Modern Rock Tracks No. 1s - Belly and "Feed The Tree"
Belly takes the early '90s tree aesthetic to the top of the Modern Rock Tracks chart with "Feed The Tree," a song that features a tree but is more about love, respect and dedication
Belly - “Feed The Tree”
Weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart: 3 weeks (March 6 to March 20, 1993)
Previous Modern Rock Tracks chart #1 hit: Jesus Jones - “The Devil You Know”
Next Modern Rock Tracks chart #1 hit: Depeche Mode - “I Feel You”
Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers during this time:
***Whitney Houston’s run of 14 weeks atop the Hot 100 with “I Will Always Love You” ends with this week’s charts. The 14-week run was, at the time, the longest run for a song at the top of the Hot 100.***
Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle - “A Whole New World” (1 week, 3/6/93)
Snow - “Informer” (2 weeks, 3/13/93 and 3/20/93)
There’s something about trees and early to mid ‘90s music videos. I’m not sure if it was because U.S. consumers and music/TV audiences were inundated with messages about saving the Brazilian rain forests or stopping ecological bad guys by way of five magical rings, but when I think of music and music videos from the first half of the decade, I immediately think of trees.
It’s pretty common, even among the songs I’ve featured in the recent past. When Peter Gabriel was “Digging In The Dirt,” his music video took place in a forested area. When Cracker was philosophizing about “Teen Angst,” the backdrop for their music video was a forest with leaf-less trees. While The Cure was “High,” they took off from balloons while perched on a tree. Sarah McLachlan got muddy in a forest, Beastie Boys asked what’cha want in a forest, and future Modern Rock Tracks #1 artist Presidents of the United States of America ate peaches and fought ninjas in a forest. (Ironically, Forest For The Trees did not “Dream” their music video in a forest.)
I’m cherry picking videos, of course. Just as many music videos from the era took place in clubs or on boats, but when I see forested backdrops and nature themes in music videos, especially with heavily filtered lighting, I’m immediately drawn back to the early ‘90s. In the case of Belly’s 1993 Modern Rock Tracks chart topper “Feed The Tree,” not only does the song and video take me back to that time and place, but the video definitely fits the aesthetic of trees as discussed in the song.
Tanya Donelly is the centerpiece of Belly, and her voice drives the track from start to finish. I don’t mean to undersell the terrific acoustic guitar-heavy performance of Belly’s troupe of guitarists, but Donelly’s voice just carves right through it all and stands out as its own unique and pleasant instrument. She stands in the same rarified air as these lead vocalists for former MRT #1 artists: Natalie Merchant of 10,000 Maniacs, Siouxie Sioux of Siouxie and the Banshees, Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde, and Harriet Wheeler of The Sundays. Indeed, not a shriek to be heard from this group.
Donelly had a few stints in other groups prior to the formation of Belly, including Throwing Muses and The Breeders, though she didn’t feature in the Breeders’ biggest hit, “Cannonball,” having left the band in 1991 to form Belly. Throwing Muses did have a couple of modest hits on the MRT chart in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, including the #8 hit “Dizzy,” which I featured in the “Chart Check” section of my review of Elvis Costello’s first MRT #1 hit, “Veronica.” Needless to say, Donelly fronted several decent acts over the course of a decade leading up to Belly’s formation, and “Feed The Tree” officially marks the high-water point for both Donelly and her associated bands.
“Feed The Tree” is a terrific track, a wonderful blend of acoustic guitar, well-timed bass accompaniment, and a well-sung chorus that evokes both a desire for proper attention and a passion that demands respect. This fits with the theme of the song, which appears to be related to respect, admonition from a potential lover or an insolent family member, and an understanding that the subject of the narrator’s words will respect the narrator enough to see that their wishes are respected until it comes time to “feed the tree.”
This old man I've talked about
Broke his own heart, poured it in the ground
Big red tree grew up and out
Throw up its leaves, spins round and round
I know all this and more
So take your hat off when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
The titular line appears to be a reference to something about farms only having a single tree, which exists as a port in the storm or a gathering place for family when they need to meet up for whatever reason. When the farmers and their family members die, they’re buried under the farm’s tree, thus “feeding it” with their own decomposition. The line about the boy taking off his hat presumably references the respect a man shows a lady. I’m not much for poetic symbolism in my alternative rock songs, but I appreciate the levels by which Donelly and company are going to paint a picture.
