Hair of the Dog (song)
"Hair of the Dog" is a song by Scottish rock band Nazareth, featured on their 1975 album Hair of the Dog.[2] It is sometimes called "Son of a Bitch" because of the repeated lyric in the hook ("Now you're messing with a son of a bitch").
"Hair of the Dog" | ||||
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Single by Nazareth | ||||
from the album Hair of the Dog | ||||
Released | 14 March 1975 | |||
Recorded | 1974 | |||
Genre | Hard rock[1] | |||
Length | 4:11 | |||
Label | A&M (US) Vertigo (Europe) | |||
Songwriter(s) | Dan McCafferty, Pete Agnew, Manny Charlton, Darrell Sweet | |||
Producer(s) | Manny Charlton | |||
Nazareth singles chronology | ||||
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Audio | ||||
"Hair of the Dog" on YouTube |
Background
The song is about a charming and manipulative woman who can get men to acquiesce to her every need. The singer is letting her know that she has met her match in him, a self-described "son of a bitch."
"Hair of the Dog" uses a talk box extensively during its bridge.[3]
As a standalone song, it only charted in Germany, where it peaked at #44. In the United States, because the Hair of the Dog album was a top-20 hit on the album charts, the song received extensive airplay on album-oriented rock stations (despite "bitch" being a borderline profanity) and remains in rotation on classic rock formatted stations. In the US, it was released as the B-side of "Love Hurts".
Personnel
Nazareth
- Dan McCafferty – vocals, talk box
- Manny Charlton – guitars, synthesizer
- Pete Agnew – bass, backing vocals
- Darrell Sweet – drums, cowbell, tambourine, backing vocals
Cover versions
"Hair of the Dog" | |
---|---|
Promotional single by Guns N' Roses | |
from the album "The Spaghetti Incident?" | |
Released | 1994 |
Recorded | 1993 |
Genre | Hard rock, glam metal |
Length | 3:55 |
Label | Geffen |
Songwriter(s) | Dan McCafferty, Pete Agnew, Manny Charlton, Darrell Sweet |
Producer(s) | Guns N' Roses and Mike Clink |
The song has been covered by many bands. Guns N' Roses recorded it on their 1993 album "The Spaghetti Incident?". This version features the signature guitar riff from the Beatles' "Day Tripper" as a gag at the end.
The song is on the Britny Fox album Boys in Heat.[4][5] Stone Rider covered the song on their 2008 album Three Legs of Trouble.
It has also been covered by Paul Di'Anno, The Michael Schenker Group, and Warrant.
Guns N' Roses
- W. Axl Rose – lead vocals
- Slash – lead guitar, talkbox
- Duff McKagan – bass, backing vocals
- Matt Sorum – drums
- Gilby Clarke – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Britny Fox
- "Dizzy" Dean Davidson – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Michael Kelly Smith – lead guitar
- Billy Childs – bass
- Johnny Dee – drums
In other media
The original version of the song is featured in the first expansion pack of the video game Grand Theft Auto IV, titled The Lost and the Damned. It is featured on the in-game radio station Liberty Rock Radio. The song was also used in The CW show Supernatural in a Season 2 promotional advertisement.
The Girls Aloud song "Sexy! No No No..." features a sped-up sample of the song's guitar riff. The band is given a writing credit for the sample.
On January 26, 2010, a re-recording of the song was released as downloadable content for the rhythm video game Rock Band 2. However, it has since been delisted from the in-game store.
In 2014, the song was used in the film, Dumb and Dumber To, during Lloyd's fantasy about Harry's daughter.
In a 2003 GEICO television commercial
In the US, this was used in a TV commercial for Dodge.[6]
On November 14, 2006 the original version of the song appeared in Season 1, Episode 7 of the Friday Night Lights television series.[7]
Charts
Original Version
Chart (1975) | Peak position |
---|---|
Germany (Official German Charts)[8] | 44 |
Guns N' Roses version
Chart (1994) | Peak position |
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US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[9] | 11 |
References
- Tucker, Dan (28 February 2014). "13 Classic Hard Rock Songs That Will Make You Scream "More Cowbell!"". VH1. Viacom. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- Strong, Martin Charles; John Peel (2004). The great rock discography. Canongate. p. 1064. ISBN 978-1-84195-615-2.
- Brewster, David M. (2003). Introduction to guitar tone & effects: an essential manual for getting the best sounds from electric guitars, amplifiers, effect pedals, and digital processors. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-634-06046-5.
- Kandell, Steve (April 2010). "Nazareth Messed With by Son of a Bitch". Spin: 96. ISSN 0886-3032.
- Adler, Steven; Spagnola, Lawrence (2010). My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses. It Books. ISBN 978-0-06-191711-0.
- Eddy (1997). The accidental evolution of rock'n'roll: a misguided tour through popular music. Da Capo. p. 330. ISBN 978-0-306-80741-1.
- "Music from Friday Night Lights". Musicfromfilm.com. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- "Nazareth – Hair of the Dog" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- "Guns N Roses Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2017.