Caught by the Fuzz
Encyclopedia
Background
Supergrass had released "Caught by the Fuzz" and "Mansize RoosterMansize Rooster
"Mansize Rooster" is a song by Supergrass, released as the second single from their debut album I Should Coco. It reached #20 in the UK Singles Chart, remaining on the chart for three weeks...
" as singles on Backbeat Records, which sold out quickly and gained the interest of record producer Sam Williams
Sam Williams
Sam Williams is an American journalist. He is perhaps best known as the author of a biography of software programmer Richard Stallman, Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software . Prior to beginning Free as in Freedom he met his wife Tracy. She had originally proposed the...
, who then offered to record some demos of the band's other songs at Sawmills Studio
Sawmills Studio
Sawmills Studios, created in 1974 near Golant on the banks of the River Fowey in Cornwall, England is best known as the recording studio used by musicians such as Robert Plant, Oasis, The Coronas, The Verve, Supergrass, Muse, The Holloways, Razorlight, The Stone Roses, The Dukes of Stratosphear ...
. These acclaimed demos attracted major label interest, and after an A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
scrutinised gig at the Jericho Tavern
Jericho Tavern
The Jericho Tavern is a music venue and pub in the Jericho area of Oxford, England at 56 Walton Street. In the late 1980s and early 1990s it was an important part of the music scene which spawned Ride, Radiohead and Supergrass.-History:...
in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, they managed to secure a deal with Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
. Despite being a new and obscure band critics welcomed Supergrass as a voice of youth, in part because they were so young, but also because their music was fresh, exuberant and fast-paced. Even before being signed to a major label "Caught by the Fuzz" had been put at number five on John Peel's
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
Festive 50 of 1994. Although Supergrass had not been around long they were named Band Of The Month in FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...
after only two singles on Parlophone, and were supporting acts such as Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
, The Bluetones
The Bluetones
The Bluetones were an English indie rock band, formed in Hounslow, Greater London, in 1993. The band's members were Mark Morriss on vocals, Adam Devlin on guitar, Scott Morriss on bass guitar, and Eds Chesters on drums. A fifth member, Richard Payne, came on board between 1998 and 2002...
and Shed Seven
Shed Seven
Shed Seven are an English indie rock band from York and were one of the groups which contributed to the Britpop music scene that evolved during the 1990s, yet never received the degree of mainstream success achieved by bands such as Oasis and Blur...
.
Music and lyrics
The song is written around the true-life incident of lead singer Gaz CoombesGaz Coombes
Gaz Coombes is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the English alternative rock band, Supergrass. He first entered the music scene aged sixteen as the lead singer of the band The Jennifers which featured Supergrass band mate Danny Goffey...
' arrest and caution, for being caught in possession of cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
at the age of fifteen. One of the members of the Seattle rock band Presidents of the United States of America
Presidents of the United States of America (band)
The Presidents of the United States of America, commonly referred to as Pot USA or "PUSA" or The Presidents, are a twice Grammy-nominated American alternative rock band. The band formed in Seattle, USA, in 1993. The three-piece group currently comprises vocalist and "basitarist" Chris Ballew,...
said in regards to "Caught by the Fuzz"; "This song is exactly what being a teenager sounds like."
Reception
The single just missed out on the Top 40 by reaching #43 in the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, but failed to chart in the US. The song was also notably included in John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's Festive 50 at number five at the time of its release in 1994.
On one occasion Supergrass
Supergrass
Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
played "Caught by the Fuzz" on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
via satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
. The film pictured Mick Quinn
Mick Quinn
Mick Quinn is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known as founding member of English rock band Supergrass. He formed the DB Band with bassist Paul Wilson, formerly of Shake Appeal in 2010 and released début EP "Stranger In The Alps" on the 17th September 2011...
wearing a T-shirt with Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
's mug shot
Mug shot
A mug shot, mugshot or booking photograph, is a photographic portrait taken after one is arrested. The purpose of the mug shot is to allow law enforcement to have a photographic record of the arrested individual to allow for identification by victims and investigators. Most mug shots are two-part,...
printed onto it, (this was around the time Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
was arrested for lewd conduct with a prostitute) which suggested a connection with the actor and the overall theme of the Supergrass
Supergrass
Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
song. This was probably to make up for the fact that the band were not allowed to use this same photo for the cover of "Caught by the Fuzz" (See Single Artwork below for more.)
During one performance at Leicester University Ball, Supergrass
Supergrass
Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
convinced a real policeman to introduce the song.
