Artwork by me: Enrique Seemann
The Flaming Lips have always been a band that mixes the strange with the deeply human, and “The Spiderbite Song” is a perfect example of that combination. Featured on their album The Soft Bulletin (1999), the song captures a pivotal moment for the band, both musically and emotionally. During a period full of personal hardships, the members faced situations that threatened their physical and emotional well-being, but they found a way to transform that pain into music.
The Context Behind the Sound
The Soft Bulletin marked a turning point in The Flaming Lips’ career. They left behind the psychedelic distortions of their past and embraced a more melodic and orchestral sound, full of emotion. Wayne Coyne explained in an interview: “We were getting better at making songs and being more vulnerable with what I would say in the lyrics, and the music was not pretending to be anything. There was no irony, there was no references, there was none of that we despised about late ‘90s music. We were making an album that we thought, ‘who’s going to listen to it?’, because we’re not making jokes, we’re not making fun of anybody, we’re just simply singing about this internal quagmire” Wayne Coyne to Tone Deaf (2019) Interviewer: Tylerr Jenke.
This approach allowed them to connect on a deeper level with their audience, helping them transcend their status as a cult band and reach a broader audience. The album’s success surprised even the band members, who saw it as a deeply personal and almost quirky creation. “We were making our music, and we’re doing this thing, and some other deeper thing was guiding this ship. […] It’s not a record made by producers and musicians, it’s a record made by these over-feeling weirdos who are not going to give up” Wayne Coyne to Tone Deaf (2019) Interviewer: Tylerr Jenke.
Facing Darkness Together: The Band’s Struggles
“Spiderbite Song” has its roots in three traumatic events that almost derailed the band. The most notable was when Steven Drozd, the drummer and multi-instrumentalist, suffered an infection in his hand that was initially described as a spider bite. The situation was critical, as doctors warned that they might have to amputate his hand, a devastating possibility for a musician of his caliber. Wayne Coyne, deeply affected by this, wrote about the impact this loss could have had on the band.
At the same time, bassist Michael Ivins was involved in a car accident that nearly cost him his life. And Wayne’s father was struggling with cancer. “Many of these real-life occurrences turn up in The Soft Bulletin’s ‘The Spiderbite Song’” Wayne Coyne to Brooklyn Vegan (2024) Interviewer: Bill Pearis. Those events, combined with Coyne’s personal struggles, forced the band to confront their own fragilities in a raw and honest way.
The Message of the Song: Resilience and Friendship
On the surface, “Spiderbite Song” may seem like a simple narration of personal tragedies. However, its message is much deeper. It’s a song about resilience and the power of friendship to overcome dark times.
Coyne recalls that the humor and absurdity in their situation—particularly Drozd’s “spider bite”—gave the song a strange sense of lightness amid the heavy emotional content. “It’s kind of dorky, but I’m wrong because that’s what makes The Soft Bulletin so universal. […] This album talks about how wonderful it is to care about your friend, in something as casual and sentimental as that.” Wayne Coyne to Tone Deaf (2019) Interviewer: Tylerr Jenke.
The Hidden Story Behind the “Bite”
Interestingly, years later, Steven Drozd revealed that it wasn’t a spider bite that caused his problem, but a complication related to his drug addiction. At the time, Drozd didn’t feel capable of telling the truth and allowed the band and fans to believe the spider bite story. Only later did Wayne Coyne confront him, and Drozd confessed that he had been lying.
Despite this revelation, the story remains a significant part of the band’s mythology. In fact, Drozd admits he still laughs about the fact that they continue telling the spider bite story at concerts in front of thousands of people. “To me now it’s funny that we all played along with this charade enough, that we actually wrote a song about it, and people believe this song and we would tell the story, I still tell the story now, standing in front of 10,000 people ‘Steven got this spider bite on his hand’” , Drozd confessed in Pitchfork’s documentary on The Soft Bulletin.
The Success of The Soft Bulletin
The album was widely praised by critics, helping cement its iconic status. Pitchfork awarded it a 10/10, placing it at the top of their list of the best albums of the decade. Beyond critical acclaim, The Soft Bulletin was named Album of the Year by NME in 1999, and several publications included it in their lists of the best records of the decade. This recognition solidified The Flaming Lips as not just a cult band, but as influential artists with a broader cultural impact.
Although it wasn’t a massive commercial success upon release, the album became what is known as a “grower”, slowly accumulating praise and a dedicated following over time. This success allowed the band to perform at larger festivals and expand their fan base, solidifying their legacy in alternative music.
A Lasting Legacy
“Spiderbite Song” and The Soft Bulletin not only marked a musical transformation for The Flaming Lips but also helped cement their legacy as a band capable of exploring both the absurd and the deeply human at the same time. The album is considered one of the most important of their career and helped elevate the band to new heights in terms of success and recognition.
With “Spiderbite Song”, The Flaming Lips demonstrated that even the most personal and specific experiences can resonate on a universal level. The mix of tragedy, vulnerability, and friendship in this song reflects not only the band’s story but also our ability to find comfort in difficult times. The Soft Bulletin remains a testament to the band’s ability to transform pain into art, and a reminder that, even in our darkest moments, music can be a source of healing and hope.
My personal thoughts and other The Flaming Lips Recommendations:
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Boombastic to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.