Smash It Up
| "Smash It Up" | |
|---|---|
| Single by the Damned | |
| from the album Machine Gun Etiquette | |
| B-side | "Burglar" |
| Released | 12 October 1979 (1979年10月12日) |
| Recorded | 1979 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 2:53 |
| Label | Chiswick CHIS 116 |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
| Producer(s) |
|
| The Damned singles chronology | |
"Smash It Up" is a song by English punk rock band the Damned, released as a single on 12 October 1979 by Chiswick Records. It is considered the band's unofficial anthem.[1]
The single was the second release from the band's third studio album Machine Gun Etiquette (1979), where it was listed as "Smash It Up (Part II)". The B-side of the single was "Burglar".[2]
Production
[edit ]"Smash It Up" was produced by the band and Roger Armstrong. It is structured in two-part form: a melodic instrumental introduction (written in homage to Marc Bolan after his tragic death) segueing into an energetic pop-punk song. The song's lyrics criticize those who indulge in hippie culture (referring to "blow wave hairstyles" and "Glastonbury hippies"[3] ) instead of advocating for political revolution.
Release
[edit ]Chiswick reissued the single on their budget Big Beat imprint in February 1982.[4] [deprecated source ] The single was also issued in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.
"Smash It Up" was boycotted by BBC Radio 1 because of its perceived anarchic lyrics,[5] stalling at No. 35 in the UK Singles Chart.[6]
In November 2004, Ace Records reissued the single on CD, with alternate versions of the song (including the previously unreleased third and fourth parts of "Smash It Up") and a video, directed by Martin Baker, added.
Promotion
[edit ]The Damned performed "Smash It Up" (as well as "I Just Can't Be Happy Today") on the BBC2 television show The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1979.[7]
In other media
[edit ]The song appeared in the console-based game Driver: Parallel Lines (2006) as a track from the 1978 era.
The song appears in the 2010 film, It's Kind of a Funny Story .
The song appears at the end of the third episode of the 2022 series SAS: Rogue Heroes .
The song also appears at the end credits of DC Universe's Titans, Season 2, Episode 10.
Track listing
[edit ]All songs written by Scabies, Sensible, Vanian, Ward.
- 1979 vinyl release[2]
- "Smash It Up" – 2:52
- "Burglar" – 3:33
- 2004 CD release[8]
- "Smash It Up" – 2:52
- "Burglar" – 3:33
- "Smash It Up Parts 1–4" – 8:43
Production credits
[edit ]Producers
- Roger Armstrong
- The Damned
Musicians
- Dave Vanian − vocals
- Captain Sensible − guitar, keyboards
- Rat Scabies − drums, vocals on "Burglar"
- Algy Ward − bass
Cover versions
[edit ]| "Smash It Up" | |
|---|---|
| Single by The Offspring | |
| from the album Batman Forever soundtrack | |
| Released | 1995 |
| Genre | Punk rock |
| Length | 3:24 |
| Label | Epitaph |
| Songwriter(s) | Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, Rat Scabies, Algy Ward |
| The Offspring singles chronology | |
The song was covered by Die Toten Hosen for the 1991 cover album Learning English, Lesson One .[9]
In 1995, The Offspring covered the song for the soundtrack to the film Batman Forever . Although the song appeared in the film for only a few seconds, the full version was included on the soundtrack.[10] It peaked at No. 16 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart and No. 47 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.[11] Its chart success came about since it was the band's first new single after the breakthrough of their Smash album, albeit before their follow-up album Ixnay on the Hombre . It was later released on The Offspring's Club Me EP and also on the "All I Want" CD single.
References
[edit ]- ^ "The Damned's Smash It Up: "It's about frothy lager... hardly a call to revolution"". Uncut.co.uk. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Damned, The – Smash It Up". Discogs. 1979. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- ^ "Smash It Up Lyrics - Damned". Lyricsfreak.com. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ "Smash It Up / Burglar". Rate Your Music . Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- ^ Hutchinson, Barry (2017). The Damned - the Chaos Years: An Unofficial Biography. Lulu Press. ISBN 9780244921552.
- ^ "UK Charts - The Damned". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ The Old Grey Whistle Test (DVD). Warner Home Video. 2003.
- ^ "The Damned – Smash It Up: 25th Anniversary Edition". Allmusic . Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- ^ Learning English Lesson One Credits (liner notes). Virgin Records. LPVIR 11. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ Batman Forever Credits (liner notes). Atlantic Records. RCD1 82759. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "The Offspring – Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
External links
[edit ]- "Smash It Up" at Discogs (list of releases)