Up to eleven

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"Up to eleven" or "these go to eleven" is an idiom from popular culture which has come to refer to anything being exploited to its utmost abilities, or apparently exceeding them, such as a sound volume control. Similarly, the expression "turning it up to eleven" may refer to the act of taking something to an extreme. In 2002 the phrase entered the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary with the definition "up to maximum volume." ^[1]

The phrase was coined in a scene from the 1984 mockumentary/rockumentary This is Spinal Tap by the character Nigel Tufnel, played by Christopher Guest. In this scene Nigel gives the rockumentary's director, Marty DiBergi, played by Rob Reiner, a tour of his stage equipment. While Nigel is showing Marty his Marshall guitar amplifiers, he points out one in particular whose control knobs all have the highest setting of eleven (unlike standard amplifiers, whose volume settings are typically numbered from zero to ten), believing that this numbering actually increases the volume of the amp ("It's one louder."). When Marty asks why the ten setting is not simply set to be louder, Nigel pauses, clearly confused, before responding, "These go to eleven." ^[2] ^[3]

The phrase is also used in a derogatory sense when referring to a person's lack of common sense. To say "His amp goes up to eleven" is to imply that regardless of to what extent you explain or "dumb down" a seemingly simple concept to someone they will never be capable of understanding. To refer to someone as a "Tufnel" is to imply that they lack the intellectual capacity to comprehend even the simplest of concepts.

Allen & Heath XONE:92 DJ mixer headphone volume control goes up to eleven

[edit] Usage in culture

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Some amplifiers did feature a scale that extended beyond ten. Between the years of 1949 and 1964, the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company produced the Fender Champ which had volume settings ranging from one to twelve.^[4]

Marshall Amplification introduced the JCM900 amplifier in 1990 with knobs going to twenty. Christopher Guest, playing Nigel Tufnel, participated in the marketing for this amplifier; appearing at the publicity party for the product as well as in magazine advertisements. His catch phrase on the print advertising was "That's nine more, innit?". Nigel claimed to also have a special model that goes to infinity, with the knob spinning around and around as though it's broken.^[5]

Both the speakers Logitech Z-5500 and Boomtube EX (Virgin Electronics) go up to eleven.

In July 2006, Microsoft.com featured a promo for Windows Media Player 11 that said to "Turn it up to 11" and pictured the WMP 11 Play button surrounded by numbers and tick marks, making it into a dial that ends at 11.

The BBC iPlayer features a volume control which extends to eleven.

The PreSonus Firebox audio interface's master volume knob goes to eleven.

In the game Guitar Hero, during the load screen before each playable song, a randomly selected message is displayed on an animated amplifier. While the player waits for the song to load, the controls on the animated amp move up in succession, ending at 11, in reference to Nigel's amp. One of the random messages also reads, "Eleven IS louder than ten." The sequel, Guitar Hero 2, allows players to play Spinal Tap's "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight". After the song is successfully finished by the player, the drummer of the band explodes and leaves a green globule on his drum throne.

In Neversoft's opening cinematic in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, the guitarist turns his amp that goes up to eleven, but the number 11 is covered with a sticky note reading 12.

On Silicon Graphics computers running the IRIX operating system, starting the audiopanel mixer with the command line argument -spinaltap causes the volume sliders to top out at 11, instead of 10.

In the episode The Lazarus Experiment of Doctor Who the Tenth Doctor can be hear saying "We need to turn this up to 11" as he uses his Sonic Screwdriver to increase the volume of the church organ he is playing in order to defeat the mutated Professor Richard Lazarus.

In the episode entitled TB or Not TB of American medical drama television series House Dr House asks if the control for the tilt table goes up to eleven. Dr House also references it in Informed Consent when making a 71 year old run on a treadmil ('We're turning that dial all the way to 11')

In Electronic Arts' sound options for SSX 3 the volume knob goes up to eleven.

Beck included the lyric, "Boyz / Turning jams up to eleven" on "Boyz", a song recorded for the 2000 compilation, At Home With the Groovebox.

Swedish band Blindside has a song titled "Pretty Nights" that includes the lyrics "Who touched the volume knob / Has it always been this loud ... Does this one go to eleven?"

In an episode of Good Eats with Alton Brown, Alton asks for a toaster from a scientist, and he brings out a very modified and outlandish toaster. When Alton says it is too much, the "scientist" exclaims, "But it goes up to eleven!"

In commercials for Kidz Bop 11, the announcer exclaims "Watch Out Kids! This One Goes To Eleven!"

The now defunct Working Designs had "Our games go to 11!" as their slogan.

In a 2006 episode of the TV game show, Jeopardy, one of the categories was titled "This Category Goes to 11" in reference to that line, and featured questions regarding the number 11.

In an issue of the New Musical Express, there was a feature called "This One Goes To Eleven: the loudest songs of all time", which were rated out of eleven for loudness, complete with an amp dial pointing to the correct number.

New Jersey band A Static Lullaby has a song titled "We Go To Eleven" on their 2003 album ...And Don't Forget to Breathe.

The Line 6 MicroSpider amplifier's volume knob, although not numbered, has 12 tick marks, implying a "0-11" volume. ^[6]