Whose voice is sampled on ‘Loaded’ by Primal Scream?
Hearing the question, “Just what is it that you want to do?” will evoke unbridled excitement in the most devoted dance music fans and committed guitar enthusiasts alike. It’s the question that sets Primal Scream classic ‘Loaded’ into motion, prompting a hedonistic response about freedom, partying and getting loaded, before the track devolves into seven whole minutes of deliciously danceable goodness.
“We wanna be free. We wanna be free to do what we wanna do,” the second voice responds, “And we wanna get loaded. And we wanna have a good time. And that’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna have a good time. We’re gonna have a party.” Primal Scream and Andrew Weatherall certainly make good on that promise with the sprawling psychedelia that follows, but it’s neither Bobby Gillespie, Jim Beattie, or Weatherall who deliver those opening words.
From devoted Primal Scream fans to more casual ‘Loaded’ listeners, many of us have that introductory promise ingrained into our brains, available to quote or singalong to at will. But how many of us know its true origins?
Rather than getting in the recording booth to deliver statements of self-indulgence first-hand, Weatherall looked to the world of independent cinema for a killer opening line. He lifted those opening moments from a 1966 motorcycle flick titled The Wild Angels, which follows a biker gang dubbed the “angels” through partying and run-ins with the police.
With director Roger Corman at the helm, The Wild Angels had a stellar cast that included huge names like Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern, and Peter Fonda. It was the latter who would deliver the now-iconic sample at the opening of ‘Loaded’, at a funeral for a fellow biker. A suited Frank Maxwell prompts Fonda’s rant with the opening question, leading to rumbled chatter from the people around him.
Fonda delivers the monologue with purpose and intention, donning warm sunglasses and a biker jacket, looking up at the Minister while the audience supports him with whoops of agreement. There are several lines that Weatherall cut from the sample, perhaps because they didn’t quite fit into the spirit of the song and were more tied to the movie it came from.
After declaring his wish for freedom, Fonda declares, “We want to be free to ride. We want to be free to ride our machines without being hassled by the man,” before returning to more familiar words – his wishes to get loaded and have a good time.
It makes sense that Weatherall elected to cut this section – not only does it detract from the pro-party nature of the introduction, derailing the rambling into biker territory, but it would have lessened the impact of the statement by being so much longer. The final sample was the right length to breed excitement without veering into annoyance or boredom.
As Fonda delivers the final line, “We’re gonna have a party,” the room erupts into cheers, evoking the same feeling as that transcendental instrumentation on ‘Loaded’. The sample has since found its way back onto the screen through its feature in ‘Loaded’, which has been included on soundtracks such as Edgar Wright’s The World’s End and on Derry Girls.
Decades after its first release, ‘Loaded’ remains an iconic tune with an even more iconic sample. Listen to the Primal Scream and Andrew Weatherall track below.
