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{{Infobox single
{{Infobox song
| Name = (He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River
| name = (He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River
| Cover = ol-man-river.jpg
| cover = ol-man-river.jpg
| Artist = [[TISM]]
| alt =
| type = single
| from Album = [[Machiavelli and the Four Seasons]]
| artist = [[TISM]]
| B-side = "Abscess Makes the Heart Grow Fonder"<br>"Dicktatorship"
| Released = 6 June 1995
| album = [[Machiavelli and the Four Seasons]]
| B-side = {{Unbulleted list|"Abscess Makes the Heart Grow Fonder"|"Dicktatorship"}}
| Format = [[Compact Disc|CD]] [[Single (music)|single]]
| released = 6 June 1995
| Recorded = Platinum Studios, September 1994<br>"Abscess" recorded at Metropolis Audio, September 1993
| recorded = September 1994
| Genre = [[Dance-rock]], [[alternative rock]]
| Length = 2:24
| studio = Platinum Studios
| venue =
| Label = [[Shock Records|Shock]]/[[genre b.goode]]
| Writer = [[TISM]]
| genre = [[Dance-rock]], [[alternative rock]]
| Producer = Lawrence Maddy
| length = 2:24
| label = [[Shock Records|Shock]]/[[genre b.goode]]
| Certification =
| writer = [[TISM]]
| Chart position =
| producer = Lawrence Maddy
| Last single = "[[Let's Form a Company]]"<br />(1990)
| prev_title = Jung Talent Time
| This single = "'''(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River'''"<br />(1995)
| prev_year = 1995
| Next single = "[[Greg! The Stop Sign!!]]"<br>(1995)
| next_title = [[Greg! The Stop Sign!!]]
| Misc = {{Extra album cover
| next_year = 1995
|Type=single
| misc = {{Extra album cover
| Upper caption = ''Original Artwork''
| header = ''Original Artwork''
| Cover = river_tombstone.jpg
| Lower caption =
| type = single
| cover = river_tombstone.jpg
}}
| border =
| alt =
| caption =
}}
}}
}}
"'''(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River'''" was the first single to be released off ''[[Machiavelli and the Four Seasons]]'' (1995) by [[Australia]]n [[alternative rock]] band [[TISM]].


"'''(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River'''" is a song by [[Australia]]n [[alternative rock]] band [[TISM]], released in June 1995 as the second single from their third studio album, ''[[Machiavelli and the Four Seasons]]''. The song peaked at number 23 on the ARIA Charts, becoming the band's highest charting single and polled at number 9 in the [[Triple J Hottest 100, 1995]]
The title never appears in the song, and due to this, it is commonly (though incorrectly) referred to as "'''I'm On the Drug That Killed River Phoenix'''". The title references the play ''[[Show Boat]]'' and the famous song ''[[Ol' Man River]]'', indicating that [[River Phoenix]] will never be an "ol' man" because he died at age 23 of a [[drug overdose]].


The band performed the song on the [[RMITV]] show [[Under Melbourne Tonight]] in April 1995.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/0sh-WWLXsDo |title=Free Music Videos, Video Interviews, Music Video News, Live Sessions and Clips - NME.COM {{!}} - NME.COM<!-- Bot generated title --> |website=[[NME]] |access-date=13 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113095715/http://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/0sh-WWLXsDo |archive-date=13 January 2014 |url-status = dead}}</ref>
It is arguably TISM's most popular track, or at least, most well known, as it reached #9 in [[Triple J]]'s [[Triple J Hottest 100, 1995|1995 Hottest 100]], one number ahead of ''[[Greg! The Stop Sign!!]]''. It is also the only TISM song to reach the singles chart in [[Australia]], peaking at number 23.<ref>[http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=TISM&titel=%28He%27ll+Never+Be+An%29+Ol%27+Man+River&cat=s] Retrieved 2012-06-02.</ref>