Belly didn’t stick around very long in the alternative music zeitgeist. Though they never topped the Modern Rock Tracks chart again, two other singles from their debut album “Star” managed to chart in the top 20: “Slow Dog” peaked at #17 and “Gepetto” peaked at #8. Their follow-up album, “King,” generated a couple more modest hits, but following the release of the album, the band broke up and Donelly went on to a solo career while also occasionally playing with Throwing Muses at reunion concerts in the early 2000s. In the mid 2010s, Belly reunited to release an album and toured together, and as of this writing they’ve not officially broken up again, leaving room for potential future shows or albums.
“Feed The Tree” is definitely a song of its era, complete with forested music video and a well-put-together alternative band with a beautifully voiced female lead. While I see this song fitting into recurrent rotation on your typical ‘90s alt-rock channel, it’s unique early ‘90s aesthetic makes it more of a time capsule than a regular nostalgia trip. If your music playlist is lacking this type of song, though, you could do much worse that Belly in your rotation, and as the ‘90s alt-rock charts continue on, we’ll see fewer and fewer acts with this kind of eclectic lineup, which is a shame.
Rating: 7/10
Chart Check
Other notable MRT chart songs from this time period
This section features an odd amalgam of tracks hitting their peak in March 1993. Stereo MC’s and 4 Non Blondes are the biggest crossover pop acts to make waves on the alternative charts during this period, but we also get some more maniacs, some “Stockholm” syndrome from a band with a ridiculously long name, and sage advice about making sure to keep a close eye on your sexual organ if it happens to be detachable.
“Connected” by Stereo MC’s (#5): “If you make sure you're connected, the writing’s on the wall, but if your mind’s neglected, stumble you might fall.” Stereo MC’s gave us these words we can all live by when their hit “Connected” peaked at #5 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart behind Belly in March 1993. The song hit #20 on the Hot 100 and is a regular overplayed earworm across multiple music genres.
“Candy Everybody Wants” by 10,000 Maniacs (#5): “If lust and hate is the candy, if blood and love tastes so sweet, then we give ‘em what they want.” Natalie Merchant and her Maniacs followed up their MRT chart-topper with this pop-rock confection, a somewhat tongue-in-cheek reflection on people’s addition to sex and violence in popular culture. It’s a fun track despite its somewhat serious undertones, though, and Merchant, as usual, is on top of her game.
“Detachable Penis” by King Missile (#25): “People sometimes tell me I should get it permanently attached, but I don’t know. Even though sometimes it’s a pain in the ass, I like having a detachable penis.” King Missile’s avant-garde ‘90s ode to a missing member peaked at #25 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart behind Belly. Of all the odd ‘90s alt-rock tracks, this might be the oddest, and yet, it’s still a reasonably fun track. If nothing else, it’s worth it for Beavis and Butthead’s reaction to it, posted below the official video.
“What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes (#29): “And so I wake in the morning and I step outside and I take a deep breath and I get real high and I scream from the top of my lungs ‘What’s going on?’” The 4 Non Blondes have blared this silliness for more than 30 years now, and even though it’s an objectively terrible earworm, it still holds a certain affection among folks of my generation. It peaked at #29 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart behind Belly, though it managed to get to a respectable #14 on the Hot 100 during the same timeframe. Odds are good this song is playing on whatever radio station you’re listening to, so don’t feel like you have to click on the video link, unless you like neat hats with overly big goggles wrapped around them.
“Stockholm” by New Fast Automatic Daffodils (#30): “Belly, belly, and slap. I love to feel the food in my guts and the fat in my veins.” Bringing things full circle, we have long-band-name-of-the-week New Fast Automatic Daffodils with their #30 hit “Stockholm.” It’s not a bad track, to be honest, and I do like the symmetry of the #30 track featuring the word “belly” in it, a reference I’m positive has nothing to do with the band.
Big fan of this song at the time! Forgot about it until recently. Thanks for another reminder!