"Lump" is a song by alternative rock band the Presidents of the United States of America. It was released in August 1995 by Columbia Records and included on their album The Presidents of the United States of America (1995). The song reached number one on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart the same year. Composer Chris Ballew said that the lyrics combined his own history of having a benign tumor in the head with a vision he had of a woman in a swamp, while employing the word "lump" because Ballew was fond of it. The musical part was described by Ballew as him "trying to write a Buzzcocks song". Ballew considers it his favorite composition. The music video for the song was directed by Roman Coppola. "Lump" has been covered or remade by several artists, including the Johnstones and "Weird Al" Yankovic.

Musical style

Musically, Lump is a grunge, pop-punk, alternative rock, post-grunge, and pop rock song.

Critical reception

Andrew Mueller from Melody Maker said, "'Lump' is a frantically grinning, gurning, hyperactive lurch that evokes nothing more than visions of retribution involving a plank with a nail through one end." Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Taken from the band's debut album, 'Lump' clocks in at just over two minutes. And it's so cool you could play it twice in place of those dismal four-minute rock operas churned out by other US-rockers. Full points to Chris Ballew's tongue-in cheek vocals–one of the best things to happen to alternative rock this year." Mark Beaumont from NME remarked "the hook-smattered stoopidity" of tunes like 'Lump'. He also named it Single of the Week, praising it as "pure, perfect, dumbass hedonistic pop." David Sinclair from The Times commented, "An intriguing amalgamation of Nirvana-influenced riffs and Weezer-ish harmony vocals, it is a post-grunge formula served up with lashings of oddball humour in place of the usual angst: Lump sat alone in a boggy marsh/Totally motionless except for her heart/Mud flowed up into Lump's pyjamas/She totally confused all the passing piranhas."

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Lump", directed by American filmmaker Roman Coppola, takes place in a "boggy marsh" (as the lyrics state). The video shows the band singing in a swamp as well as on the stern of a large barge in Elliott Bay interspersed with a silhouette scene of the band performing. Another video was also made for the song. This version, commonly referred to as "Lump 2", was considered too disturbing and dark to be aired on MTV (reflecting the band's grunge and post-grunge origins). It features the band performing on a dark stage while various people lip sync the lines "She's lump!" during the chorus. This version can be found on "Ten Year Super Bonus Special Anniversary Edition" of the Presidents of the United States of America's debut album, and on their YouTube channel. In 2023, both versions were re-uploaded to YouTube in high-definition, as well as the other videos from the debut album.

Track listings and formats

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel are adapted from the "Lump" US promo CD liner notes.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Parodies and covers