Here now is almost certainly the worst, most universally
despised (by both band and fans) Pulp song. It’s to the band’s credit that it’s
a mere b-side from the ‘80s, although it is still a mystery how it got released
in the first place.
“Silence” is the only recording from the band’s
oft-bootlegged Sudan Gerri demo tape to receive official release, on the “Master of the Universe” single. And it never was released again, on any Pulp reissues
or compilations. Jarvis has admitted in interviews that he has forbidden it to
be re-released; he’s as aware as anyone how terrible it is.
What’s so bad about this song? It’s a slow organ drone in
which Jarvis moans tunelessly and humorlessly about a breakup. An out-of-tune
hunting horn warbles in the background. The song is filled with morose,
melodramatic self-pity, completely devoid of wit, nuance, bite, or anything
else that characterizes Pulp at their best. “Silence” instead takes every element
of Pulp’s gothy, arty period and executes them as incompetently as possible. It
endures to this day as a camp artifact, the band’s very own Manos: The Hands of Fate.
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