History Music / Suede

'''Suede''' (also known as '''The London Suede''') are a British AlternativeRock band (Started 1989; went on breakup/hiatus between 2003-2010) known for being one of the bands [[TropeMaker to start]] {{Britpop}}, with a distinct glam rock style influenced by TheSmiths and DavidBowie. They gained press hype even before releasing their debut album, described by Melody Maker as "The Best New Band in Britain" as early as 1992. The following year, their debut album [[SelfTitledAlbum Suede]], went to the top of the charts becoming the fastest-selling debut album in almost a decade. Their next album, however, ''Dog Man Star'', suffered in popularity due to a troubled production and CreativeDifferences between the band's lead singer, Brett Anderson, and guitarist Bernard Butler. This resulted in the departure of Butler and his replacement by Richard Oakes, a young fan of the band who got in thanks to a tape he recorded sent them of him playing some Suede songs (Drummer Simon Gilbert mistakenly believed it to be an early demo tape with Butler when he heard Anderson playing it back, going through audition tapes sent to them).

* LastNoteNightmare: Could "The Next Life" count in a very odd way? The album closer to 1993's ''Suede'', "The Next Life" is a beautiful piano ballad that ends at about 2:57. But the song's silence continues until 3:39. You sit there and continue waiting for something to happen, and while nothing scary ever happens, it can really freak someone who is either GenreSavvy or has just sat through TheCure's "Subway Song" out.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: "Animal Lover" is widely considered to be a TakeThat against [[{{Music/Blur}} Damon Albarn]], who at that point was dating Anderson's ex-girlfriend Justine Frischmann. (According to WordOfGod, Elastica's "Never Here" is unambiguously a Take That against Anderson.)

* GenrePopularizer: ''Suede'' may not have been the first {{Britpop}} record, but it was the first ''popular'' britpop record and thus codified and fostered the genre. Ironically, the band think little of britpop and have since tried to distance themselved from it.

** The two-note guitar figure at the end of the choruses of "We Are The Pigs" is a sarcastic shout out to the theme tune of ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}''.

** The two-note guitar figure at the end of the verses of "We Are The Pigs" is a sarcastic shout out to the theme tune of ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}''.

They reunited in 2010 for a series of concerts, and after three years of gigs went on to release a new (well-received) album, ''Bloodsports''.

-->'''Brett Anderson:''' People think about gay sex and never really think about it romantically. They see sadness, romance and loss as purely a hetrosexual thing. There's a definite domestic violence feel to 'Animal Nitrate.' But behind that there's a real sadness.
* DrivenToSuicide: the two lovers in [[GriefSong "She's Not Gone"]]. To double up the sadness, it's BasedOnATrueStory.

* EpicRocking: "The Asphat World", "Stay Together" and "The Chemistry Between Us" are all over 7 minutes in length.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: "Animal Lover" is widely considered to be a TakeThat against [[{{Music/Blur}} Damon Albarn]], who at that point was dating Anderson's ex-girlfriend Justine Frischmann.
* PunBasedTitle: "Animal Nitrate" is an allusion to amyl nitrite, a chemical compound with psychoactive effects. And to animals, of course.

** The themes and imagery of ''Dog Man Star'' were inspired by Creator/GeorgeOrwell.

** '''Brett Anderson''': [My aunt] had this lover and he was black and Hayward's Heath is a small town and in the early '80s I guess it was very taboo. And basically they committed joint suicide together. They drove a car into a garage and just turned the exhaust on and killed themselves.

* SillyLoveSongs: straight examples are far and few in between, but "It Starts and Ends with You" certainly qualifies.
* SomethingSong: "Campfire Song".

* AuthorCatchphrase: the words "aniseed", "sin" and "gasoline" feature heavily in Suede lyrics.

* ShoutOut: the chorus of "The Wild Ones" was inspired by {{Music/JacquesBrel}}'s "Ne Me Quitte Pas".

* ShoutOut: the chorus of "The Wild Ones" was inspired by Jacques Brel's "Ne Me Quittes Pas".

** According to WordOfGod, the themes and imagery of ''Dog Man Star'' were inspired by Creator/GeorgeOrwell.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Brett Anderson and Mat Osman, who grew up together and have been friends since childhood.

* {{Bishonen}}: Brett Anderson adopted an androgynous, AmbiguouslyGay style that went well together with his good looks and [[LongHairedPrettyBoy feminine long hair]] [[http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/74/86/23/748623f3c1f2bb367fca7a3896ebc0a9.jpg]].
* BreakupSong: "Barriers" and (for a maybe platonic version) "The 2 of Us". The latter also comes along with RealitySubtext since during the song's recording tensions in the band were high (and led to Bernard Butler leaving the band). [[CreatorBreakdown Apparently Brett Anderson still finds it difficult to listen to the song without being reminded of the bleak times that spawned it]].

* SillyLoveSongs: straight examples are far and few in between, but "It Starts and Ends with You" certainly qualifies.

* AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: "Come on and hit me / With your ma-JES-ty"...

* DomesticAbuse: "Animal Nitrate", a song about a dysfunctional gay relationship in the suburbia.

* SongSequel: according to WordOfGod, "Still Life" is a sequel to "Sleeping Pills".

* SillyLoveSongs: straight examples are few and between, but "It Starts and Ends with You" certainly qualifies.

* BareYourMidriff: Brett Anderson was famous for this style of dress in the 1990s.

* {{Bishonen}}: Brett Anderson adopted an androgynous, AmbiguouslyGay style that went well together with his good looks and feminine long hair [[http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/74/86/23/748623f3c1f2bb367fca7a3896ebc0a9.jpg]].

* LoveTriangle: a real-life one between Anderson, Justine Frischmann (lead singer of Elastica) and Damon Albarn ({{Music/Blur}} frontman). See NoCelebritiesWereHarmed. below.

* LoveTriangle: a real-life one between Anderson, Justine Frischmann (lead singer of Elastioa) and Damon Albarn ({{Music/Blur}} frontman). See NoCelebritiesWereHarmed. below.