Taste in Men

"Taste in Men" is a 2000 single by the English alternative rock band Placebo. Taken from their third album, Black Market Music, it reached number 16 in the UK singles chart.

"Taste in Men"
Single by Placebo
from the album Black Market Music
Released	July 2000
Genre	Alternative rock electronic rock
Length	23:13
Label	Virgin
Songwriter(s)	Steve Hewitt, Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal
Producer(s)	Dare Mason Paul Corkett Placebo
Placebo singles chronology
"Burger Queen Francais" (1999) "Taste in Men" (2000) "Slave to the Wage" (2000)
Alternative cover

Music and reception

Gigwise ranked the track as Placebo's greatest hit, describing it as "bubbling, space-age blast of howling, claustrophobic electro-rock."^[1] Nevertheless, Pitchfork considered the song as a "lazy reprise the Roland 303 industrial funk of 'Pure Morning'."^[2]

According to frontman Brian Molko, the band was influenced by the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails during the recording of the song, particularly by the track "Wish".^[3]

Music video

The music video, directed by Barbara McDonogh, was filmed in the Central London Register office. It shows Molko involved in a love triangle with a couple who are fighting with each other. Montages of Molko with both the man and the woman are sequenced throughout the video. At the end, Molko is shown asleep in a room when the other two band members come in and wake him up.

Live performance history

The song was a staple of the Black Market Music and Sleeping With Ghosts tours. Despite not appearing during the initial legs of the tour, it reappeared for the winter 2006 leg of the Meds tour and remained until the conclusion of the tour. It was the closing song for all shows on the Battle For The Sun tour. The song also appeared during the 2012 tour as the concluding song for all shows, but was dropped at the start of the Summer Festivals leg.

Trivia

The phrase "come back to me awhile" is taken from the Sonic Youth song "Catholic Block", found on their album Sister.

The song was used in an episode from the United States version of Queer as Folk.

The bass riff is almost identical to Roger Waters' "Let There Be More Light" from the Pink Floyd album A Saucerful of Secrets.

Track listings

CD1

1. Taste in Men (Radio edit) – 4:02
2. Theme from Funky Reverend – 2:54
3. Taste in Men (Alpinestars Kamikaze Skimix) – 4:36

CD2

1. Taste in Men (Album version) – 4:15
2. Johnny and Mary – 3:24
3. Taste in Men (Adrian Sherwood Go Go dub mix) – 4:19

Charts

Chart performance for "Taste in Men"

Chart (2000)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[4]	69
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[5]	8
France (SNEP)[6]	54
Italy (FIMI)[7]	11
Portugal (AFP)[8]	7
UK Singles Chart[9]	16

References

1. "Placebo's Greatest Hits, Ranked In Order of Greatness". Gigwise. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
2. Cooper, Paul (8 May 2000). "Placebo: Black Market Music | Album Reviews | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
3. "I'm the Anti-Eminem". Melody Maker. 20 October 2000. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
4. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 219.
5. "Placebo – Taste in Men" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
6. "Placebo – Taste in Men" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
7. "Placebo – Taste in Men". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
8. "Music & Media: Portugal" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
9. "Placebo - Official Single Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 September 2013.