Smash It Up
Encyclopedia
"Smash It Up" is a song by The Damned, released as a single in 1979.
The single was the second release from the band's Machine Gun Etiquette
album, where it was listed as "Smash It Up (Part II)". The single was banned from BBC Radio 1
's playlist because of its perceived anarchic lyrics, stalling at number 35 in the UK Singles Chart. It is widely considered to be a punk classic.
The song's lyrics criticize hippie culture (referring to "blow wave hairstyles", "Glastonbury hippies" http://www.lyricsfreak.com/d/damned/smash+it+up_10076230.html) rather than advocate political revolution. It is of a two-part form: a melodic Quicksilver Messenger Service-like instrumental segues into an energetic pop-punk song.
Chiswick
reissued the single on their budget Big Beat imprint in February 1982. In November 2004, Ace Records issued the single on CD, with alternate versions of the song (including the previously unreleased 3rd and 4th parts of "Smash It Up") and a video, directed by Martin Baker, added.
The single was also issued in Australia
, Germany
, the Netherlands
and Spain
.
The song has appeared in the console-based game Driver: Parallel Lines
as a track in the 1978 era.
2004 CD release
Musicians
for the 1991 cover album
Learning English, Lesson One
.
In 1995, The Offspring
covered the song for the soundtrack
to the film Batman Forever
and it was also released as a single. The song peaked on number 16 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 47 on the Hot 100 Airplay (Radio Songs) chart. It was later released on The Offspring's Club Me EP and also on the "All I Want" CD single.
The single was the second release from the band's Machine Gun Etiquette
Machine Gun Etiquette
Machine Gun Etiquette is the third album by the British punk band The Damned, released in November 1979. The album was the group's first since reforming with Dave Vanian on vocals, Captain Sensible on lead guitar, Rat Scabies on drums and Algy Ward on bass...
album, where it was listed as "Smash It Up (Part II)". The single was banned from BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's playlist because of its perceived anarchic lyrics, stalling at number 35 in the UK Singles Chart. It is widely considered to be a punk classic.
The song's lyrics criticize hippie culture (referring to "blow wave hairstyles", "Glastonbury hippies" http://www.lyricsfreak.com/d/damned/smash+it+up_10076230.html) rather than advocate political revolution. It is of a two-part form: a melodic Quicksilver Messenger Service-like instrumental segues into an energetic pop-punk song.
Chiswick
Chiswick Records
Chiswick Records was a British record company. Chiswick was the "first true 'indie' label" to be established in Britain for nearly a decade". The label has been described as "significant" in the "punk era"...
reissued the single on their budget Big Beat imprint in February 1982. In November 2004, Ace Records issued the single on CD, with alternate versions of the song (including the previously unreleased 3rd and 4th parts of "Smash It Up") and a video, directed by Martin Baker, added.
The single was also issued in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The song has appeared in the console-based game Driver: Parallel Lines
Driver: Parallel Lines
Driver: Parallel Lines is the fourth video game in the Driver series. The game was released on March 2006 on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox by Atari, Wii and Microsoft Windows on June 2007 by Ubisoft.-Overview:...
as a track in the 1978 era.
Track listing
All songs written by Scabies, Sensible, Vanian, Ward.- "Smash It Up" - 2:52
- "Burglar" - 3:33
2004 CD release
- "Smash It Up" - 2:52
- "Burglar" - 3:33
- "Smash It Up Parts 1-4" - 8:43
Production credits
Producers- Roger Armstrong
- The Damned
Musicians
- Dave Vanian: Vocals
- Captain SensibleCaptain SensibleCaptain Sensible is a singer, songwriter, guitarist who grew up in Croydon, England, and co-founded the punk rock band The Damned in 1976. After leaving the band, he reinvented himself as an alternative pop singer with a rebellious, self-conscious image...
: GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Rat ScabiesRat ScabiesChristopher Millar , better known by his stage name Rat Scabies, is a musician best known for his tenure as the drummer for The Damned....
: DrumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, vocals on Burglar - Algy WardAlgy WardAlasdair Mackie "Algy" Ward is an English rock and roll bass guitarist and singer.-Biography:He was first active as a member of the Australian punk band The Saints before joining British group The Damned and playing on Machine Gun Etiquette...
: BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Cover versions
The song was covered by Die Toten HosenDie Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen is a German punk band from Düsseldorf. They have enjoyed decades-long mass appeal in Germany.The band's name literally means "The Dead Pants" in English, although the phrase "tote Hose" is a German expression meaning "nothing going on" or "boring"...
for the 1991 cover album
Cover Album
-Tracklisting:#Misono to Utaou! Animedley I # #...
Learning English, Lesson One
Learning English, Lesson One
Learning English, Lesson One or Learning English, Lesson 1 is the second cover album by the German punk band Die Toten Hosen. The album includes covers of mostly British bands, which were big influences for DTH.This is also the first all-English album for DTH, although the first English language...
.
In 1995, The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
covered the song for the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the film Batman Forever
Batman Forever
Batman Forever is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is a sequel to Batman Returns , with Val Kilmer replacing Michael Keaton as Batman...
and it was also released as a single. The song peaked on number 16 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 47 on the Hot 100 Airplay (Radio Songs) chart. It was later released on The Offspring's Club Me EP and also on the "All I Want" CD single.