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Smash It Up

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"Smash It Up"
Single by the Damned
from the album Machine Gun Etiquette
B-side"Burglar"
Released12 October 1979 (1979-10-12)
Recorded1979
Genre
Length2:53
LabelChiswick
CHIS 116
Songwriter(s)
  • Dave Vanian
  • Captain Sensible
  • Rat Scabies
  • Algy Ward
Producer(s)
The Damned singles chronology
"Love Song"
(1979) 		"Smash It Up"
(1979) 		"I Just Can't Be Happy Today"
(1979)

"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

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"Smash It Up" was produced by the band and Roger Armstrong. It is structured in two-part form: a melodic instrumental introduction (written in homage 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

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Chiswick reissued the single on their budget Big Beat imprint in February 1982.[4][deprecated source] 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

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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

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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 appears at the end of the third episode of the 2022 series SAS: Rogue Heroes.

The song also appears at the end credits of DC Universe's Titans, Season 2, Episode 10.

Track listing

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All songs written by Scabies, Sensible, Vanian, Ward.

1979 vinyl release[2]
  1. "Smash It Up" – 2:52
  2. "Burglar" – 3:33
2004 CD release[8]
  1. "Smash It Up" – 2:52
  2. "Burglar" – 3:33
  3. "Smash It Up Parts 1–4" – 8:43

Production credits

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Producers

Musicians

Cover versions

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"Smash It Up"
Single by The Offspring
from the album Batman Forever soundtrack
Released1995
GenrePunk rock
Length3:24
LabelEpitaph
Songwriter(s)Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, Rat Scabies, Algy Ward
The Offspring singles chronology
"Gotta Get Away"
(1995) 		"Smash It Up"
(1995) 		"All I Want"
(1997)

The song was covered by Die Toten Hosen for the 1991 cover album Learning English, Lesson One.[9]

In 1995, The Offspring covered the song for the soundtrack to the film Batman Forever. Although the song appeared in the film for only a few seconds, the full version was included on the soundtrack.[10] It peaked at No. 16 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart and No. 47 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.[11] Its chart success came about since it was the band's first new single after the breakthrough of their Smash album, albeit before their follow-up album Ixnay on the Hombre. It was later released on The Offspring's Club Me EP and also on the "All I Want" CD single.

References

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  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.
  2. ^ a b "Damned, The – Smash It Up". Discogs. 1979. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  3. ^ "Smash It Up Lyrics - Damned". Lyricsfreak.com. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  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. ^ Learning English Lesson One Credits (liner notes). Virgin Records. LPVIR 11. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  10. ^ Batman Forever Credits (liner notes). Atlantic Records. RCD1 82759. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  11. ^ "The Offspring – Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
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