"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is the debut single by the English post-punk band Bauhaus, released in August 1979 on the Small Wonder label. Retrospectively it is often considered the first gothic rock record.
History "Bela Lugosi's Dead" was recorded live in the studio in a single take during a six-hour session at Beck Studios in Wellingborough on 26 January 1979. It was the first work they recorded together, six weeks after the band had formed."Bauhaus - The Bela Session - "bela Lugosi's Dead" Official Reissue By Leaving Records". Stonesthrow.com. Retrieved 2 November 2019 All four band members are credited as writers of the song: vocalist Peter Murphy, guitarist Daniel Ash, drummer Kevin Haskins and bassist David J . David J has claimed that he wrote the lyrics. Alternate versions of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" also included a portion of the early demo recording of their next single, "Dark Entries".
Four additional songs were also recorded during the same session: "Boys"; "Bite My Hip"; "Some Faces" and the ska-reggae tune "Harry", which was about Deborah Harry, the lead singer of Blondie. Regarding this session, Kevin Haskins said, "There's power pop in there, and ska too. We were trying to find our voice.""Big Ups: Bauhaus' Kevin Haskins Dompe and David J Haskins Pick Their Bandcamp Favorites". Bandcamp.com. Retrieved 2 November 2019
Of the songs recorded during that session (aside from "Bela Lugosi's Dead") only "Harry" found an official release, in 1982 as a B-side to the single "Kick in the Eye." A version of "Boys" recorded at Beck Studios later in 1979 was used as a B-side to the original release of the "Bela Lugosi's Dead" single. The remaining tracks, including the original recording of "Boys", remained unreleased until 2018 when The Bela Session was released on vinyl and CD, and made available for digital download by the band. Of the additional tracks, Classic Rock magazine wrote that, "The rest of the material finds a band fumbling for direction, even touching on ska."
Content and critical reception
The song is over nine minutes long; the vocals start (in the studio version) almost three minutes into the track. The dub-influenced guitar sound was achieved by using partial barre chords and leaving the open.
The song takes its name from the horror film star Bela Lugosi, who is known for his role as the title character in the 1931 film Dracula. After a career decline in his later years, Lugosi died in 1956 at the age of 73.
The sleeve cover art was taken from the 1926 film The Sorrows of Satan, directed by D. W. Griffith.
The single was reviewed in Sounds on 22 September 1979. They wrote the song was "a surprise peach... the record becomes heavier and heavier as the moody intensity builds... A nice experience"."Bauhaus Bela Lugosi's dead [single review]". Sounds. 22 September 1979.
Releases "Bela Lugosi's Dead" was released in August 1979, but did not enter the UK charts. The original 12″ release was on black vinyl pressed at the WEA pressing plant in London. Once this had sold out the record was unavailable for some months. It was repressed in late 1980, including a limited edition of 5,000 copies on white vinyl. Various other releases are included in the following:
Black vinyl with black-on-white sleeve (up to five versions exist, based on comparisons of runout matrices on each of the releases and sleeve format) Blue vinyl with blue-on-white sleeve Clear vinyl with brown-on-white sleeve Green transparent vinyl with green-on-white sleeve Pink vinyl with pink-on-white sleeve Purple transparent vinyl with purple-on-white sleeve Glow-in-the-dark vinyl picture disc with clear plastic sleeve
It had a few releases on CD single: Small Wonder, 1988 (black-on-white cover in J-case; without "Dark Entries (Demo)") Bauhausmusik, 1998 (cover image with black border and red band logo and title on cardboard sleeve) Self-released, 2005 (cover image imposed on moon photo with black background and white band logo on cardboard sleeve; without "Dark Entries (Demo)", but adding "The Dog's a Vapour")
The song was included on the 1998 Bauhaus compilation album Crackle. In 2018, the track was released again on vinyl, CD and digital download as part of The Bela Session, along with four other recordings made during the same session in early 1979, three of which were unreleased up to that point.
Other releases In the 1983 erotic horror film The Hunger, Bauhaus performs the song during the opening credits and introduction. A 7″ promotional record featuring an edited version of the song was released to theaters playing the film. A live version of the track, released in 1982 and recorded on 24 February 1982 at The Old Vic, London, is found on Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape, and the same version is also found on the band's compilation album Bauhaus 1979–1983. For the 1998 greatest-hits collection Crackle, Beggars Banquet stitched together the "Tomb Raider Version" from outtakes and live recordings. The band never approved it and refers to it instead as the "Frankenstein version".
Legacy
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is considered the harbinger of gothic rock music and has been immensely influential on contemporary goth culture. In an article by The Guardian titled "Bauhaus invent goth", the newspaper ranked the song number 19 on their list of the 50 key events in indie music history, stating:
Speaking retrospectively while on tour in 1990, Peter Murphy remarked:
The song was ranked #60 in Rolling Stones "The 100 Greatest Debut Singles of All Time" listicle in 2020.
Other versions "Bela Lugosi's Dead (Undead Is Forever)" Bauhaus bassist David J, in collaboration with Jill Tracy, released "Bela Lugosi's Dead (Undead Is Forever)" on 31 October 2013.
Cover versions Nine Inch Nails covered it with Peter Murphy during a live performance in 2009. Trent Reznor covered it with Peter Murphy and TV on the Radio during a live performance in 2006. Massive Attack covered it during a live performance in 2013 and 2019."Massive Attack are Now Covering Bauhaus' Bela Lugosi's Dead on Their Mezzanine Tour". Post Punk.com. Retrieved 2 November 2019 Dead Cross covered it for their album Dead Cross (2017). The Damned covered it during a live performance in 2019.
Track listing 12″ single
The Hunger Mix The Bela Session EP
Personnel Bauhaus Peter Murphy: vocals Daniel Ash: guitars David J: bass Kevin Haskins: drums
References