My Name Is Mud
"My Name Is Mud" is a song by the American rock band Primus and is the first single from the 1993 album Pork Soda. The lyrics are written from the point of view of a blue-collar man, Aloysius Devandander Abercrombie, nicknamed Mud. When a man steps on his prized patent leather shoes, the two get into an argument that ends with Mud killing the man by striking him in the head with an aluminum baseball bat; Mud is now trying to bury the body. The song samples the line "Where are you goin', city boy?" from the film Deliverance.
"My Name Is Mud" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Primus | ||||
from the album Pork Soda | ||||
Released | 1993 | |||
Genre | Funk rock | |||
Length | 4:47 | |||
Label | Interscope | |||
Songwriter(s) | Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander | |||
Producer(s) | Primus | |||
Primus singles chronology | ||||
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The track's title refers to a common derogatory phrase that implies its recipient is "a stupid, twaddling fellow".[1]
During the band's Woodstock '94 Music Festival performance Primus were pelted with mud while they performed the song.[2] About a minute into "My Name Is Mud" the band stopped playing, and Primus frontman Les Claypool said, "Well I opened a big-ass can of worms with that one, didn't I? The song is called 'My Name Is Mud', but keep the mud to yourselves you son-of-a-bitch."[3]
In 2010, Primus released a new version of the track sung entirely in Spanish under the title "Me Llamo Mud".
Track listing
- "Pork Chop's Little Ditty" – 0:21
- "My Name Is Mud" – 4:47
Personnel
Music video
In 1993, the band released a music video for "My Name Is Mud", directed by Mark Kohr. The video features Claypool, in character as Abercrombie (who resembles the "Toothless Man" character played by Herbert Coward in Deliverance), speaking directly to the camera as he stands over a dead body and digs a grave for it. These scenes are intercut with footage of the band performing outdoors, silhouetted by sunset, and scenes of Bob Cock visiting a health spa, where he takes a mud bath and sits in a crowded sauna before accepting and drinking a glass of Pork Soda, referencing the album of the same name. The video received heavy airplay on MTV and its program Headbangers Ball,[4] and was given a positive review by Beavis and Butt-head, who have since identified this song with the band.
"Me Llamo Mud"
"Me Llamo Mud" | |
---|---|
Single by Primus | |
Released | November 30, 2010 |
Length | 4:49 |
Label | Prawn Song |
Songwriter(s) | Claypool/LaLonde/Alexander |
On November 30, 2010, Primus released a download-only single titled "Me Llamo Mud". This was an updated recording of "My Name Is Mud" with Claypool singing the lyrics entirely in Spanish. This version was recorded live in the band's rehearsal space in a similar fashion to their recent June 2010 Rehearsal EP.
Personnel
- Les Claypool – vocals, bass
- Larry LaLonde – guitar
- Jay Lane – drums
Charts
Chart (1993) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[5] | 9 |
References
- "Your name is mud". The Phrase Finder.
- Primus' Les Claypool Talks Woodstock '94, 20 Years Later billboard.com
- "Full Show Friday | Primus At Woodstock 1994". JamBase. August 8, 2014.
- "Headbangers Ball- The Unofficial Tribute Site – Episode Database". headbangersballunofficialtributesite.com. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- "Primus Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.