287:– so for us to come out with a melodic rock song was quite exciting. I remember playing it to friends who'd normally hate anything like that, and their reaction was really positive. So we played it, but it just sounded a bit generic, so we decided at the very start we'd do the "duh-duh-duh!", stop playing and let the drums carry the melody – which was our nod to
344:
had just come out at that time, so it kind of made sense. But, the progression itself is a lot more melodic than maybe a Helmet track would have been. So it was a good happy medium, where we didn't just try to shoehorn a Helmet vibe onto what was a really good song. It kind of just toughened it up
29:
369:
song. The lyrics have been described as "self-loathing". According to Andy Cairns, the song was about "getting away from any responsibility" and the only "autobiographical side of it" was the opening line, "With a face like this, I won't break any hearts".
234:
Andy Cairns wrote the riff of the song around age 16-17 on bass. It was used in the outro of
Therapy?'s song "SWT" (standing for "Spide With Tache"), from an early demo by the band. Cairns had always thought the riff did not "go on enough".
275:. I came into the studio one day and said: "That riff we used to have… Let's turn that into the main riff and write a three-and-a-half-minute song that sounds like Ulster punk and a bit
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style, but following the popularity of the song they decided to release more songs stylistically similar to that of "Screamager".
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and made the chorus bigger and sweeter-sounding and also kept the grit in the verse, which is exactly what we wanted.
332:"Screamager" was a case of just getting things a bit more direct, with the Helmet thing on the main chords. We loved
291:. It has a classic format, but it's the little things: the stop-start intro, the double-time at the end… originally,
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commented that "Metal-phobes can't help but give in to the irresistable pop-punk hook" of the song.
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as the lead single. It is also featured on their fourth and second major label album
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and others onstage as "screamagers", which Cairns thought of as a title for a song.
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Awards. McKeegan referred to the young girls in the audience who were screaming at
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were watching television in a shared hotel room when they came across the
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315:, he said "Oh, man… I don't think your fans will like it. Your fans like
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told us: "Well, if you're going for classic Ulster punk, go straight in."
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226:(1994). The song is considered to have propelled the band to fame.
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Therapy? planned the song to be a "one-off" and return to their
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279:-y." We'd been a noisy rock band – people lumped us in with
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534:"Troublegum At 25: An Oral History Of The Therapy? Classic"
399:
In
September 2000, "Screamager" ranked at number 86 in
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The song was praised by many music magazines, such as
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The Irish Charts – Search
Results – Shortsharpshock"
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501:"The Story Behind The Song: Screamager By Therapy?"
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255:In regard to recording the song, Cairns recalled:
573:catapulted three unlikely Irish lads to stardom"
214:, released on March 8, 1993 from their debut EP
403:magazine's "100 Greatest Riffs Ever" feature.
322:In 2019, McKeegan stated in an interview with
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8:
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27:
18:
1156:Song recordings produced by Chris Sheldon
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210:" is a song by Northern Irish rock band
488:
45:
34:
950:Greatest Hits (The Abbey Road Session)
562:
560:
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307:When Therapy? played the song for an
7:
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595:
494:
492:
532:Acharya, Kiran (February 7, 2019).
1110:List of songs recorded by Therapy?
499:Yates, Henry (November 23, 2016).
14:
1166:Songs written by Michael McKeegan
567:Everley, Dave (7 November 2019).
925:Music Through a Cheap Transistor
662:"Official Singles Chart Top 100"
295:was playing this really bizarre
1:
918:So Much for the Ten Year Plan
858:Never Apologise Never Explain
668:. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
652:. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
635:. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
1161:Songs written by Andy Cairns
1171:Songs written by Fyfe Ewing
1197:
238:One afternoon, Cairns and
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462:
447:
435:
423:
167:
26:
837:Suicide Pact – You First
230:Background and recording
1176:A&M Records singles
666:Official Charts Company
604:"Troublegum - Therapy?"
16:1993 single by Therapy?
1181:British pop punk songs
879:A Brief Crack of Light
646:Therapy? – Screamager"
347:
305:
299:, eight-bar fill, but
943:We're Here to the End
680:"Alternative Airplay"
330:
257:
1070:Lonely, Cryin', Only
311:representative from
265:Stiff Little Fingers
217:Shortsharpshock E.P.
50:Shortsharpshock E.P.
