Smash It Up

"Smash It Up"
"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

"Smash It Up"
"Smash It Up"
Single by the Damned
from the album Machine Gun Etiquette
B-side	"Burglar"
Released	12 October 1979
Recorded	1979
Genre	Punk rock; rock and roll; hard rock; pop-punk;
Length	2:53
Label	Chiswick; CHIS 116
Songwriter(s)	Dave Vanian; Captain Sensible; Rat Scabies; Algy Ward;
Producer(s)	Roger Armstrong; The Damned;
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 hommage 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] 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]

A cover version of the song by the Offspring appeared for a few seconds in the 1995 film Batman Forever. The full song was included on the film's soundtrack album.

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 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]

The song was covered by Die Toten Hosen for the 1991 cover album Learning English, Lesson One.

In 1995, the Offspring covered the song for the soundtrack to the film Batman Forever. The song peaked at No. 16 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart^[9] and No. 47 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. 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. 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.
^ "The Offspring – Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 10 July 2013.

External links[edit]

"Smash It Up" at Discogs (list of releases)

[1] "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.

[discogs.com-2] "Damned, The – Smash It Up". Discogs. Retrieved 10 July 2013.

[3] "Smash It Up Lyrics - Damned". Lyricsfreak.com. Retrieved 15 October 2016.

[rateyourmusic.com-4] "Smash It Up / Burglar". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 10 July 2013.

[5] Hutchinson, Barry (2017). The Damned - the Chaos Years: An Unofficial Biography. Lulu Press. ISBN 9780244921552.

[6] "UK Charts - The Damned". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 29 October 2017.

[7] The Old Grey Whistle Test (DVD). Warner Home Video. 2003.

[8] "The Damned – Smash It Up: 25th Anniversary Edition". Allmusic. Retrieved 10 July 2013.

[9] "The Offspring – Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 10 July 2013.

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v t e The Damned
Dave Vanian Captain Sensible Monty Oxymoron Rat Scabies Paul Gray Brian James Lu Edmonds Algy Ward Roman Jugg Bryn Merrick Moose Harris Patricia Morrison Stu West Henry Badowski Jon Moss Lemmy Gary Holton Garrie Dreadful Spike Smith Pinch William Granville-Taylor
Studio albums	Damned Damned Damned Music for Pleasure Machine Gun Etiquette The Black Album Strawberries Phantasmagoria Anything Not of This Earth Grave Disorder So, Who's Paranoid? Evil Spirits Darkadelic
Live albums	Live Shepperton 1980 Live at Newcastle The Captain's Birthday Party Not the Captain's Birthday Party? Final Damnation Ballroom Blitz – Live at the Lyceum Molten Lager Live at the 100 Club
Compilation albums	Light at the End of the Tunnel The Radio One Sessions Smash It Up: The Anthology 1976–1987 Black Is the Night: The Definitive Anthology
EPs	Friday 13th Testify The Rockfield Files
Singles	"New Rose" "Neat Neat Neat" "Stretcher Case Baby" "Problem Child" "Don't Cry Wolf" "Love Song" "Smash It Up" "I Just Can't Be Happy Today" "White Rabbit" "The History of the World (Part 1)" "There Ain't No Sanity Clause" "Wait for the Blackout" "Lovely Money" "Dozen Girls" "Lively Arts" "Generals" "Thanks for the Night" "Grimly Fiendish" "The Shadow of Love" "Is It a Dream?" "Eloise" "Anything" "Gigolo" "Alone Again Or" "In Dulce Decorum" "Fun Factory" "Prokofiev" "Shut It" "Little Miss Disaster" "Standing On the Edge of Tomorrow" "Devil in Disguise" "Look Left" "Procrastination"
Associated acts	Masters of the Backside London SS The Lords of the New Church Dave Vanian and the Phantom Chords Naz Nomad and the Nightmares
Related articles	Band members Discography "Nasty" The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead Stiff Records

v t e The Offspring
Dexter Holland Noodles Todd Morse Brandon Pertzborn Greg K. Doug Thompson Jim Benton James Lilja Marcus Parrish Ron Welty Atom Willard Pete Parada
Studio albums	The Offspring Ignition Smash Ixnay on the Hombre Americana Conspiracy of One Splinter Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace Days Go By Let the Bad Times Roll
Compilations	Collection Greatest Hits Happy Hour!
EPs	Baghdad Club Me A Piece of Americana Summer Nationals Gone Away
Singles	"I'll Be Waiting" "Come Out and Play" "Self Esteem" "Gotta Get Away" "Smash It Up" "All I Want" "Gone Away" "The Meaning of Life" "I Choose" "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" "Why Don't You Get a Job?" "The Kids Aren't Alright" "She's Got Issues" "Original Prankster" "Want You Bad" "Million Miles Away" "Defy You" "Hit That" "(Can't Get My) Head Around You" "Spare Me the Details" "Can't Repeat" "Hammerhead" "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" "Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?" "Half-Truism" "Days Go By" "Cruising California (Bumpin' in My Trunk)" "Turning into You" "Coming for You" "Let the Bad Times Roll"
Video albums	Americana Huck It Complete Music Video Collection
Tours	Warped Tour Smash: 20th Anniversary Tour World Tour 2017
Related articles	Discography List of songs Awards Nitro Records
Related bands	Angels & Airwaves Face to Face Saves the Day Steady Ground
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