 2020.
3. NME Singles 1986 . 7 October 2012 . NME.
4. Book: 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die . Octopus Publishing Group. 2010 . 978-1-84403-684-4 . Dimery. Robert. 10,001 Songs You Must Hear…. 928.
5. 501 Lost Songs . 7 October 2012 . NME.
6. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian)

   . David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 74.

7. European Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 3. 43. 21. 1 November 1986.
8. Billboard Hot 100. Billboard. 4 April 1987. 29 July 2023.
9. Mainstream Rock Airplay. Billboard. 21 February 1987. subscription. 29 July 2023.
10. New Singles. Music Week. 27. 13 September 1986.
11. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 19. 25 July 1992.