Double Allergic - Album and Single Releases

Album and Single Releases

Double Allergic was released on 2 September 1996 in Australia on the Polydor record label. It entered the ARIA chart at #7, and spent ten weeks in the top ten. Over 200,000 copies were sold, and the album is currently certified 3x platinum, asserting at least 210,000 sales. The album finished 1996 at #44 on the ARIA end of year albums chart, and finished 1997 at #53.

"Pick You Up", the first single, was released on 13 April 1996, and entered the ARIA singles chart at #34. By its fifth week, on 30 June, it had reached its peak at #23 - it spent a further seven weeks on the chart before dropping out. "Pick You Up" was described as having a "very professional sound". The song appeared at #6 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1996. "D.A.F.", the second single, was released on 5 August 1996. It spent four weeks on the ARIA chart, peaking at #39. The title of the song was taken from its chord progression, in the words of bassist John Collins "because we were stupid". The song appeared at #18 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1996.

"Living Type" was the third single, released on 11 November 1996. The song peaked at #42 on the ARIA charts and stayed in the top 50 for three weeks. "Living Type" was written by Fanning about the Manson Family cult, and came with an X-Files style music video. The song appeared at #32 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1996. The fourth single, "Take Me In", was released on 12 May 1997. It failed to chart, and was the least noted single from the album. Fanning wrote "Take Me In" as a response to hypocrisy by police, which he had read about in newspapers.

The album contains three secret tracks placed onto the twelfth track after silence that follows the track's primary song "(The Return of) The Electric Horseman". The first of these is called "Vladimir" which, according to Fanning is about a transvestite. The second song is called "SS" which refers to Australian cricket bat manufacturer Stuart Surridge, which is often known as SS. The song refers in part to the bat itself, though mostly to cricket in general, with lyrics "Then we'll race like jets for the fading moon; Then we all fall down", which refers to running for the opposite crease following striking the ball, and then diving to the ground to secure the run. The third and final secret track is called "Come Away" which also featured as a B-side for the single of "Pick You Up". In a first for the group, it featured guitarist Darren Middleton as lead vocalist, while a spoken sound sample at the end of the song features bass guitarist John Collins' voice.