Female of the Species

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For other uses, see The Female of the Species.
"Female of the Species"
Single by Space
from the album Spiders
B-side
  • "Looney Tune"
  • "Give Me Something"
Released27 May 1996 (1996-05-27)
GenreAlternative rock[1]
Length3:19
LabelGut
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Stephen Lironi
Space singles chronology
"Neighbourhood"
(1996) 		"Female of the Species"
(1996) 		"Me and You Versus the World"
(1996)
Music video
"Female of the Species" on YouTube

"Female of the Species" is a song by English rock band Space, released as their fourth single and second single proper from their debut album, Spiders (1996), on 27 May 1996. The song reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and earned a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in October 2019. It became the band's only charting single in both the United States and Canada.

About the song[edit]

Written and sung by frontman Tommy Scott in tribute to his late father, who reportedly disliked his son's taste of music, "Female of the Species" is a funky, upbeat, Latin-flavoured number with feel-good-sounding vibes and vocals, reminiscent of lounge singers such as Perry Como and Frank Sinatra, combined with keyboardist Franny Griffiths' trademark sound effects and Scott's darkly humorous lyrics. The song borrows to some extent, both thematically and in overall aesthetic, from the Walker Brothers' theme song for the 1967 film Deadlier Than the Male. When the song was performed at later concerts, Scott usually walked into the audience to shake them by the hand.

The song's distinctive style and lyrics led to it being used in TV and film. It was the theme song to the UK drama Cold Feet and appeared in the 1997 film The Matchmaker starring Janeane Garofalo, as well as during the end credits of the popular movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (in the so-called 'Fembot Mix', available on the Original Soundtrack), and in the Daria episode "College Bored". It gained further popularity in the UK when used in a 1998 advert (with a cameo appearance by Quentin Crisp) for the body spray "Impulse".

The song's name is a reference to the 1911 Rudyard Kipling poem "The Female of the Species", which has as its refrain: "The female of the species is more deadly than the male."

Chart performance[edit]

"Female of the Species" debuted at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart on 2 June 1996 and reached its peak of number 14 the following week.[2] On 11 October 2019, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) awarded the song a silver certification for sales and streams of over 200,000 units.[3] It became the band's only entry on any music chart in the United States and Canada, peaking at number 15 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart,[4] number four on the Canadian RPM Alternative 30 chart,[5] and number 68 on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart.[6] In Australia, "Female of the Species" entered the ARIA Singles Chart on 11 May 1997, peaking at number 80 in June.[7]

Track listings[edit]

UK and Australian CD single[8][9]
No.TitleLength
1."Female of the Species" (radio edit) 
2."Looney Tune" 
3."Give Me Something" 
4."Female of the Species" (instrumental) 
UK 12-inch single[10]
No.TitleLength
1."Female of the Species" (D'Still'D remix) 
2."Female of the Species" (radio edit) 
3."Female of the Species" (Full On mix) 
4."Give Me Something" 
UK cassette single[11]
No.TitleLength
1."Female of the Species" 
2."Looney Tune" 

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[3] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 27 May 1996
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Gut [19]
United States 13 January 1997 Alternative radio Universal [20]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Brian Galindo, Alex Naidus & Ryan Creed (November 5, 2023). "37 Alt Rock Songs You Haven't Thought About Since The Late '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b "British single certifications – Space – Female of the Species". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. 29 March 1997. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3175." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3196." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  7. ^ a b Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 262.
  8. ^ Female of the Species (UK CD single liner notes). Space. Gut Records. 1996. CDGUT2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Female of the Species (Australian CD single liner notes). Space. Festival Records. 1996. D1517.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Female of the Species (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). Space. Gut Records. 1996. 12GUT2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Female of the Species (UK cassette single sleeve). Space. Gut Records. 1996. CAGUT2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 26. 29 June 1996. p. 20. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  14. ^ "Hot 100 Airplay". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 12. 22 March 1997. p. 95.
  15. ^ "Top 100 Singles 1996". Music Week. 18 January 1997. p. 25.
  16. ^ "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1996 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  17. ^ "RPM '97 Year End Top 50 Ae Tracks". RPM. Retrieved 1 February 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  18. ^ "Best of '97: Modern Rock Track". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 5, no. 52. 28 December 1997. p. YE-30.
  19. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 25 May 1996. p. 31. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Be on the Lookout". Gavin Report. No. 2138. 10 January 1997. p. 44.

External links[edit]

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