==Meaning and controversy==
On the 27th of April 1995, the band appeared on the [[RMITV]] show [[Under Melbourne Tonight]] and performed the song<ref>http://www.discogs.com/TISM-Unauthorised-Unofficial-Unendorsed-Underpants/release/3268607</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sh-WWLXsDo TISM on Under Melbourne Tonight (Channel 31, 27/04/95) - YouTube<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/0sh-WWLXsDo Free Music Videos, Video Interviews, Music Video News, Live Sessions and Clips - NME.COM | - NME.COM<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
The track is a brutal takedown of celebrity worship, using the then-recent passing of [[River Phoenix]] as its focus and contains the opening line, "I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix".<ref name="MFAug22">{{cite web|url=https://musicfeeds.com.au/features/tism-10-essential-tracks/|title=TISM 10 Essential Tracks|website=[[MusicFeeds]]|date=4 August 2022|access-date=6 August 2022}}</ref>


Controversy surrounded the release of this track. [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]]' Australian-born bassist [[Flea (musician)|Michael "Flea" Balzary]] (a close friend of Phoenix) reportedly left "wanting to kill" TISM.<ref name="MFAug22"/> TISM addressed this controversy in 2004:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/01/1088488079697.html|title=The phantom menace|website=The Age (newspaper)|date=2 July 2014|access-date=11 December 2007 |author=Dwyer, Michael}}</ref> "By the same token, Hitler-Barassi says, 'I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix', the line that famously enraged Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, 'wasn't about River Phoenix at all. That song was about fame, and the people listed in it weren't even real celebrities."
In 2002, the band performed the song on [[John Safran's Music Jamboree]] with traditional Greek instruments and slightly different lyrics.


The single was issued with a second "pills" cover after a version depicting a mockup of Phoenix's tombstone was withdrawn.
==Song==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:ol-man-river-video.jpg|thumb|Members of TISM knock down performers of [[Othello]] in the video clip.|{{deletable image-caption|1=Wednesday, 1 April 2009}}]] -->
The song opens with the refrain ''I'm on the drug that killed [[River Phoenix]]'' and, as the song continues, talking about a wide variety of celebrities who died due to some sort of excess. As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the addiction is not about actually doing these things himself; rather, his addiction is vicariously following celebrities and their excesses and premature deaths. As with a number of TISM songs, it is a comment on the fairly vapid state of popular culture.


==Reception==
Example verse:
[[Double J (radio station)|Double J]] named it in the top fifty Australian songs of the 1990s, saying, "The song is a riotous techno-punk romp that namechecks a range of celebrity deaths, prodding those who obsess over these morbid events far more than the celebrities themselves. Like TISM's best work, you can take it on its provocative face value or, you know, read the lyrics."<ref>{{cite web|author=Dan Condon|url=https://www.abc.net.au/listen/doublej/music-reads/features/the-50-best-australian-songs-of-the-90s/10267974|title=The 50 best Australian songs of the 90s|website=[[Double J (radio station)|Double J]]}}</ref>


==Track list==
''I drank the [[beer|slab]] that [[Bon Scott]] drunk;'' <br/>
'''CD single (G003)'''
''Injected some of [[Jimi Hendrix|Hendrix]]' junk;'' <br/>
# "(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River" - 2:25
''I booked a seat on [[Lynyrd Skynyrd]]'s plane;'' <br/>
# "Abscess Makes the Heart Grow Fonder" - 2:47
''[[Mama Cass]]'s sandwich? I ate the same!''
# "Dicktatorship" - 2:00

And ending in ...

''Now I'm bored and there's no stoppin''' <br/>
''I need another celeb to fill a coffin'' <br/>
''Where will I get my next drug action?'' <br/>
''Odds on it'll be [[Michael Jackson]]''

The song is performed in [[drop D]] tuning.

==Controversy==
Not unique for TISM, controversy surrounded the release of this track. The main lyric ''I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix'' enraged a number of people; the [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]] Australian-born bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary (a close friend of Phoenix) was reportedly left "wanting to kill" TISM.

TISM addressed this controversy in 2004:<ref>Dwyer, Michael. (2004-07-02) [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/01/1088488079697.html The phantom menace]. (''article''). [[The Age]]. Retrieved 2007-12-11.</ref>

{{quote|"By the same token, Hitler-Barassi says, "I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix", the line that famously enraged Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, "wasn't about River Phoenix at all. That song was about fame, and the people listed in it weren't even real celebrities."

But did he get the opportunity to explain that to Flea?

