Single Stories: Stone Temple Pilots, “Plush”
25 years ago this month, Stone Temple Pilots released their debut album, CORE, so today we thought we’d take a look back at the second single from that LP.
Recorded in Canoga Park, California at Rumbo Recorders, “Plush” – which ranks among STP’s biggest hits – was a co-write between Robert DeLeo (music) and Scott Weiland and Eric Kretz (lyrics). DeLeo was reportedly inspired by his love of ragtime music when he composed the chord structure for the track, while Weiland’s lyrics reportedly came at least partially from an article he’d read about a girl who’d been found dead outside of San Diego.
Although it was viewed upon its initial release as alternative rock, “Plush” ended up topping the Album Rock Tracks chart, making it a major crossover hit at a time when mainstream radio was still a little sketchy when it came to accepting the whole “alt-rock” thing. It went on to win a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance, and the video earned STP a MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist. The song earned additional life when Weiland and Dean DeLeo performed an acoustic version on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball that ended up being used as a B-side for the UK release of “Creep,” but it later found official release on STP’s best-of compilation, THANK YOU.
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