A-side "Public Image" Released 13 October 1978 (UK) Recorded July 1978 | B-side "The Cowboy Song" Format 7" vinyl Genre Post-punk | |
"Public Image" is a song by Public Image Ltd. It reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written when Lydon was in the Sex Pistols. The song addresses John Lydon's feelings of being exploited in the Sex Pistols by Malcolm McLaren and the press. Along with being released as a single, it appeared on PiL's 1978 debut album Public Image: First Issue.
Contents
On the song, PiL leader John Lydon has said:
'Public Image', despite what most of the press seemed to misinterpret it to be, is not about the fans at all, it's a slagging of the group I used to be in. It's what I went through from my own group. They never bothered to listen to what I was fucking singing, they don't even know the words to my songs. They never bothered to listen, it was like, 'Here's a tune, write some words to it.' So I did. They never questioned it. I found that offensive, it meant I was literally wasting my time, 'cause if you ain't working with people that are on the same level then you ain't doing anything. The rest of the band and Malcolm never bothered to find out if I could sing, they just took me as an image. It was as basic as that, they really were as dull as that. After a year of it they were going 'Why don't you have your hair this colour this year?' And I was going 'Oh God, a brick wall, I'm fighting a brick wall!' They don't understand even now.
Single
The single was originally packaged in a fake newspaper that makes outrageous statements such as "Refused To Play Russian Roullete", "No Ones Innocent, Except Us", "Donut's Laugh saves life" (Donut being a nickname for Jim Walker) and "The Girl Who Drove Me To Tea" among others. The B-Side was designed to mock people buying the record (the tracks only sensical rhythm is a bassline played over nonsensical yelling), much to the dismay of part of the band.
NME named it the 242nd greatest song of all time in 2014. The song's bass line was named as the 18th best bassline of all time by Stylus Magazine in 2005.
- "Public Image" - 2:58
- "The Cowboy Song" - 2:17
Live performances
While "Public Image" has been performed live for much of the bands' existence, "The Cowboy Song" was only performed live twice, in a row, at their debut performance in Brussels, Belgium.