Sell Out (song)

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"Sell Out" is one of the more famed songs from California ska band, Reel Big Fish, released as the first track on their 1996 album Turn The Radio Off. The song has proved to be one of Reel Big Fish's more popular releases. It received radio airplay and was a minor hit in that year. It has been interpreted as chronicling the payola scandals of early FM radio. However, it can also be seen as a satire of the way the pop music industry works in general. It also appeared on the soundtrack to the video games Tony Hawk Pro Skater, FIFA 2000, Aggressive Inline, and Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure.

The song talks of the habit of selling out and the nature of which it is generally hateful. It constantly refers to the sell outs rising from the fast food industry.

[edit] Video

A video clip was released some time later, featuring the members of the band working at a roadside fast food outlet (conforming to the lyrics), complete with Matt Wong as the mascot in a giant French Fries outfit. They are recruited by a man played by their agent into the world of music at Mojo Records. They compete against several other types of bands, such as 'Rap', 'Rock' and 'Metal' for the rights to a contract (the band themselves wear a jacket emblazoned with the words 'Ska Band'), but Matt must be pulled out of his costume. In the end, the people trying to extract him resort to dynamite, which he tosses away and runs for his life. The building explodes, and the last scene shows Matt back at the fast food outlet.

The film clip references the popular Star Wars movies (in that their agent's car makes a TIE fighter noise as it drives). Also, Goldfinger, a band known to tour with Reel Big Fish, appear briefly in the clip throwing them menacing looks.

[edit] Popularity

The song itself has grown to be very popular, to the extent that, on Reel Big Fish's latest album, We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy, there is a song entitled "One Hit Wonderful", in which the band complains that their fans ignore all their other songs in favour of one of their classics. Though the song in question is not named, "Sell Out" is heard playing at the start and end of the song.