Pretend We're Dead

"Pretend We're Dead"
Single by L7
from the album Bricks Are Heavy
B-side"Shitlist"
ReleasedApril 1992
StudioSmart Studios (Madison, WI), Sound City Studios (Van Nuys, CA)
GenreGrunge[1]
Length3:55
LabelSlash
Songwriter(s)Donita Sparks
Producer(s)L7, Butch Vig
L7 singles chronology
"Shove"
(1990) 		"Pretend We're Dead"
(1992) 		"Everglade"
(1992)
Music video
"Pretend We're Dead" on YouTube

"Pretend We're Dead" is a 1992 song by American all-female rock band L7, from the album Bricks Are Heavy.[2] It was written by Donita Sparks. It was the first single from Bricks Are Heavy and achieved moderate international success. It spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks,[3] peaking at #8. It also reached #21 on the UK Singles Chart and charted in Belgium and Australia.

It has been featured in the video games Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Rock Band 2, as well as numerous TV programs and films.[4]

A documentary about L7 directed by Sarah Price and titled L7: Pretend We're Dead was released in 2016.[5][6] The film covers the band discussing challenges associated with producing the video for "Pretend We're Dead" including a crane failure that injured Suzi Gardner and heavy handed video producers that stifled the creative vision of Sparks.

  1. ^ Danaher, Michael (August 4, 2014). "The 50 Best Grunge Songs". Paste.
  2. ^ Watts, Ted (September 7, 1995). "L7's Finch doesn't rock by the numbers". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  3. ^ Reilly, Phoebe (March 7, 2012). "An Oral History of L7's 'Pretend We're Dead'". Spin. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  4. ^ Ling, Dave (August 2, 2016). "The Story Behind L7's Pretend We're Dead". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  5. ^ "L7 Detail 'Pretend We're Dead' Documentary Release". Rolling Stone. August 16, 2017.
  6. ^ Edwards, Briony (November 8, 2017). "6 things we learned from new documentary L7: Pretend We're Dead". loudersound. Retrieved September 15, 2019.