Homosapien (song)

"Homosapien" is a song by English musician Pete Shelley. It was the first single from his album of the same title, released in 1981, and his first single as a solo performer after rising to fame with Buzzcocks.

"Homosapien"
Single by Pete Shelley
from the album Homosapien
B-side
  • "Keat's Song"
  • "Love in Vain" (1982)
ReleasedSeptember 1981 (UK)
Recorded1981
GenreSynthpop
Length3:24
LabelGenetic (Island Records) WIP6720
Songwriter(s)Pete Shelley
Producer(s)Martin Rushent, Pete Shelley
Pete Shelley singles chronology
"Homosapien"
(1981)		 "I Don't Know What It Is"
(1981)

Shelley wrote the song in 1974, before forming the Buzzcocks in 1976.[1][2] Originally intended as a demo track for a Buzzcocks' song, "Homosapien" was recorded in one day with producer Martin Rushent, who would later go on to produce The Human League.[1][3] The track adopted a more synth pop sound in contrast to the Buzzcocks' harsh guitar riffs.[4]

The single was a big hit in Australia and Canada, reaching the Top 10 in both territories, as well as being a modest hit in New Zealand. Although it failed to crossover to singles charts, it was a popular dance track in clubs across Europe and the United States and reached number 14 on the Billboard Club Play Singles chart.

The song reportedly was banned by the BBC for its "explicit reference to gay sex" with the lyrics "homo superior / in my interior".[5] Shelley denied this was the intention.[6] However according to then BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Nightingale, "Its then risqué lyrics were noted at the time. Didn't stop me playing it on my radio show."[7]

Lyrics

Lucas Hilderbrand, a professor at UC Irvine, sees "Homosapien" as a "curious pride anthem" that never uses the word "gay" in its lyrics,[8] much like other tracks by queer artists from the time, for example Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" and Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure".[9] Hilderbrand interprets the verse "and I just hope and pray / that the day / of our love is at hand... / And the world is so wrong / that I hope that we'll be strong..." as a message of solidarity against homophobia.[10] Further, Hilderbrand reads "I don't wanna classify you like an animal in the zoo / But it seems good to me to know that you're Homosapien, too" as a statement on "refusing and then reconfirming identity categories", proclaiming a hope for gay rights but rejecting an "essentialist" label such as homosexual or gay.[10]

Impact

Since its release, "Homosapien" has been a popular LGBT anthem,[11] and was a gay club hit at the time it came out.[10] Hilderbrand has described "Homosapien" as the "most homo-positive hit of" 1981.[9]

Chart positions
Charts (1981-1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] 4
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 6
New Zealand Top 40 (Official New Zealand Music Chart)[14] 11

References
  1. "The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | I Hate Finishing Things When I Don't Have To: Pete Shelley Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  2. McGartland 9.
  3. Tennant, vi
  4. "'You Know Me': Buzzcocks' Pete Shelley Gave Punk A Heart". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  5. Lynskey, Dorian (2007-06-29). "Readers recommend: songs about homosexuality". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  6. Hilderbrand 429.
  7. "BBC TV - Punk and New Wave Years with Annie Nightingale". Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  8. Hilderbrand 417.
  9. Hilderbrand 415.
  10. Hilderbrand 428.
  11. Youngs, Ian (7 December 2018). "The story of Buzzcocks' pansexual punk anthem". BBC News. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  12. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. "Homosapien - Pete Shelley - Awards". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  14. "The Official New Zealand Music Chart Top 40 Singles - 28 March 1982". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2018-12-08.

Sources
  • Hilderbrand, Lucas (2013). ""Luring Disco Dollies to a Life of Vice": Queer Pop Music's Moment". Journal of Popular Music Studies. 25 (4): 415–438. doi:10.1111/jpms.12044.
  • McGartland, Tony (2017). Buzzcocks - The Complete History. ISBN 978-1786062741.
  • Neil Tennant (1 November 2018). One Hundred Lyrics and a Poem (1 ed.). Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0571348909.


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