“Love Spreads” by The Stone Roses

"Love Spreads" was the first thing anyone heard from the Stone Roses' second album, Second Coming, released as a single by Geffen in November 1994, and it swaggers in heavy and bluesy, like a gang of outlaws riding back into town. John Squire wrote every word and note of it, and his snaking guitar is the star, coiling and sparking over a groove that Mani's bass and Reni's drums lock into like a slow-burning fuse.

Ian Brown sings it in his cool, half-whispered drawl, with Reni chipping in backing vocals, and Nick Brine, the assistant engineer, shakes a tambourine as a guest. Simon Dawson produced and engineered the track, and Bill Price mixed it into a thick, hot, rolling stomp.

It went to number two on the UK singles chart, the highest any Stone Roses song has ever climbed there. Ireland put it in its top 10 and Sweden in its top 20, and in North America it got to 55 on Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart and 67 on Canada's RPM 100.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.