Fuck Off (song)
{{short description|1977 punk rock song by Wayne County & the Electric Chairs}}
{{About|the Wayne County & the Electric Chairs song|the Kid Rock song|Devil Without a Cause|the Tierra Whack song|Whack World|the Shaggy 2 Dope song|Fuck Off!}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Fuck Off
| cover = Electric Chairs — Fuck Off.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Wayne County & the Electric Chairs
| album = Blatantly Offenzive
| A-side = Fuck Off
| B-side = On the Crest
| released = 1977
| recorded = 1977
Marquee Studios
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length =
| label = Sweet FA
| writer = Jayne County
| producer = Melvyn Slime
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Stuck on You
| next_year = 1977
}}
"Fuck Off", also released as "(If You Don't Wanna Fuck Me, Baby) Fuck Off!!",{{cite web|author=Discogs|title=Wayne/Jayne County And The Electric Chairs* – (If You Don't Wanna Fuck Me, Baby) Fuck Off!!|year=1995 |url=http://www.discogs.com/WayneJayne-County-And-The-Electric-Chairs-If-You-Dont-Wanna-Fuck-Me-Baby-Fuck-Off/release/2135646|publisher=Discogs|accessdate=17 September 2012}} is the debut single by Wayne County & the Electric Chairs. It was released through Sweet FA, an imprint of Safari Records.{{cite book|last=Moore|first=Christie|title=The unultimate rockopedia|year=2006|publisher=AuthorHouse|location=Bloomington, IN|isbn=1425964745|page=110}} The single's B-side was "On the Crest".{{cite web|author=Discogs|title=Electric Chairs, The – Fuck Off c/w On The Crest|year=1977 |url=http://www.discogs.com/Electric-Chairs-Fuck-Off-cw-On-The-Crest/release/773054|publisher=Discogs|accessdate=16 September 2012}}
Playing piano on the record was Jools Holland, then a session musician in his late-teens.{{cite web|last=Hemmings|first=Jeff|title=Interview: Jools Holland|date=26 June 2012|url=http://thelatest.co.uk/brighton/2012/06/26/jools-holland-interview/|publisher=The Latest|accessdate=16 September 2012}} Described as "trashy, New York Dolls-influenced punk rock", the song was included in the book X-Rated: The 200 Rudest Records Ever!.{{cite book|last=Johnson|first=Howard|title=X-rated : the 200 rudest songs ever!|year=2002|publisher=Carlton|location=London|isbn=1842227491}}
Overview
The song begins with a boogie woogie feel,{{cite web|title=Wayne County - Singles|url=http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/waynecountydiscography.htm|publisher=Punk77|accessdate=17 September 2012}} with the piano part played by a then-unknown Jools Holland. Toward the end of the song, however, the style changes to a punk rock style with a double-time feel. In his 2007 autobiography, Barefaced Lies and Boogie-woogie Boasts, Holland describes that on arriving at the recording session at Marquee Studios in London, he discovered that the group had recorded a backing track for the song but had written no lyrics. County asked him to play "really burlesque". Holland wrote that the first time he heard the song's lyrics was when playing the record to his mother, his younger brothers, and his aunt and uncle.{{cite book|last1=Holland|first1=Jools|last2=Vyner|first2=Harriet|title=Barefaced lies and boogie-woogie boasts : the autobiography|year=2008|publisher=Penguin|location=London|isbn=978-0141026770}}
Background
The song was written when Jayne County's band were still known as The Backstreet Boys.Not to be confused with the 1990s boy band of the same name{{cite book|last=Buckley|first=Jonathan|title=Rock : the rough guide|year=1999|publisher=Rough Guides|location=London|isbn=1858284570|page=[https://archive.org/details/roughguidetorock00roug/page/235 235]|edition=2. ed., expanded and completely rev.|url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetorock00roug/page/235}} AllMusic describes the lyrics as County's way of "chastising those who won't take [her] home".{{cite web|last=Torreano|first=Bradley|title=Rock 'N Roll Cleopatra|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/rock-n-roll-cleopatra-mw0000180481|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=17 September 2012}} Originally titled "(If You Don't Want to Fuck Me, Baby) Fuck Off", the song was planned to be released on the group's début album. The album was never released, though some tracks were included on 1976's Max's Kansas City. The following year, the band renamed themselves as "The Electric Chairs" and the song was included on the 1978 compilation album Man Enough to Be a Woman and the Blatantly Offenzive EP.{{cite web|author=Discogs|title=Wayne County & The Electric Chairs – Man Enough To Be A Woman|year=1978 |url=http://www.discogs.com/Wayne-County-The-Electric-Chairs-Man-Enough-To-Be-A-Woman/release/2083247|publisher=Discogs|accessdate=16 September 2012}}
A dance remix of the song was released in the 1990s, remixed by Sleazesisters (DJ Pete Martine and Porl Young).{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}
Reception
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music described the song as "[an] enduring low-rent punk favourite",{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|title=The Guinness encyclopedia of popular music|year=1995|publisher=Stockton Press|location=New York, NY|isbn=1561591769|page=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessencyclop06lark/page/n704 957]|edition=2nd|url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessencyclop06lark|url-access=registration}} and the Encyclopedia of Punk Music and Culture described the single as "seminal".{{cite book|last=Cogan|first=Brian|title=Encyclopedia of punk music and culture|year=2006|publisher=Conn.|location=Westport|isbn=0313333408|page=43}}
Personnel
- Vocals — Jayne County
- Guitar — Greg Van Cook
- Piano — Jools Holland
- Bass guitar — Val Haller
- Drums — J.J. Johnson
Footnotes
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References
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