Only a Lad
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| Oingo Boingo | ||
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| Studio album by Oingo Boingo | ||
| Released | 1981 | |
| Recorded | ??? | |
| Genre | Alternative rock/New Wave | |
| Length | 38:12 | |
| Label | A&M Records | |
| Producer(s) | Pete Solley and Oingo Boingo | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oingo Boingo chronology | ||
| Oingo Boingo (EP) (1980) |
'Only a Lad' (1981) |
Nothing to Fear (1982) |
Only a Lad is the full-length debut album by Oingo Boingo, following their self-titled EP. The album's musical arrangements, by vocalist Danny Elfman and guitarist Steve Bartek, complete the group's switch from cabaret act to New Wave band. Only a Lad features complex and frequently changing time signatures and keys, often incorporating modal harmony, a hallmark of Elfman's songwriting. Closing track "Nasty Habits" foreshadows the comic-gothic scores he would compose (and Bartek would orchestrate) in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The album's success was somewhat limited, but, largely due to the backing of Los Angeles radio station KROQ, the album established Oingo Boingo as a permanent fixture in the Southern California music scene.
[edit] Musical
In 2006, Andrew Loschert wrote a musical play based off the song by Oingo Boingo, entitled "Only a Lad the Musical" [1]. The play was premiered at the 10th Annual New York International Fringe Festival from August 11 to 27, 2006.
The play takes place in 1984, about a young man names Johnny who gets in a fight over a girl names Mary, and accidentally kills someone in a drunken rage. His lawyer claims in court that he is not guilty due to mental defect because society made him do it. Despite the defense being acceptance in the court, Mary wants Johnny to stand up for what he did and take responsibility.
[edit] Libertarianism
Only a Lad incorporates libertarian political messages, some explicit and some more subtle. "Capitalism" dismisses outright socialism as an irrational dream of the idle middle-class; "Perfect System" and "The Controller" present an Orwellian dystopia that might result from any totalitarian regime, socialist or otherwise. Tracks like "Nasty Habits" and "Only a Lad" can also be read to express facets of libertarian philosophy. This was the only Oingo Boingo recording on which the lyrics would express such sentiments so consistently and openly.
"Nasty Habits" expresses a willingness to leave others alone, no matter how odd or objectionable their behavior may be, along with the desire to be left alone in return. The song "Only A Lad" balances this view with a sarcastic diatribe against violence and immorality, and against those who deny personal responsibility. Elfman creates a wild child character that takes what he wants, and does absolutely whatever he wants all the time. That includes shooting a woman in the leg and stealing her radio, running over an old man with a stolen car, and other violent acts. In the last verse, the songwriter denounces this amoral character and any who would excuse his actions. Along with the parodic wishy-washy chorus of people claiming "society made him, we really can't blame him", the song seems to be expressing the need for order in society, and the need for discipline and responsibility as the basis for this order.
Finally, "Capitalism" — mentioned by National Review Online as one of the "50 greatest conservative rock songs" [2] — can be read as not only a critique of outright socialism, but also as a stab at conservatives, an ironic commentary on how conservative Americans dismiss idealistic young people's dreams of a more equal and just society. This distinguishes Elfman's libertarian laissez-faire capitalism from more right-wing varieties, rejecting both left- and right-wing philosophies and further aligning the album's philosophy with libertarianism.
[edit] Track listing
- "Little Girls", mentioned in Pedophilia and child sexual abuse in songs
- "Perfect System"
- "On The Outside"
- "Capitalism"
- "You Really Got Me"
- "Only A Lad"
- "What You See"
- "The Controller"
- "Imposter"
- "Nasty Habits"
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