{"id":5317,"date":"2025-09-19T08:23:48","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T08:23:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/the-making-of-suede-the-drowners-2889\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T08:23:48","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T08:23:48","slug":"the-making-of-suede-the-drowners-2889","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/the-making-of-suede-the-drowners-2889\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIt\u2019s a very sensual song\u201d \u2013 Suede on the making of \u201cThe Drowners\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As Suede conclude their triumphant Southbank Takeover<\/a>, here’s Brett Anderson<\/a>, Bernard Butler, Mat Osman, Simon Gilbert and producer Ed Buller remembering the creation of their debut single, “The Drowners”. Inspired by glam and “engorged flesh”, it earned the band celebrity fans and a record deal, and helped change the course of ’90s indie\u2026\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As Suede conclude their triumphant Southbank Takeover<\/a>, here\u2019s Brett Anderson<\/a>, Bernard Butler, Mat Osman, Simon Gilbert and producer Ed Buller remembering the creation of their debut single, \u201cThe Drowners\u201d. Inspired by glam and \u201cengorged flesh\u201d, it earned the band celebrity fans and a record deal, and helped change the course of \u201990s indie\u2026\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Suede, it was, in many ways, the worst of times. Singer Brett Anderson had broken up with girlfriend Justine Frischmann, losing along the way his residence in her plush Kensington flat, and her hustle as ersatz band manager.<\/p>\n

It was also the best of times. In his new, meaner lodgings in London\u2019s seamier Westbourne Park, Anderson made a giant leap forward as a writer, shedding his Momus-indebted flourishes for a new style of lyrics that romantically recast his own penurious lifestyle. He grew closer to guitarist Bernard Butler, and their songwriting partnership gave up its first real fruits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen someone is going out with someone in the band and they\u2019re going home together you can never break that down,\u201d remembers Butler. \u201cBrett was a hidden character behind Justine. So when that ended, that\u2019s when we started writing good things together. Justine lent me the money for a Les Paul, for which I\u2019m eternally grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suede had been ignored in their first incarnation. Now, revelling in this anonymity, the definitive lineup began to develop their personality and present it in their songs. \u201cWe started to see ourselves as a little force,\u201d says Butler. \u201cWe used to say, \u2018We have the power\u2019, like from Bowie\u2019s \u2018Quicksand\u2019. It didn\u2019t matter what anybody else thought, as long as you had hold of this thing called The Power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Equipped with this Crowley-derived mantra, Suede began working in a Hackney rehearsal room on their new, glam-inspired sound. They recorded a three-track demo, and offered it to the music business. One small corner of the music business listened, and, with Morrissey and Blur looking on, an underclass anthem was born.<\/p>\n

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