Little Sister (song)
Encyclopedia
"Little Sister" was the first single released by the rock
group Queens of the Stone Age
from their fourth album Lullabies to Paralyze
. The song was recorded live in the studio in one take.
The song had been in the works for quite a while. An early version was recorded with Dave Grohl
in 2002 for the album Songs for the Deaf
, but was scrapped. The unfinished recording was later distributed on a bootleg recording
compilation. According to Josh Homme, the song was inspired by the "sort of sexual twist" of Doc Pomus
's song of the same name, which is probably best known as recorded by Elvis Presley
: "I like the amalgam of imagery that it puts forward, that throwing a little pebble at the girl's windows late at night, you know, trying to creep in the back door, you know. And I also love the Elvis song 'Little Sister' because I like the sort of sexual twist that's put on by 'little sister don't you do what your big sister done."
When this song was performed on Saturday Night Live
on May 14, 2005, actor/comedian Will Ferrell
, who hosted the show, came onstage and played the cowbell as fictional Blue Öyster Cult
member Gene Frenkle. This was a reprise of a role that Ferrell played in a famous 2000 sketch in which actor Christopher Walken
demands, "More cowbell
!" during the studio recording of that band's famous song, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper
", much to the chagrin of the rest of the band. The cowbell sound is in fact made by a jam block
, as seen on the music video for the song. The song has also been featured in the show Entourage
.
It has also been featured in the video games Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition
, Colin McRae: Dirt 2
, and Project Gotham Racing 3
. Additionally, it appears in the music video game
series Rock Band as downloadable content individually or in a 3-song pack along with two other Queens of the Stone Age songs, "3's and 7's" and "Sick, Sick, Sick
".
The video shows that the "Cowbell" noise is in fact a Jamblock.
CD Maxi Single:
7" (Picture Disc):
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
from their fourth album Lullabies to Paralyze
Lullabies to Paralyze
Lullabies to Paralyze is the fourth studio album by hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released on March 21, 2005. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, and sold 97,000 copies in America during its first week of release, eventually topping over 342,000 copies as of March, 2007...
. The song was recorded live in the studio in one take.
The song had been in the works for quite a while. An early version was recorded with Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
in 2002 for the album Songs for the Deaf
Songs for the Deaf
-Production and release:In September 2002, Josh Homme explained the band's goals with the release of the album:In the same month, Nick Oliveri explained the band's aims in an interview with retail company HMV:...
, but was scrapped. The unfinished recording was later distributed on a bootleg recording
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
compilation. According to Josh Homme, the song was inspired by the "sort of sexual twist" of Doc Pomus
Doc Pomus
Jerome Solon Felder, better known as Doc Pomus , was a twentieth-century American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lyricist of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the category of non-performer in 1992. He was also inducted into...
's song of the same name, which is probably best known as recorded by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
: "I like the amalgam of imagery that it puts forward, that throwing a little pebble at the girl's windows late at night, you know, trying to creep in the back door, you know. And I also love the Elvis song 'Little Sister' because I like the sort of sexual twist that's put on by 'little sister don't you do what your big sister done."
When this song was performed on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
on May 14, 2005, actor/comedian Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
, who hosted the show, came onstage and played the cowbell as fictional Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
member Gene Frenkle. This was a reprise of a role that Ferrell played in a famous 2000 sketch in which actor Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
demands, "More cowbell
More Cowbell
"More cowbell" is an American pop culture catchphrase originally derived from an April 8, 2000, Saturday Night Live comedy sketch which fictionalized the recording of the song " The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult...
!" during the studio recording of that band's famous song, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
" The Reaper" is a song by the rock band Blue Öyster Cult from their 1976 album, Agents of Fortune. It was written and sung by the band's lead guitarist, Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser and was produced by David Lucas, Murray Krugman, and Sandy Pearlman. It is built around Dharma's guitar riff that...
", much to the chagrin of the rest of the band. The cowbell sound is in fact made by a jam block
Jam block
A jam block is a modern, hard plastic version of the more fragile wood block, and is sometimes referred to as a "clave block", "gock block" or "tempo block"...
, as seen on the music video for the song. The song has also been featured in the show Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
.
It has also been featured in the video games Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition is a racing game, developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games, and is the third game in the Midnight Club series. Like previous installments in the series, the game is an arcade-style racer and focuses on wild, high-speed racing, rather than...
, Colin McRae: Dirt 2
Colin McRae: Dirt 2
Colin McRae: Dirt 2 is a racing game released in September 2009, and is the sequel to Colin McRae: Dirt. This is the first game in the McRae series since McRae's death in 2007. It was announced on 19 November 2008 and features Ken Block, Travis Pastrana, Tanner Foust, and Dave Mirra...
, and Project Gotham Racing 3
Project Gotham Racing 3
Project Gotham Racing 3 is an arcade-style racing game that was released with the launch of the Xbox 360 on November 22, 2005 for the US market and December 2, 2005 in Europe, and was released on January 12, 2006 in Japan. Developed by Bizarre Creations, it is the third installment in the Project...
. Additionally, it appears in the music video game
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
series Rock Band as downloadable content individually or in a 3-song pack along with two other Queens of the Stone Age songs, "3's and 7's" and "Sick, Sick, Sick
Sick, Sick, Sick
"Sick, Sick, Sick" is a Grammy nominated single released by Queens of the Stone Age from their 2007 album Era Vulgaris. It was released on May 8, 2007 as a digital download only from the U.S. iTunes Store...
".
Music video
The music video features the band members playing in a dark room, with singer Josh Homme sporting a longer hair style, and girls dancing in the back behind a silhouette screen.The video shows that the "Cowbell" noise is in fact a Jamblock.
Track listings
CD:- "Little Sister" (Album Version) - 2:57
- "The Blood Is Love" (Contradictator Remix) - 5:24
- "Little Sister" (CD-ROM video)
CD Maxi Single:
- "Little Sister" (Album Version) - 2:57
- "The Blood Is Love" (Contradictator Remix) - 5:24
- "Little Sister" (Contradictator Remix) - 3:29
7" (Picture Disc):
- "Little Sister" (Album Version) - 2:57
- "Little Sister" (Contradictator Remix) - 3:29