Wiki
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Release Date
25 April 1994
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Length
3 tracks
"Bull in the Heather" is a song by Sonic Youth, released as the only single from their 1994 album Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star.
The song was named after a racehorse, Bull Inthe Heather. The horse was the winner of the 1993 Florida Derby, and was originally purchased by Arthur Klein as a yearling in 1991 at an auction held in Saratoga Springs, New York. Bull Inthe Heather went on to race in the Kentucky Derby and went off as the odds-on favorite at Churchill Downs. The name of the horse was a combination of the names of its parents. Sired by Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand (the name of a famous bull) and champion broodmare Heather Road, Klein chose to name the horse 'Bull Inthe Heather'.
When asked for permission to lend the name of the horse to a Sonic Youth song, Klein consulted his sons because he had not heard of the band before. Upon hearing the band was artistically minded and avoided racial, ethnic or antisemitic lyrics, Klein agreed to allow the name to be used and waived any fees or royalties, much to the surprise of Sonic Youth and their management. Thurston and Kim originally found the name of the horse on a bumper sticker that Bob Nastanovich of Pavement had given them. In May 2007, NME magazine placed "Bull in the Heather" at number 48 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever. The song starts with a sound which is very recognizable in the music of Sonic Youth, by striking a tailed bridge guitar, in this case a Fender Jazzmaster, behind the bridge.
The song was covered by The Go! Team in 2007.
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