Motorhead are mainly known for their blisteringly fast shredding metal tracks. This song makes me wish they’d slowed it down a bit more…
Lemmy’s voice is the sort of voice I like to hear. On a different planet altogether from the samey auto-tuned, crystal clear voices on modern pop songs, Lemmy’s broken and distinctive growl is a refreshing change from the sweet and pure high pitched voice that is often considered the nicest singing.
On “I Don’t Believe A Word”, those crusty and whiskey soaked tones come into their own. A sort of bitter anger is conveyed in a way that I honestly can’t imagine any other singers doing. There are plenty of other husky voiced rockstars, sure, but only one Lemmy.
The song is underpinned by a simple guitar riff, played at a low pitch. In contrast to many other Motorhead songs, this guitar is not a shredding sound, and I think this allows more room for melody.
The lyrics are incredibly dark and nihilistic, and this fits the tone of the song perfectly. It’s a cold and harsh song, but at the same time, it has a sort of austere grandeur to it. It’s beautiful in the same way as gothic architecture or death valley.
The song was released in 1996 on the underrated Overnight Sensation album.
RIP Lemmy.