Released June 1998 Genre Pop/Rock, Electronic | Format CD single | |
B-side "Drip Drip Drip (album version)" Length 3:57 (album version)
3:43 (single edit) Label EMI (UK)
Universal (US) | ||
"Drip Drip Drip" is a song by British alternative band Chumbawamba, from their eighth studio album, Tubthumper. In the spirit of their oft-politicized lyrics, the song discusses slumlords and the injustice faced by tenants; the song can also be viewed as a metaphor for politicians' control and dishonesty. It was the third and final single from the album.
Contents
Lyrics and composition
"Drip Drip Drip" uses horns, synthesizers, and a moderately-slow drum as its primary instrumentation. The lyrics discuss slumlords and the unfairness behind wealth distribution and housing ownership. The song also contains wordplay, with lyrics such as "It's trickle-down theory, and it's coming to me" and "life's a whip-round and I've got the whip." Allmusic classifies the song as "dreamy," "lively," "mechanical," "pulsing," and "striding;" they state that the song's themes are "everyday life," "relationships," and "politics/society."
Release
The song was released as the third and final single from "Tubthumper" in the United States in June 1998, as a follow-up to "Amnesia," which had reached number 101 in the United States. A promotional CD single was made available, featuring the album version and the radio edit of the song. The song was never officially released in the United Kingdom, and, as a result, never charted there.
Critical reception
The song was met with generally positive, if restrained, reviews from music critics. Larry Flick of Billboard magazine called the song, which he thought "oozes with a political subtext," "clever," but felt the song didn't have what it took to be a hit and that the "instrumental energy doesn't always quite match the intensity of the vocals and chants."