Too Drunk to Fuck
"Too Drunk to Fuck" | ||||
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Single by Dead Kennedys | ||||
B-side | "The Prey" | |||
Released | May 1981 | |||
Format | 7" | |||
Genre |
Hardcore punk Surf punk | |||
Length | 2:40 | |||
Label | Cherry Red | |||
Writer(s) | Jello Biafra | |||
Dead Kennedys singles chronology | ||||
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"Too Drunk to Fuck" was the fourth single by the Dead Kennedys. The record was released in May 1981 on Cherry Red Records with "The Prey" as the B-side. Both songs from this single are available on the rarities album Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death (1987).
The single reached Number 36 in the UK Singles Chart,[1] although it was not stocked in some record shops because of its provocative title. It was the first UK Top 40 single to include the word "fuck" in its title. It was banned from Radio 1 airplay by the BBC. In chart listings, it was usually referred to as "Too Drunk To". When it reached the Top 40, presenter Tony Blackburn referred to it simply as "a record by a group calling themselves The Dead Kennedys". The Dead Kennedys supplied a sticker for some record stores who took offense to the title which said, "Caution: You are the victim of yet another stodgy retailer afraid to warp your mind by revealing the title of this record so peel slowly and see..."
The song features a heavy surf rock/garage rock riff from guitarist East Bay Ray and satirical lyrics from Jello Biafra that paint a trenchant picture of an outrageous, moronic party. The song ends with a sound of a man vomiting.
Licensing controversy
After the rest of the band were awarded the rights to the Dead Kennedys material, they licensed "Too Drunk to Fuck" for use in the film Grindhouse. Almost immediately, Biafra criticized his former bandmates, specifically citing the song (a cover by Nouvelle Vague) being used in a rape scene in the movie, saying "Some people will do anything for money."[2] The rest of the band responded in kind, challenging him to donate his share of the money to charity.[3]
Audio sample
The Dead Kennedys - Too Drunk to Fuck excerpt
An excerpt from Too Drunk to Fuck | |
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Cover versions
- Serbian punk rock band Atheist Rap recorded a cover version of the song which appeared on the Punk You All various artists compilation in 1998.[4]
- Stephan Weidner played this song a few times on his "Schneller, Höher, Weidner"-Tour.
- Thrash Metal band Holy Moses plays the song usually as encore on their live performances
- Nouvelle Vague have a popular cover on their self-titled first album Nouvelle Vague
- Finnish ska band The Valkyrians have recorded a cover version of the song.
- The Psychobilly Band Klingonz covered the song on the album Blurb.
- Basque punk rock band Lendakaris Muertos made a cover called Demasiado ciego para follar.
- Die Kassierer, a punk rock band from Germany, made a cover called Zu voll zum Verkehr on their album "Musik für beide Ohren".
- French singer Camille (who provided vocals for the Nouvelle Vague cover discussed above) performed an a cappella version at several of her concerts.
- Russian punk rock band 'Punki Po Pyanke' recorded its version of the song with Russian lyrics called "Слишком пьяный, чтоб ебаться" in 2003.
Charts
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
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UK Indie Chart[5] | 1 |
UK Singles Chart[6] | 36 |
References
- ↑ "Biography of Jello Biafra". Alternative Tentacles. 2001. Retrieved 2005-02-19.
- ↑ "Jello Biafra condemns Dead Kennedys for licensing song to "Grindhouse"". Retrieved 2007-03-21.
- ↑ "Dead Kennedys respond to Jello Biafra regarding Grindhouse". Retrieved 2007-03-21.
- ↑ http://www.yu4you.com/items/en/cd/item_285.html#opis
- ↑ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- ↑ "Dead Kennedys - Singles". officialcharts.com. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
External links
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