Laid (song)

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Template other "Laid" is the title track from Laid, the fifth studio album of Manchester alternative rock band James. Released on 1 November 1993 by Fontana Records, the song was a commercial success, charting in the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, and has received attention as a theme song for the American Pie film series.

The song was also used during a party scene with the cast singing along near the end of S3 E10 “Forever” of the FX on Hulu TV series The Bear. The episode first streamed on June 26, 2024.

Composition and reception

The song includes the lyric "she only comes when she's on top". The American release of its music video replaced this lyric with "she only sings when she's on top" (although Tim Booth is seen to lip-sync the original line, and is accompanied by a subtitle reading "hums").

It quickly gained popularity on American college radio and remains the group's best-known song in the United States.

The song peaked at number 61 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, in part due to its cult status as a popular college song in the US. The song was more successful in the band's native UK, where it peaked at number 25, becoming the band's ninth top-40 hit.

One of the Three, the 'unofficial archive of the band James', has said this of the song: Template:Quote

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Laid" was directed by London-based director Zanna and produced by Deidre Allen for M-Ocean. It was released on 1 November 1993 and in the video, men in dresses redefine gender roles.

Usage in American Pie

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the song gained additional exposure and popularity when it was used as the theme song for the American Pie films starring Jason Biggs and Seann William Scott. A cover by Matt Nathanson was recorded exclusively for the third film American Wedding, and was later included on the first spin-off American Pie Presents: Band CampTemplate:'s soundtrack after previously only being in the first two films' trailers. The seventh installment in the franchise, The Book of Love, contains a new cover of "Laid" by singer Aidan Hawken; as of 2012, it had yet to be released on any album or as a single. The eighth film, American Reunion, features the original version by James played during the film for the first and only time in the series' history.

Track listings

• UK CD1 and European CD single

1. "Laid"
2. "Wah Wah Kits"
3. "The Lake"
4. "Seconds Away"

• UK CD2

1. "Laid"
2. "Five-O"
3. "Say Something"
4. "Sometimes"

• UK 7-inch and cassette single; Australian CD and cassette single

1. "Laid"
2. "Wah Wah Kits"

• US cassette single

A1. "Laid" – 2:36

B1. "Say Something" (preview) – 0:50

B2. "Sometimes" (preview) – 1:00

B3. "Low Low Low" (preview) – 0:56

Charts

Weekly charts

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Chart (1993–1994)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)	73

Year-end charts

Chart (1994)	Position
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)	39

Covers

"Laid" was covered by New Orleans alt-rock band Better Than Ezra on their 2005 greatest hits compilation. It has been covered by the Butch Walker-led band 1969 on a hidden track on their album Maya.

English band Palma Violets performed a version of the song in July 2015 for The A.V. Club's A.V. Undercover series. The song has also been covered by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.