633:Irish Singles Chart
465:Modern Rock Tracks
390:. Andy Kellman of
374:Critical reception
361:"Screamager" is a
163:singles chronology
1128:
1127:
865:One Cure Fits All
689:. 30 October 1993
480:
479:
438:Sverigetopplistan
263:punk. Stuff like
250:Phillip Schofield
204:
203:
200:
199:
1188:
1098:Related articles
975:Face the Strange
773:Martin McCarrick
753:Michael McKeegan
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240:Michael McKeegan
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133:Michael McKeegan
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650:Singles Top 100
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602:Kellman, Andy.
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569:"Therapy?: How
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313:A&M Records
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960:Extended plays
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802:Pleasure Death
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778:Graham Hopkins
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269:The Undertones
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830:Semi-Detached
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823:Infernal Love
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787:Studio albums
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414:Chart (1993)
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371:
368:
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346:
343:
342:
337:
336:
329:
327:
326:
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318:
314:
310:
304:
302:
301:Chris Sheldon
298:
294:
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282:
278:
274:
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266:
262:
256:
253:
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247:
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236:
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227:
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218:
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209:
193:
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184:
180:
175:
171:
170:
166:
162:
158:
155:
154:Chris Sheldon
152:
149:
144:
139:
136:
134:
131:
128:
127:
126:
123:
122:Songwriter(s)
118:
115:
112:
110:
106:
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85:
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77:
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66:March 8, 1993
65:
61:
58:
57:
51:
42:
38:
30:
25:
20:
1141:1993 singles
1086:
1080:Video albums
1035:Die Laughing
999:
993:Teethgrinder
973:
967:
948:
941:
923:
916:
910:Compilations
898:
891:
884:
877:
870:
863:
856:
851:High Anxiety
849:
842:
835:
828:
821:
814:
807:
800:
793:
758:
751:
746:
691:. Retrieved
684:
673:
657:
640:
623:
611:. Retrieved
582:. Retrieved
576:
570:
543:. Retrieved
537:
510:. Retrieved
504:
468:
400:
398:
391:
385:
381:Metal Hammer
379:
377:
360:
348:
339:
333:
331:
323:
321:
306:
258:
254:
243:
237:
233:
221:
215:
207:
205:
182:
174:Teethgrinder
48:
47:from the EP
22:"Screamager"
1105:Discography
1088:Scopophobia
1014:Opal Mantra
935:Live albums
760:Neil Cooper
747:Andy Cairns
613:October 23,
584:October 23,
578:LouderSound
506:LouderSound
357:Composition
335:Strap It On
285:Sonic Youth
259:I was into
148:Producer(s)
129:Andy Cairns
1146:1993 songs
1135:Categories
1115:The Beyond
1000:Screamager
816:Troublegum
768:Fyfe Ewing
693:23 October
571:Troublegum
545:23 October
512:23 October
483:References
449:UK Singles
351:noise rock
297:Neil Peart
245:Smash Hits
223:Troublegum
208:Screamager
183:Screamager
138:Fyfe Ewing
56:Troublegum
844:Shameless
795:Babyteeth
686:Billboard
470:Billboard
424:Ireland (
419:position
281:Big Black
886:Disquiet
736:Therapy?
608:AllMusic
539:Kerrang!
436:Sweden (
401:Kerrang!
393:AllMusic
363:pop-punk
341:Meantime
325:Kerrang!
212:Therapy?
161:Therapy?
79:Pop-punk
63:Released
41:Therapy?
1042:Stories
1021:Nowhere
985:Singles
309:A&R
277:Ramones
196:(1993)
187:(1993)
178:(1992)
114:A&M
893:Cleave
407:Charts
367:grunge
338:, and
289:Helmet
261:Ulster
92:Length
84:grunge
37:Single
1120:Cable
1056:Diane
1049:Loose
809:Nurse
109:Label
72:Genre
1007:Turn
695:2023
615:2023
586:2023
547:2023
514:2023
426:IRMA
417:Peak
384:and
365:and
293:Fyfe
283:and
273:Rudi
192:Turn
476:16
463:US
453:OCC
443:22
387:NME
53:and
39:by
1137::
683:.
664:.
648:.
631:.
606:.
594:^
575:.
555:^
536:.
522:^
503:.
491:^
473:)
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440:)
431:2
428:)
328::
271:,
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728:e
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617:.
588:.
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516:.
467:(
451:(
206:"
190:"
181:"
172:"
99::
97:2
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