She Don't Use Jelly
Encyclopedia
"She Don't Use Jelly" is a 1993 song by The Flaming Lips
, and is their biggest radio hit to date. The song became popular after being featured on the MTV
show Beavis and Butt-head
, nearly a year after the album's release. It is still their highest charting single to date (and the only to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
), even entering the top 10 of the Modern Rock Tracks
chart, at number 9. "She Don't Use Jelly" is one of the few pre-The Soft Bulletin
songs still played at the band's shows, usually preceded by a video of Jon Stewart
introducing the song on The Jon Stewart Show
. After the song, lead singer Wayne Coyne usually inflates an enormous balloon, filled with confetti or smaller balloons, until it bursts onto the crowd.
From the band's website: "With its chiming pedal steel chorus breaks and seemingly nonsensical lyrics, the song entered into the realms of novelty hit. It's a happy little ditty about strange people and their individual idiosyncrasies, with pretty melodies laced throughout and punctuated by trademark moments of crunching but still harmonious noise."
According to Coyne, "The song came to me very quickly, and I thought it was sort of funny."
The success of the song garnered the band a guest spot on the TV show Beverly Hills, 90210
, in which they played live at the show's hangout, The Peach Pit, where supporting character Steve Sanders (portrayed by actor Ian Ziering
) remarked, "You know, I've never been a big fan of alternative music, but these guys rocked the house!"
This song has been covered by Drugstore
, The Hyannis Sound
, KT Tunstall
and Ben Folds Five
, among others. It was also covered by characters in Friday Night Lights
, Season 3.
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
, and is their biggest radio hit to date. The song became popular after being featured on the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
show Beavis and Butt-head
Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
, nearly a year after the album's release. It is still their highest charting single to date (and the only to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
), even entering the top 10 of the Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart, at number 9. "She Don't Use Jelly" is one of the few pre-The Soft Bulletin
The Soft Bulletin
-UK & Australian CD release:-Vinyl release:-The Soft Bulletin 5.1:On January 31, 2006, Warner Bros. re-released The Soft Bulletin in the US as a two-disc package titled The Soft Bulletin 5.1. It includes a remastered CD and a DVD-Audio disc that contains a 5.1-channel surround sound mix of the album...
songs still played at the band's shows, usually preceded by a video of Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
introducing the song on The Jon Stewart Show
The Jon Stewart Show
The Jon Stewart Show was a short-lived talk show hosted by comedian Jon Stewart on MTV. It premiered in 1993 and became the second highest-rated program on the network behind Beavis and Butt-Head....
. After the song, lead singer Wayne Coyne usually inflates an enormous balloon, filled with confetti or smaller balloons, until it bursts onto the crowd.
From the band's website: "With its chiming pedal steel chorus breaks and seemingly nonsensical lyrics, the song entered into the realms of novelty hit. It's a happy little ditty about strange people and their individual idiosyncrasies, with pretty melodies laced throughout and punctuated by trademark moments of crunching but still harmonious noise."
According to Coyne, "The song came to me very quickly, and I thought it was sort of funny."
The success of the song garnered the band a guest spot on the TV show Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, in which they played live at the show's hangout, The Peach Pit, where supporting character Steve Sanders (portrayed by actor Ian Ziering
Ian Ziering
Ian Andrew Ziering is an American actor best known for playing Steve Sanders on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210.-Personal life:...
) remarked, "You know, I've never been a big fan of alternative music, but these guys rocked the house!"
This song has been covered by Drugstore
Drugstore (band)
Drugstore are a London-based alternative and dream pop band led by Brazilian singer-songwriter and bassist Isabel Monteiro , who relocated to England in 1990s, with Dave Hunter on guitar and Mike Chylinski on drums...
, The Hyannis Sound
The Hyannis Sound
The Hyannis Sound is a semi-professional a cappella singing group, composed of 10 young men from around the United States who convene each summer on Cape Cod, Massachusetts in the greater New England area...
, KT Tunstall
KT Tunstall
Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from St Andrews, Scotland. She broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland...
and Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five is an alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds , Robert Sledge , and Darren Jessee . The group achieved mainstream success in the alternative, indie and pop music scenes...
, among others. It was also covered by characters in Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights (TV series)
Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team...
, Season 3.
Chart positions
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
25 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
55 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 9 |
Track listing
- "She Don't Use Jelly" – 3:41
- "Translucent Egg" – 3:46
- "Turn It On (Bluegrass Version)" – 6:12
- "******* (Plastic Jesus) (Porch Version)" – 1:42