"Big Bang Baby"
Single by Stone Temple Pilots
from the album Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop
B-side
  • "Adhesive"
  • "Daisy"
ReleasedMarch 23, 1996 (1996-03-23)
Recorded1996
Genre
Length3:23
LabelAtlantic
Composer(s)Robert DeLeo
Lyricist(s)Scott Weiland
Producer(s)Brendan O'Brien
Stone Temple Pilots singles chronology
"Pretty Penny"
(1995) 		"Big Bang Baby"
(1996) 		"Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart"
(1996)
Audio sample
Music video
"Big Bang Baby" on YouTube

"Big Bang Baby" is a song featured on Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop, the third album by the band Stone Temple Pilots. It was the first single to be released from the album, which appeared on several Billboard record charts: No. 28 on the Hot 100 Airplay, No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and No. 2 on the Modern Rock Tracks charts.

"Big Bang Baby" also appears on the greatest hits album Thank You.

Background

Referencing the Tiny Music... album in his memoir, Not Dead and Not For Sale, Stone Temple Pilots lead singer Scott Weiland wrote: "We wanted to make a statement. We wanted to deconstruct, go low-tech, get to the dark heart of the matter. I was happy to write Bowie-esque stream-of-consciousness lyrics that didn't need to make sense. Example: 'Big Bang Baby.'"[3]

Music video

The music video features the band performing in a white room. It was an intentional pastiche of videos from the early days of MTV, which were mostly shot on videotape rather than film, and most directly evokes the look of The J. Geils Band's "Freeze Frame".[4]

Charts

Chart performance for "Big Bang Baby"
Chart (1996) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[5] 37
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] 18
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[7] 1
UK Singles (OCC)[8] 154
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[9] 11
US Radio Songs (Billboard)[10] 28
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[11] 1
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[12] 2

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Stone Temple Pilots: Thank You – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "The 96 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1996". Spin. August 31, 2016. p. 4. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  3. ^ Weiland, Scott (2010). Not Dead and Not For Sale. New York City: Scribner. p. 119. ISBN 978-0743297172.
  4. ^ Beebe, Roger; Middleton, Jason (2007). Medium Cool: Music Videos from Soundies to Cellphones. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. p. 308. ISBN 978-0822341390.
  5. ^ "Stone Temple Pilots – Big Bang Baby". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  6. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2997". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  7. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9197." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  8. ^ "Chart Log UK: DJ S - The System Of Life". www.zobbel.de. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  10. ^ "Stone Temple Pilots Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  11. ^ "Stone Temple Pilots Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  12. ^ "Stone Temple Pilots Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
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