Rocks (song)


"Rocks" is a song by the Scottish rock band Primal Scream from their fourth studio album, Give Out but Don't Give Up. This track was the first indication of the band's evolution in musical genre, contrasting with the approaches used in Primal Scream's previous album, titled Screamadelica, which had gotten released in 1991 and featured dance-related leanings. "Rocks" feature a more bluesy hard rock approach akin to arena-friendly songs of the past, being inspired by British artists such as T. Rex, the Rolling Stones, and Faces.
"Rocks" was released as a single on 28 February 1994, and the track reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart as a double A-side with another of the band's songs: the Hot Ass mix of "Funky Jam". Together, they were the highest-charting Primal Scream single until "Country Girl" reached number five in 2006. In 2024, the song received a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry for sales and streams exceeding 400,000.

Critical reception

In retrospective terms, music journalist Steve Huey highlighted the song as a part of a musical trend involving "guitar-oriented, post-Nirvana alternative rock" performed "by bands who received some measure of radio or MTV exposure". He described Primal Scream in the context of "Rocks" as one of a group of "groundbreaking cult artists who scored at least a little crossover success in the alternative mainstream" alongside bands such as the Afghan Whigs, Dinosaur Jr., and Screaming Trees. Similarly, Johnny Loftus retrospectively described "Rocks" as sounding "raucous" and wrote in a supportive yet glib fashion that the song "is sure to please your English foreign exchange student friend."

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Rocks" was directed by Chris Symes and produced by him for Propaganda. It was released on 28 February 1994 and features a hedonistic glam rock shot at Million Dollar Babes with 200 of London's grooviest clubbers.

Track listings

All tracks were written by Bobby Gillespie, Andrew Innes, and Robert Young.UK 7-inch and cassette single
  1. "Rocks" – 3:36
  2. "Funky Jam" – 5:21UK 12-inch and CD single; Japanese CD single
  3. "Rocks" – 3:36
  4. "Funky Jam" – 5:21
  5. "Funky Jam" – 5:27US and New Zealand 7-inch single
  6. "Rocks" – 3:36
  7. "Everybody Needs Somebody" – 5:22

Cover versions

The Faces' Rod Stewart would later cover the song, including a version on his 1998 album When We Were the New Boys. Music journalist Stephen Thomas Erlewine highlighted the peculiarity of Stewart "tackling the music of his Brit-pop offspring" while praising the track for AllMusic. Erlewine directly compared the artist's assertive interpretation of "Rocks" to Stewart's previously released song "Hot Legs".