The Dead Kennedys Lyrics
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From the Single
Too Drunk to Fuck
Other Songs A Child And His Lawnmower A Commercial A Growing Boy Needs His Lunch Advice From Christmas Past Anarchy For Sale At My Job Back in the U.S.S.R. Big Bad Wolf - Satanic Surfers Bleed For Me Buzzbomb Buzzbomb From Pasadena California Über Alles California Uber Alles Cesspools In Eden Chemical Warfare Chicken Farm Chickenshit Conformist Dead End Dear Abby D.M.S.O. Do The Slag Dog Bite Dreadlocks Of The Suburbs Drug Me Fleshdunce Forest Fire Forward To Death Funland At The Beach Gone With My Wind Goons Of Hazzard Government Flu Halloween Hellnation Holiday In Cambodia Hop With The Jet Set Hyperactive Child I Am The Owl I Fought The Law I Kill Children I Spy Ill In The Head In-Sight Jock-O-Rama Kepone Factory Kill The Poor Kinky Sex (Makes the World Go Around) Kinky Sex Makes The World Go Round Lets Lynch The Landlord Lie Detector Life Sentence Macho Insecurity Marijuana Mother F*cker Moon Over Marin Moral Majority M.T.V. - Get Off The Air M.T.V.-Get Off The Air Nazi Punks Nazi Punks F*ck Off Nazi Punks Fuck Off Night Of The Living Rednecks One-Way Ticket To Pluto Police Truck Potshot Heard Round The World Pull My Strings Rambozo The Clown Rawhide Religious Vomit Riot Satanic Surfers Saturday Night Holocaust Short Songs Shrink Soup Is Good Food Stars And Stripes Of Corruption Stealing Peoples Mail Straight As Take This Job And Shove It Terminal Preppie The Great Wall The Man With The Dogs The Prey This Could Be Anywhere Too Drunk To F*ck Triumph Of The Swill Trust Your Mechanic Viva Las Vegas Well Paid Scientist Weve Got A Bigger Problem Now When Ya Get Drafted Where Do Ya Draw The Line Winnebago Warrior Your Emotions
Other Songs A Child And His Lawnmower A Commercial A Growing Boy Needs His Lunch Advice From Christmas Past Anarchy For Sale At My Job Back in the U.S.S.R. Big Bad Wolf - Satanic Surfers Bleed For Me Buzzbomb Buzzbomb From Pasadena California Über Alles California Uber Alles Cesspools In Eden Chemical Warfare Chicken Farm Chickenshit Conformist Dead End Dear Abby D.M.S.O. Do The Slag Dog Bite Dreadlocks Of The Suburbs Drug Me Fleshdunce Forest Fire Forward To Death Funland At The Beach Gone With My Wind Goons Of Hazzard Government Flu Halloween Hellnation Holiday In Cambodia Hop With The Jet Set Hyperactive Child I Am The Owl I Fought The Law I Kill Children I Spy Ill In The Head In-Sight Jock-O-Rama Kepone Factory Kill The Poor Kinky Sex (Makes the World Go Around) Kinky Sex Makes The World Go Round Lets Lynch The Landlord Lie Detector Life Sentence Macho Insecurity Marijuana Mother F*cker Moon Over Marin Moral Majority M.T.V. - Get Off The Air M.T.V.-Get Off The Air Nazi Punks Nazi Punks F*ck Off Nazi Punks Fuck Off Night Of The Living Rednecks One-Way Ticket To Pluto Police Truck Potshot Heard Round The World Pull My Strings Rambozo The Clown Rawhide Religious Vomit Riot Satanic Surfers Saturday Night Holocaust Short Songs Shrink Soup Is Good Food Stars And Stripes Of Corruption Stealing Peoples Mail Straight As Take This Job And Shove It Terminal Preppie The Great Wall The Man With The Dogs The Prey This Could Be Anywhere Too Drunk To F*ck Triumph Of The Swill Trust Your Mechanic Viva Las Vegas Well Paid Scientist Weve Got A Bigger Problem Now When Ya Get Drafted Where Do Ya Draw The Line Winnebago Warrior Your Emotions
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run.
Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Flouride, lead vocalist Jello Biafra, drummer Ted and rhythm guitarist 6025, 6025 left in 1979, and Ted left the following year after the band recorded their acclaimed first album Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980). The band's longest-serving drummer was D. H. Peligro, who replaced Ted in 1981 and remained until his death in 2022. Dead Kennedys recorded the EP In God We Trust Inc. (1981), followed by three more studio albums, Plastic Surgery Disasters (1982), Frankenchrist (1985), and Bedtime for Democracy (1986), the latter of which was recorded and released shortly after announcing their breakup in January 1986. Most of the band's recordings were released on Alternative Tentacles, an independent record label founded by Biafra and East Bay Ray.
Following Dead Kennedys' dissolution, Biafra continued to run Alternative Tentacles, and went on to collaborate and record with other artists, including D.O.A., NoMeansNo and his own bands Lard and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, as well as releasing several spoken word performances. In 2000 (upheld on appeal in 2003), Biafra lost an acrimonious legal case initiated by his former Dead Kennedys bandmates over songwriting credits and unpaid royalties. In 2001, the band reformed without Biafra; various singers have since been recruited for vocal duties. Although Dead Kennedys have continued to perform over the years, they have not released any more studio albums since Bedtime for Democracy.
Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing political figures and authority in general, as well as popular culture and even the punk movement itself. During their initial incarnation between 1978 and 1986, they attracted considerable controversy for their provocative lyrics and artwork.
Several stores refused to stock their recordings, provoking debate about censorship in rock music; in the mid-1980s, vocalist and primary lyricist Jello Biafra became an active campaigner against the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). This culminated in an obscenity trial between 1985 and 1986, which resulted in a hung jury and also hastened the band's demise.
Members:
Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Flouride, lead vocalist Jello Biafra, drummer Ted and rhythm guitarist 6025, 6025 left in 1979, and Ted left the following year after the band recorded their acclaimed first album Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980). The band's longest-serving drummer was D. H. Peligro, who replaced Ted in 1981 and remained until his death in 2022. Dead Kennedys recorded the EP In God We Trust Inc. (1981), followed by three more studio albums, Plastic Surgery Disasters (1982), Frankenchrist (1985), and Bedtime for Democracy (1986), the latter of which was recorded and released shortly after announcing their breakup in January 1986. Most of the band's recordings were released on Alternative Tentacles, an independent record label founded by Biafra and East Bay Ray.
Following Dead Kennedys' dissolution, Biafra continued to run Alternative Tentacles, and went on to collaborate and record with other artists, including D.O.A., NoMeansNo and his own bands Lard and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, as well as releasing several spoken word performances. In 2000 (upheld on appeal in 2003), Biafra lost an acrimonious legal case initiated by his former Dead Kennedys bandmates over songwriting credits and unpaid royalties. In 2001, the band reformed without Biafra; various singers have since been recruited for vocal duties. Although Dead Kennedys have continued to perform over the years, they have not released any more studio albums since Bedtime for Democracy.
Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing political figures and authority in general, as well as popular culture and even the punk movement itself. During their initial incarnation between 1978 and 1986, they attracted considerable controversy for their provocative lyrics and artwork.
Several stores refused to stock their recordings, provoking debate about censorship in rock music; in the mid-1980s, vocalist and primary lyricist Jello Biafra became an active campaigner against the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). This culminated in an obscenity trial between 1985 and 1986, which resulted in a hung jury and also hastened the band's demise.
East Bay Ray (Raymond Pepperell) - guitars (1978-1986, 2001-present)
Klaus Flouride (Geoffrey Lyall) - bass, backing vocals (1978-1986, 2001-2010, 2011-present)
Ron "Skip" Greer - lead vocals (2008-present)
Steve Wilson - drums (2023-present)
Former members:
Jello Biafra (Eric Boucher) - lead vocals (1978-1986)
6025 (Carlo Cadona) - rhythm guitar (1978-1979)
Ted (Bruce Slesinger) - drums (1978-1981)
D.H. Peligro (Darren Henley) - drums, backing vocals (1981-1986, 2001-2008, 2009-2022; his death)
Brandon Cruz - lead vocals (2001-2003)
Jeff Penalty (Jeff Alulis) - lead vocals (2003-2008)
Dave Scheff - drums (2008)
Greg Reeves - bass (2010-2011)
Santi Guardiola - drums (2023)
From: San Francisco, California, U.S.
Genre(s): Punk rock, hardcore punk
Active From: 1978-1986, 2001-present