"I had him on the ground and I was just about to break his nose with my forehead and I said, 'You do know, Flea, that satire is a legitimate art form stretching back to ancient Greek drama?' And he said, 'Oh, that's OK then, Ron'. He's a good guy, Flea. He's a mate of ours," he adds unconvincingly.}}

The single was issued with a second "pills" cover after a version depicting a mockup of Phoenix's tombstone was withdrawn.


==Personnel==
==Personnel==
Line 75: Line 57:
* Eugene Cester - keyboards
* Eugene Cester - keyboards


==Track list==
==Charts==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"
# "(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River"
|-
# "Abscess Makes the Heart Grow Fonder"
! Chart (1995)
# "Dicktatorship"
! Peak<br />position

|-
==See also==
{{single chart|Australia|23|artist=TISM|song=(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River|access-date=9 June 2021|rowheader=true|refname=aus}}
* [[TISM]]
|}
* [[Machiavelli and the Four Seasons]]


==References==
==References==
<references/>
<references/>
{{TISM Discography}}


{{authority control}}
==External links==
* [http://www.geniac.net/tism/river.txt (He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River lyrics]

{{TISM Discography}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River}}
[[Category:1995 singles]]
[[Category:1995 singles]]
[[Category:TISM songs]]
[[Category:TISM songs]]
[[Category:Songs about death]]
[[Category:Songs about heroin]]
[[Category:Songs about heroin]]
[[Category:1995 songs]]
[[Category:1995 songs]]
[[Category:Satirical songs]]

Revision as of 23:22, 30 October 2023

"(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River"
Single by TISM
from the album Machiavelli and the Four Seasons
B-side
  • "Abscess Makes the Heart Grow Fonder"
  • "Dicktatorship"
Released6 June 1995
RecordedSeptember 1994
StudioPlatinum Studios
GenreDance-rock, alternative rock
Length2:24
LabelShock/genre b.goode
Songwriter(s)TISM
Producer(s)Lawrence Maddy
TISM singles chronology
"Jung Talent Time"
(1995) 		"(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River"
(1995) 		"Greg! The Stop Sign!!"
(1995)
Original Artwork

"(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River" is a song by Australian alternative rock band TISM, released in June 1995 as the second single from their third studio album, Machiavelli and the Four Seasons. The song peaked at number 23 on the ARIA Charts, becoming the band's highest charting single and polled at number 9 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 1995

The band performed the song on the RMITV show Under Melbourne Tonight in April 1995.[1]

Meaning and controversy

The track is a brutal takedown of celebrity worship, using the then-recent passing of River Phoenix as its focus and contains the opening line, "I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix".[2]

Controversy surrounded the release of this track. Red Hot Chili Peppers' Australian-born bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary (a close friend of Phoenix) reportedly left "wanting to kill" TISM.[2] TISM addressed this controversy in 2004:[3] "By the same token, Hitler-Barassi says, 'I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix', the line that famously enraged Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, 'wasn't about River Phoenix at all. That song was about fame, and the people listed in it weren't even real celebrities."

The single was issued with a second "pills" cover after a version depicting a mockup of Phoenix's tombstone was withdrawn.

Reception

Double J named it in the top fifty Australian songs of the 1990s, saying, "The song is a riotous techno-punk romp that namechecks a range of celebrity deaths, prodding those who obsess over these morbid events far more than the celebrities themselves. Like TISM's best work, you can take it on its provocative face value or, you know, read the lyrics."[4]

Track list

CD single (G003)

  1. "(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River" - 2:25
  2. "Abscess Makes the Heart Grow Fonder" - 2:47
  3. "Dicktatorship" - 2:00

Personnel

  • Damian Cowell - lead vocals (choruses)
  • Peter Minack - lead vocals (verses)
  • Jack Holt - bass
  • James Paull - electric guitar
  • Eugene Cester - keyboards

Charts

Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[5] 23

References

  1. ^ "Free Music Videos, Video Interviews, Music Video News, Live Sessions and Clips - NME.COM | - NME.COM". NME. Archived from the original on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b "TISM 10 Essential Tracks". MusicFeeds. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  3. ^ Dwyer, Michael (2 July 2014). "The phantom menace". The Age (newspaper). Retrieved 11 December 2007.
  4. ^ Dan Condon. "The 50 best Australian songs of the 90s". Double J.
  5. ^ "TISM – (He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
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