The Earth Dies Screaming (song)

"The Earth Dies Screaming" is a song by British reggae band UB40, released as their third single in October 1980 as a double A-side with "Dream a Lie". It continued the band's chart success, peaking at number ten on the UK Singles Chart.[2]

"The Earth Dies Screaming"
Cover of the 12-inch single
Single by UB40
A-side"Dream a Lie"
Released24 October 1980 (1980-10-24)
Genre
Length4:45
LabelGraduate
Songwriter(s)UB40
Producer(s)
UB40 singles chronology
"My Way of Thinking" / "I Think It's Going to Rain Today"
(1980)		 "The Earth Dies Screaming" / "Dream a Lie"
(1980)		 "Don't Let It Pass You By" / "Don't Slow Down"
(1981)

Background and release

The song was inspired and named after the 1964 science-fiction horror film. The lyrics were written by drummer Jimmy Brown, who in an interview prior to the release of the song said that when writing a song he liked to use "genre forms… using something popular to get our ideas across" and that in "The Earth Dies Screaming", "the story has a science-fiction setting to say what I want about now".[3] At the time, the fear of the threat of nuclear war was prevalent and this is what the band referred to in the song.[4]

The 12-inch version of the song differs to the 7-inch in that it begins with a dub instrumental before going into the main song. This diverged from the normal, with other 12-inch reggae songs typically featuring the dub instrumental after the main song.[5] The 12-inch single also featured a different cover sleeve, depicting the band performing. The 7-inch featured a picture of the British UB40 unemployment benefit card which had also been used as the artwork for the band's album Signing Off, and so to avoid confusion with the 12-inch release due to their similarity in size, the artwork was changed.[6]

Track listings

7": Graduate / GRAD 10

  1. "The Earth Dies Screaming" – 4:45
  2. "Dream a Lie" – 2:53

12": Graduate / 12 GRAD 10

  1. "The Earth Dies Screaming" – 8:20
  2. "Dream a Lie" – 7:52

12": Graduate / 12 GRAD 10 (Netherlands)

  1. "The Earth Dies Screaming" – 8:20
  2. "Dream a Lie" – 7:52
  3. "My Way of Thinking" – 6:45

Charts
Chart (1980) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[2] 10
UK Independent Singles (Record Business)[7] 1

References
  1. Harrington, Jim (2016). "UB40 - Signing Off". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 468.
  2. "UB40: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  3. Sutcliffe, Phil (27 September 1980). "Punch Someone in Authority, That's Our Motto...". Sounds. p. 24.
  4. Reynolds, Simon (2 April 2009). Rip it Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984. Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-25227-5.
  5. Copland-Gray, Martin (6 September 2014). "UB40 In Conversation: Your City Needs You - Let's Strike Up the Band". Louder Than War. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  6. "UB40 - The Earth Dies Screaming / Dream A Lie". Discogs. 24 October 1980. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  7. Lazell, Barry (1997). "UB40". Indie Hits 1980–1989: The Complete U.K. Independent Charts (Singles & Albums). Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-95172-069-4. Archived from the original on 20 April 2004. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
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