You Made Me Realise (song)

"You Made Me Realise"
Single by My Bloody Valentine
from the EP You Made Me Realise
Released8 August 1988
Genre
Length3:46
LabelCreation
SongwriterKevin Shields
ProducerMy Bloody Valentine
My Bloody Valentine singles chronology
"Strawberry Wine"
(1987) 		"You Made Me Realise"
(1988) 		"Feed Me With Your Kiss"
(1988)

"You Made Me Realise" is a song by Irish-English rock band My Bloody Valentine, released in August 1988 by Creation. The opening track and lead single from their EP of the same name (1988), "You Made Me Realise" is considered an essential work of the band.

Recording and composition

"You Made Me Realise" was recorded by My Bloody Valentine for their EP of the same name in Walthamstow, East London.[1] It was written by lead vocalist and guitarist Kevin Shields and produced by the band.[2] It blends elements of shoegaze and noise rock.[3] Its middle section of noise is often referred to as the "holocaust" section.[4]

Reception and legacy

"You Made Me Realise" peaked at number 107 on the UK singles chart and number five on the UK indie chart; both were their highest entries on either chart by that point.[5][6] The song received positive reviews from critics, with AllMusic's Nitsuh Abede deeming it a standout of the EP.[7] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian called it "a song that stopped listeners in their tracks: its furious, pummelling [sic] riff and stop-start structure at odds with the languorous, alluring vocals, the 40-second gust of beatless noise that splits it in two."[8]

"You Made Me Realise" is an enduring work by My Bloody Valentine. The song is ranked by Stylus at number 24 on their "Top 50 Basslines of All Time" list,[9] Q at number 35 on their "100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ever" list,[10] and NME at number 50 on their "50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever" list.[11] Petridis ranked it second in The Guardian's list of the band's 20 greatest songs.[8]

"You Made Me Realise" is a staple of the band's live setlist, and is usually played as the last song. During performances, the band repeats a single chord from the song for as long as they felt bearable, as the song descending into cacophony.[12] It usually lasts around 15 minutes, although there are reports of shows where it went on for well over half an hour.[12][13][14] For the 2008–09 reunion shows, it brought each show to over 130 dB.[14][15] These performances were praised by Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, who cites the band as an influence.[16]

Charts

Chart performance for "You Made Me Realise"
Chart (1988) Peak

position

UK Singles (OCC)[5] 107
UK Indie (OCC)[6] 5

References

Citations

  1. ^ McGonial 2007, p. 26–27.
  2. ^ You Made Me Realise (Media notes). My Bloody Valentine. Creation Records. 1988. CRE 055T.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ Bonner, Michael (3 November 2017). "Going Blank Again: a history of shoegaze". Uncut. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  4. ^ Bryan, Erik (September 23, 2008). "The Holocaust section". The Morning News. Archived from the original on August 13, 2025. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  5. ^ a b "My Bloody Valentine | Artist". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  6. ^ a b Lazell 1997, p. 155.
  7. ^ Abebe, Nitsuh. "You Made Me Realise". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  8. ^ a b Petridis, Alexis (2 February 2023). "My Bloody Valentine's 20 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  9. ^ "Stylus Magazine's Top 50 Basslines Of All Time - Article - Stylus Magazine". Archived from the original on 2 May 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  10. ^ "100 Greatest Guitar Tracks – Ever!". Q. 224 (March 2005).
  11. ^ "The Greatest Indie Anthems Ever – countdown continues". NME. 1 May 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  12. ^ a b Lukowski, Andrzej (21 April 2009). "Shoegaze Week: thoughts on My Bloody Valentine's Holocaust". Drowned In Sound. Archived from the original on 14 November 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  13. ^ O'Hagan, Sean (18 May 2008). "Daydream believers". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  14. ^ a b Ewing, Tom (22 June 2008). "My Bloody Valentine, The Roundhouse, London; 20 June 2008". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  15. ^ Moore, John (24 June 2008). "Moore confessions: My Bloody Ears". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  16. ^ McGlinchey, Joe (January 1996). "My Bloody Valentine". Perfect Sound Forever. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2025. Also noted is their influence on Billy Corgan, who recruited the engineer of 'Loveless', Alan Moulder, for the latest Smashing Pumpkins album.

Bibliography

  • Cavanagh, David (2000). The Creation Records Story: My Magpie Eyes Are Hungry for the Prize. London: Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-0645-9.
  • Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980–1999: The Complete Guide to UK Independent Charts (Singles & Albums). London: Cherry Red. ISBN 978-0-951720-69-1.
  • McGonial, Mike (2007). Loveless. 33⅓. New York: Continuum. ISBN 978-0-8264-1548-6.
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