Belly – Feed The Tree

“Feed the Tree”
7-inch cover
Single by Belly
from the album Star
B-side	“Trust in Me”, “Dream on Me”, “Star”
Released	January 11, 1993
Studio	Sound Emporium (Nashville, US)
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	3:28
Label	Sire, Reprise, 4AD (UK)
Songwriter(s)	Tanya Donelly
Producer(s)	Belly, Gil Norton
Belly singles chronology
“Gepetto” (1992) “Feed the Tree” (1993) “Now They’ll Sleep” (1995)

“Feed the Tree” is a song by American alternative rock band Belly, released as the band’s first single from their debut album, Star, in 1993. It is the band’s biggest hit, reaching number one on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 32 on the UK Singles Chart. According to lead singer Tanya Donelly, the song is a metaphor about commitment and respect, with the tree being a place on a large farm where a family would be buried.

Reception

The song was ranked number 24 on VH1‘s “40 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 90s”. It was also a popular radio hit in Australia, coming in at number 25 on the Triple J Hottest 100 countdown for 1993.

Pitchfork said the song, “takes advantage of Donelly’s talent for punching holes in the wall with a killer chorus. Tom Gorman’s serpentine riff coils around the verses while bassist Fred Abong and drummer Chris Gorman keep their rhythms flippy-floppy.”