Creep (Stone Temple Pilots song)

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"Creep"
European commercial CD release
Single by Stone Temple Pilots
from the album Core
B-side
  • "Crackerman"
  • "Where the River Goes"
ReleasedNovember 1, 1993 (1993-11-01)[1]
RecordedMay 1992[2]
Genre
Length
  • 5:33 (album version)
  • 4:31 (radio edit)
LabelAtlantic
Composer(s)Robert DeLeo
Lyricist(s)
Producer(s)Brendan O'Brien
Stone Temple Pilots singles chronology
"Plush"
(1993) 		"Creep"
(1993) 		"Big Empty"
(1994)
Music video
"Creep" on YouTube

"Creep" is a song by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots, appearing as the seventh track off the band's debut album, Core and later released as a single. The song also appears on the band's greatest hits album, Thank You. A live version featuring Aaron Lewis is included on The Family Values 2001 Tour release.

Composition[edit]

In a November 2014 interview with Songfacts, Scott Weiland said, "That's just the idea of being a young person somewhere, caught between still being a kid and becoming a young man. It's that youth apathy, that second-guessing yourself, not feeling like you fit in."[6]

On file-sharing and lyric websites such as Limewire and Kazaa, "Creep" was often miscredited as "Half the Man I Used to Be" by Nirvana.[7]

The version of the song that was released in the 1993 promotional single contains different vocal takes in the verses than on the album version, most notably with an alternate melody and added percussion in the second verse which is the arrangement most often performed live.

Music video[edit]

There were two videos shot for "Creep". The video that aired was directed by Graeme Joyce after a version by director Gus Van Sant was shelved due to its drug and sexual references.

Lyrical content[edit]

The song's lyrics were written by lead vocalist Scott Weiland and bassist Robert DeLeo. DeLeo also wrote the song's music. DeLeo stated the following about "Creep":

Musically speaking I was thinking about a song along the lines of "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young, which is in the key of D-minor, the saddest key of all. Scott was thinking about the lyrics, and at that time in our lives we were struggling very much. What Scott was writing about was a real-life situation. Also about me, the thing about the gun. "Creep" is a very demeaning word. It was one of those instances where we looked at ourselves, looked in the mirror.[8]

Track listing[edit]

  1. "Creep" [New Radio Version] - 4:31
  2. "Crackerman" - 3:12
  3. "Where the River Goes" - 8:20

German track listing[edit]

  1. Creep
  2. Dead and Bloated
  3. Piece of Pie

Charts[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "November 1993: Stone Temple Pilots Release CREEP | Rhino".
  2. ^ "Stone Temple Pilots – Core (1992) – The Year Grunge Broke". theyeargrungebroke.com. September 25, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  3. ^ "The 10 best Grunge albums". Radio X. July 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  4. ^ "Stone Temple Pilots' Debut 'Core' Turns 25: Why the Critics and Haters Were Wrong". Billboard (magazine). September 29, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  5. ^ "Scott Weiland: 20 Essential Songs". Rolling Stone. December 4, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  6. ^ "Scott Weiland: Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  7. ^ Finch, Sidd (November 12, 2020). "12 songs that everyone thinks are by other artists". Tone Deaf. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  8. ^ Rik of Rated-Art.com. "Song Info Archive". Archived from the original on June 29, 2007. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  9. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 27 Feb 1994". ARIA. Retrieved May 30, 2021 – via Imgur.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2389." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  11. ^ "Stone Temple Pilots – Creep". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  12. ^ "Stone Temple Pilots Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  13. ^ "Stone Temple Pilots Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  14. ^ "Stone Temple Pilots Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  15. ^ "Stone Temple Pilots Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  16. ^ "The Year in Music: Hot Album Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 52. December 24, 1994. p. YE-62.
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