Death Valley '69

"Death Valley '69"
Single by Sonic Youth
from the album Bad Moon Rising
B-side	"Brave Men Run (In My Family)"
Released	December 1984, June 1985
Format	7"
Recorded	July 1984
Genre	No Wave
Label	Iridescence Records, Homestead Records / Blast First Records
Writer(s)	Lydia Lunch and Thurston Moore
Producer	Sonic Youth and Clint Ruin
Sonic Youth singles chronology
"Death Valley '69" (1984) "Flower/Halloween" (1985)

"Death Valley '69" is a song by the American alternative rock band Sonic Youth and is the eighth and final track on their 1985 album Bad Moon Rising. The song was written and sung by Thurston Moore and fellow New York musician Lydia Lunch, and recorded and produced by Wharton Tiers in July 1984. A demo version of the song was released in December 1984 on Iridescence Records, and it was released again in single format with different artwork in June 1985. The Flaming Lips' Finally the Punk Rockers Are Taking Acid includes a live cover of the song.

Music video

The video for "Death Valley '69" was filmed in 1985 and was the first music video by Sonic Youth, directed by Richard Kern. The video features the majority of the band in various states of bloody dismemberment interlaced with live footage of the band. The video is the only one to feature both the recently departed drummer Bob Bert, and then new member Steve Shelley.

Track listing

December 1984 single

1. "Death Valley '69" - 5:32
2. "Brave Men Run (In My Family)" - 3:48

July 1985 single

1. "Death Valley '69"
2. "I Dream I Dreamed"
3. "Inhuman"
4. "Brother James"
5. "Satan Is Boring"

References