C'mon Billy

"C'mon Billy" is a song by English musician PJ Harvey, released as the second single from her third studio album, To Bring You My Love (1995). Produced, engineered, and mixed by Flood with Harvey as co-producer and engineer, it features the artist on vocals and guitar, John Parish on drums and percussion, Joe Gore on guitar, Sonia Slany on violin, Jocelyn Pook and Jules Singleton on viola, and Sian Bell on cello. The string arrangement is by Pete Thomas. The song is cited as being a clear example of Harvey's sound change since breaking from the PJ Harvey Trio.

"C'mon Billy"
Single by PJ Harvey
from the album To Bring You My Love
B-side"Darling Be There" / "Maniac" / "One Time Too Many"
ReleasedJuly 1995
Genre
Length2:52
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)PJ Harvey
Producer(s)
PJ Harvey singles chronology
"Down by the Water"
(1995)		 "C'mon Billy"
(1995)		 "Send His Love to Me"
(1995)
Alternate cover
Music video
"C'mon Billy" on YouTube

The lyrics talk about a woman begging for 'Billy' to come home and meet his son.[2] Harvey's singing style has been described as "frantic purrs”.

Critical reception

The single has been described as a clear example of Harvey's sound change; critics have stated that it was possibly a "glimpse of the Blues Explosion and Portishead."[3][4] It peaked at No. 29 on the UK chart, and had moderate airplay there.[5]

Music video

The accompanying music video shows PJ Harvey as an old-time performer in an old theater-dining setting, described by one scholar as "surreal".[6] There, she attempts to seduce a bald man in the setting while singing the song. The video switches to a version of her in a modern red dress, her face stained with tears. There is a scene with her apparently in her bedroom, on a mattress on a twin-sized bed without sheets, shot from the ceiling. The video eventually shows a home movie of Billy, Harvey (minus her previous make-up) and a baby boy, playing together outdoors in happier times.

The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot described Harvey in the video as a "sadomasochistic dominatrix in blood-red dress". Although the video impressed VH1 executives, they refused to air it because the video was seen as scary and off-putting. Kot wrote that it "blew away everyone in the room and every video aired that day, but was rejected. 'She's amazing,' one VH1 executive remarked, 'and way too good for us.' "[7][8]

Track list
  1. "C'mon Billy" – 2:52
  2. "Darling Be There" – 3:46
  3. "Maniac" – 4:01
  4. "One Time Too Many" – 2:51[9]

Chart positions
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[10] 128
UK Singles Chart[5] 29

References
  1. Blender Staff (May 2003). "500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die!". Blender. New York: Dennis Publishing Ltd. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  2. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (November 2, 2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition (4 ed.). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0743201698. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  3. Santangelo, Antonio (July 3, 2003). "CMJ Silver Salute" (821). CMJ: 5. Retrieved November 23, 2012. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Aswad, Jem (April 1995). "PJ Harvey To Bring You My Love Island". CMJ: 12. Retrieved November 23, 2012. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. "Pj Harvey". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  6. Michigan Sociological Association (1999). "Michigan Sociological Review, Volumes 13-15". 13–15. Retrieved December 9, 2012. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. Kot, Greg (December 18, 2000). "'My Music Has Not Been Easy Listening: That Stops People'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  8. "PJ Harvey - C'mon Billy". Artistdirect. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  9. "PJ Harvey – C'Mon Billy". Discogs. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  10. "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 15 July 2015". imgur.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
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