Bedtime for Democracy
{{Infobox album|
| name = Bedtime for Democracy
| type = studio
| artist = Dead Kennedys
| cover = Dead Kennedys - Bedtime for Democracy cover.jpg
| border = yes
| alt =
| released = November 1986
| recorded = April and July 1986
| studio = City Sound Recording and Hyde St. Studios
| venue =
| genre = {{hlist|Hardcore punk|}}
| length = 48:40
| label = Alternative Tentacles
| producer = Jello Biafra
| prev_title = Frankenchrist
| prev_year = 1985
| next_title = Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death
| next_year = 1987
}}
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=mw0000189623|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic review]
| rev2 =
| rev2Score =
| rev3 = NME
| rev3Score = {{Rating|3|5}}[https://www.nme.com/reviews/dead-kennedys/4230.html NME review]
| rev4 = Spin Alternative Record Guide
| rev4score = 4/10{{cite book|chapter=Dead Kennedys|first=Gina|last=Arnold|title=Spin Alternative Record Guide|title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide|editor1-first=Eric|editor1-last=Weisbard|editor2-first=Craig|editor2-last=Marks|publisher=Vintage Books|year=1995|isbn=0-679-75574-8|pages=106-107}}
| noprose = yes
}}
Bedtime for Democracy is the fourth and final studio album by American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Released in 1986, songs on this album cover common punk subjects often found in punk rock lyrics of the era such as conformity, Reaganomics, the U.S. military, and critique of the hardcore punk movement. The album's title refers to the 1951 comedy film, Bedtime for Bonzo starring Ronald Reagan and also reflects the band's weary bitterness from the trial they were undergoing at the time over the controversial art included with their previous album. By the time recording of Bedtime for Democracy had begun, the Dead Kennedys had already played what would be their last concert with Jello Biafra and announced their breakup immediately after the release of the record, whose opening track is a cover of David Allan Coe's "Take This Job and Shove It."{{cite web|last1=Cleary|first1=David|title=Bedtime for Democracy - Dead Kennedys {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/bedtime-for-democracy-mw0000189623|website=AllMusic|accessdate=26 August 2017}}
Track listing
{{tracklist
| total_length = 48:40
| all_writing = Jello Biafra, except when stated
| title1 = Take This Job and Shove It
| writer1 = David Allan Coe
| length1 = 1:25
| title2 = Hop with the Jet Set
| length2 = 2:05
| title3 = Dear Abby
| length3 = 1:09
| title4 = Rambozo the Clown
| length4 = 2:25
| title5 = Fleshdunce
| length5 = 1:29
| title6 = The Great Wall
| length6 = 1:32
| title7 = Shrink
| length7 = 1:44
| title8 = Triumph of the Swill
| length8 = 2:17
| title9 = Macho Insecurity
| length9 = 1:30
| title10 = I Spy
| writer10 = D.H. Peligro
| length10 = 2:30
| title11 = Cesspools in Eden
| writer11 = Dead Kennedys
| length11 = 5:56
| title12 = One-Way Ticket to Pluto
| length12 = 1:38
| title13 = Do the Slag
| writer13 = East Bay Ray
| length13 = 1:36
| title14 = A Commercial
| length14 = 1:33
| title15 = Gone with My Wind
| length15 = 1:43
| title16 = Anarchy for Sale
| length16 = 1:18
| title17 = Chickenshit Conformist
| length17 = 5:58
| title18 = Where Do Ya Draw the Line
| length18 = 2:39
| title19 = Potshot Heard 'Round the World
| writer19 = Biafra, Ray
| length19 = 2:10
| title20 = D.M.S.O.
| writer20 = Dead Kennedys
| length20 = 2:09
| title21 = Lie Detector
| writer21 = Biafra, Ray
| length21 = 3:43
}}
Personnel
;Dead Kennedys
- Jello Biafra - lead vocals, producer, mixer
- East Bay Ray - guitar
- Klaus Flouride - bass, backing vocals
- D.H. Peligro - drums, backing vocals
;Additional performers
- Tim Jones - synthesizer on "One-Way Ticket to Pluto"
- Jayed Scotti - timbales on "Dear Abby"
- Cal - backing vocals on "Fleshdunce", "Where Do Ya Draw The Line?" and "Chickenshit Conformist"
- Andrew - backing vocals on "Fleshdunce", "Where Do Ya Draw The Line?" and "Chickenshit Conformist"
- Blaze - backing vocals on "Fleshdunce", "Where Do Ya Draw The Line?" and "Chickenshit Conformist"
- P. O'Pillage - the voice of Rambozo on "Rambozo The Clown", artwork
;Production
- John Cuniberti - engineer, mixer
- Winston Smith - artwork
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col" | Chart (1986) ! scope="col" | Peak |
| scope=row|UK Independent Albums (OCC){{cite book |first=Barry |last=Lazell |url=http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/d.htm |title=Indie Hits 1980-1989 |publisher=Cherry Red Books |date=1997 |accessdate=September 5, 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605132747/http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/d.htm |archivedate=June 5, 2011 }}
| style="text-align:center;"|1 |
|---|
Certifications
{{certification Table Top}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Dead Kennedys|title=Bedtime for democracy|award=Silver|relyear=1986|certyear=2008|id=768-476-2}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}
Related
The East Bay punk band Isocracy parodied the name in their 1988 EP, Bedtime for Isocracy. The cover art depicted the band together in a bed, accompanied by Jello Biafra. After the record's release, Isocracy split up, with two members forming the group Samiam and another joining Green Day.{{cite book|last1=Livermore|first1=Larry|title=How to Ru(i)n a Record Label: The Story of Lookout Records|date=2015|publisher=BookBaby|isbn=9780989196369|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UrRaDQAAQBAJ&q=isocracy+green+day+samiam&pg=PT93|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Dead Kennedys}}
{{Jello Biafra}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedtime For Democracy}}