The Cutter
The single rebuilt with strings after the label turned the first version down.
Echo & the Bunnymen, from Porcupine (1983)
- Written by
- Will Sergeant, Ian McCulloch, Les Pattinson, Pete de Freitas
- Released
- 14 January 1983
- Length
- 3:56
- Album
- Porcupine
The second single from Porcupine was released on Korova on 14 January 1983 on 7 inch and 12 inch. It was recorded in September 1982 with Ian Broudie producing, and with strings by Shankar. WEA had rejected the earlier version as too uncommercial. The title and chorus allude to a line in A Clockwork Orange.
It reached 8 in the UK, 10 in Ireland and 30 in New Zealand. The limited 7 inch came with a cassette of the band's August 1979 Peel session. The 12 inch B-side, Zimbo, was recorded live at the first WOMAD festival in July 1982 with the Royal Drummers of Burundi. Pitchfork's Joe Tangari called it one of the band's best singles in his 2004 review, pointing to its weird, elastic synthesizer melodies.
Solex covered it in 2001 on a free disc with The Wire, and Lagartija Nick covered it in 2005 on a Spanish tribute album. Radio X puts it at about 21 million Spotify streams.
Covers and versions
- Solex (2001) Free with The Wire, April 2001.
- Lagartija Nick (2005) On the Spanish tribute album Play the Game.
More songs by Echo & the Bunnymen
The Killing Moon, Rescue, Lips Like Sugar, The Back of Love, Bring On the Dancing Horses
Sources
- The Cutter (song), Wikipedia
- What are Echo & the Bunnymen's best songs?, Radio X
- Echo & the Bunnymen song statistics, setlist.fm
- Crocodiles / Heaven Up Here / Porcupine / Ocean Rain (reissue review), Pitchfork (2004-03-02)