California Über Alles
"California Über Alles" is the first single off American hardcore punk band Dead Kennedys' debut studio album Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables. The song was released in June 1979.
| "California Über Alles" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Dead Kennedys | ||||
| from Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables" | ||||
| Released | June 1979 | |||
| Genre | Hardcore punk | |||
| Length | 3:26 | |||
| Label | Optional Music | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jello Biafra & John Greenway | |||
| Dead Kennedys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The lyrics for the song were written by lead singer Jello Biafra and John Greenway for their band, The Healers. Biafra composed the music during one of his rare attempts at composing on bass.[1]
The song is about Jerry Brown, the Governor of California from 1975-1983 (and later 2011–present). It is sung from his perspective, as a fictional version of Brown shapes a hippie-fascist vision for America. The title is a reference to the first (and no longer sung) stanza of the national anthem of Germany, which began with the words "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" (literally: "Germany, Germany above all").
The song appeared in the video games Tony Hawk's American Wasteland[2] and the Rock Band series.[3]
References
- ↑ "Dead Kennedys' "California Uber Alles"". Mix Online. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- ↑ "Activision Announces Complete Song Line-up for Tony Hawk's American Wasteland". About.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
- ↑ "California Über Alles by Dead Kennedys". Rock Band. Retrieved February 16, 2014.[dead link]