On a final night of supporting the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Taylor Hawkins
Taylor Hawkins
Oliver Taylor Hawkins is an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters....
of the band joined Supergrass to play the drums on "Caught by the Fuzz". In an interview on "A Home Movie: Documentary" from Supergrass Is 10
Supergrass Is 10
Supergrass Is 10 is a compilation album celebrating the first 10 years of the band Supergrass. It includes singles from their first release, "Caught by the Fuzz" , to their then latest release, "Kiss of Life" ....
, Danny Goffey
Danny Goffey
Daniel Robert Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey (born 7 February 1974 in Slough, Buckinghamshire (now Berkshire) is an English musician and singer-songwriter best known as the drummer and backing vocalist for the English Britpop band, Supergrass...
recalls Hawkins playing the drums "at about 500 miles per hour".
Versions and release history
The single was initially released in August 1994 on Backbeat Records, with a limited number of copies pressed (it is believed that more copies have been pressed since SupergrassSupergrass
Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
signed to Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
), on only a 7" vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
format. "Caught by the Fuzz" was on the A-side, and "Strange Ones" the B-side. They are, however, both slightly different versions from the ones that can be found on later releases (ie. those on the Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
label). In 1994, before appearing on their debut album I Should Coco
I Should Coco
I Should Coco is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Supergrass, released through Parlophone in May 1995. Supergrass were formed in 1993 by Gaz Coombes, Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey and they released their debut single from the album, "Caught by the Fuzz", in May 1995 on the...
, the song was released on an EP put out by record company Fierce Panda, entitled Crazed and Confused.
"Caught by the Fuzz" was used as the closing theme tune of the 2007 movie, Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz is a 2007 British action dark comedy film written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, and starring Pegg and Nick Frost. The three had previously worked together on the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead as well as the television series Spaced...
, and features on the official soundtrack album.
The sleeve cover is a black and white caricature
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
of a policeman pointing his finger accusingly, encapsulating the idea of being 'caught by the fuzz'. A mug shot
Mug shot
A mug shot, mugshot or booking photograph, is a photographic portrait taken after one is arrested. The purpose of the mug shot is to allow law enforcement to have a photographic record of the arrested individual to allow for identification by victims and investigators. Most mug shots are two-part,...
of Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
(this was around the time Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
was arrested for lewd conduct with a prostitute) was originally intended to be the artwork of the US single sleeve, but the idea was later dropped after Grant's lawyers complained
The video is a montage of footage of the band, onstage and offstage, filmed on a Super 8 camera
Super 8 mm film
Super 8 mm film is a motion picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement of the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format....
. It was also the directors, Dom and Nic
Dom and Nic
dom&nic is the working name of directors Nic Goffey and Dominic Hawley. They have been directing notable music videos and commercials since 1994....
's, first ever music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
.
The music video for the single appears in the US animation Beavis & Butthead episode "Sprout" (1996). There is also an alternate version of the music video, which was released in the US using a similar video collage
Collage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
effect of footage of Supergrass in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
instead. There is an unofficially released video for the acoustic version of "Caught by the Fuzz" as well, which was filmed in the same fashion as the original "Caught by the Fuzz" music video, except using different footage and with the addition of some scenes of Morris dancers.
Formats and track listing
Backbeat 7” single- “Caught by the Fuzz (Alternate version) ” (2:14)
- “Strange Ones (Alternate version) ” (3:56)
CD single
- "Caught by the Fuzz" (2:17)
- "Strange Ones" (3:39)
- "Caught by the Fuzz (Acoustic)" (3:02)
7" single / Cassette
- "Caught by the Fuzz" (2:17)
- "Strange Ones" (3:39)
Chart positions
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
43 |
Personnel
- Gaz CoombesGaz CoombesGaz Coombes is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the English alternative rock band, Supergrass. He first entered the music scene aged sixteen as the lead singer of the band The Jennifers which featured Supergrass band mate Danny Goffey...
- vocals, guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Danny GoffeyDanny GoffeyDaniel Robert Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey (born 7 February 1974 in Slough, Buckinghamshire (now Berkshire) is an English musician and singer-songwriter best known as the drummer and backing vocalist for the English Britpop band, Supergrass...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Mick QuinnMick QuinnMick Quinn is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known as founding member of English rock band Supergrass. He formed the DB Band with bassist Paul Wilson, formerly of Shake Appeal in 2010 and released début EP "Stranger In The Alps" on the 17th September 2011...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....