"Buck Rogers" | ||||||||||
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Single by Feeder | ||||||||||
from the album Echo Park | ||||||||||
Released | 8 January 2001 | |||||||||
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Recorded | Great Lindford Manor Studios | |||||||||
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Length | 3:13 | |||||||||
Label | Echo | |||||||||
Writer(s) | ||||||||||
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Feeder singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"Buck Rogers" is the eleventh single by Feeder. It was the first single to be taken from the Echo Park album and was released on The Echo Label. The track reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart after its release on 8 January 2001. The group had originally not intended the track to be one of theirs, as frontman and main songwriter of the band Grant Nicholas, originally wrote "Buck Rogers" for SR-71, only for producer Gil Norton and A&R staff of Echo to convince the band they could have a hit with it themselves, after hearing a demo recorded by Feeder. It continues to be played on UK alternative radio stations as a classic hit of its genre during the early 2000s.
The song title was inspired by the television show of the same name as Nicholas wanted to create a futuristic sound. Critical reaction was largely positive with the song being named one of Kerrang! magazine's "666 Songs You Must Own" in November 2004, and appearing on various other lists, despite NME giving a heavy negative reaction, claiming that the single would be "Lucky to reach the top 30". The music video for "Buck Rogers" was directed by Markus Walter and features footage of the group performing the song inside an elephant named "Daisy", situated in an underground car park.
The song was written by frontman Grant Nicholas for their third album Echo Park. During the year the band played festivals in the UK which previewed the material they were working on at the time, and would then play a series of small venues near the end of the year. Amongst the new songs they played, was their then forthcoming new single "Buck Rogers".
The song is about a relationship ending, in which the character in the song meets a person named "Buck Rogers" who owns a "brand new car" that "looks like a Jaguar". His partner leaves him for the "Buck Rogers" character, which leads him to say "but I don't want to talk about it anymore", before looking on a positive side saying that he thinks he's going to make it through if he buys "a house in Devon", and starts "all over again" with her. The character then reunites with his friends to "drink cider from a lemon". Grant has said that the song employs an element of humour upon closer scrutiny.