Weak (Skunk Anansie song)

"Weak"
Single by Skunk Anansie
from the album Paranoid & Sunburnt
B-side"Tour Hymn"
Released15 January 1996 (1996-01-15)[1]
Length3:33
LabelOne Little Indian
Songwriters
Producers
Skunk Anansie singles chronology
"Charity"
(1995) 		"Weak"
(1996) 		"All I Want"
(1996)

"Weak" is a song by British rock band Skunk Anansie, released on 15 January 1996 as the fourth and final single from their debut album, Paranoid & Sunburnt (1995).

Composition

Skin wrote the core of the song based on a past abusive relationship experience. The band helped build this out.[2]

Recording

The song was produced by the band with Sylvia Massy. The band 'made a kind of “battle zone” in the studio for Skin, with all these banners and placards all over the place. She’d put on war paint.'[3]

Critical reception

Roy Wilkinson from Select wrote, "'Weak' could be their 'Under the Bridge', an understated, casually memorable verse leading into a chorus thas has as much to do with Heart as Metallica."[4]

Music video

The music video for "Weak" was directed by duo Hammer & Tongs. It is filmed primarily (with cutaways to third party views) from the point of view of a collapsed cameraman in what appears to be a restaurant carpark (Route 66). The cameraman collapses behind a car which then drives off to show Skin and the band forming to perform for the offset camera. The recording is interrupted by a little boy who, after being pulled out of the way of the camera abruptly, decides to run off with it and the band gives chase after him.

Track listings

  • CD single – CD1
# Title Length
1. "Weak" 3:33
2. "Selling Jesus" 3:44
3. "Tour Hymn" 3:18
  • CD single – CD2
# Title Length
1. "Weak (Ackee And Saltfish Mix)" 3:56
2. "Charity (Clit Pop Mix)" 4:34
3. "100 Ways To Be A Good Girl (Anti Matter Mix)" 4:32
4. "Rise Up (Bonhamoon Mix)" 5:00

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[14] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Later and cover versions

Skin performs a slower, more ballad-like version at many of her solo gigs.

The song was covered by Rod Stewart on his 1998 album, When We Were the New Boys.

References

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 13 January 1996. p. 31. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  2. ^ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/06/skunk-anansie-how-we-made-weak
  3. ^ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/06/skunk-anansie-how-we-made-weak
  4. ^ Wilkinson, Roy (October 1995). "New Albums". Select. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  5. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 6. 10 February 1996. p. 15. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (6.4. – 12.4. '96)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 3 April 1996. p. 60. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 17, 1996" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Skunk Anansie – Weak" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Skunk Anansie – Weak". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  12. ^ "Árslistinn 1996". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1997. p. 25. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  13. ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1996" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  14. ^ "British single certifications – Skunk Anansie – Weak". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
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