Did The Offspring Sell Out?

I heard The Offspring’s latest single on the radio yesterday (lyrics), and immediately wondered if they had totally sold out.

Authority
Vested in me
I sacrifice
With my brothers in arms

Did they? If so, when did it happen, because I didn’t get that memo. If they didn’t sell out, what am I missing? Is this song satire or something?

After all, isn’t this the same band that gave us Kill the President? You know, “In a world without leaders, who’d start all the wars?”

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Comments

Sickr May 16, 2008 5:16 pm

You’re aware that the Offspring sold out years ago?! There departure from Epitaph records to Sony cemented their deal with the devil, putting out Americana completely solidified it.
olly May 18, 2008 10:56 am

David — other than I agree with Sickr on the above comment in terms of their musical “sell-out”, I don’t think this is the big Statist lyrical run that you might think… I actually think they are doing quite the opposite. Read the rest of the lyrics, some that standout:

“Locked and loaded
Voices screaming
Let’s go!
But I’m just doing what I’m told”

Similar vein also in these lines:

“Take a life
That ten others may live
Oh that’s just the way it goes
It’s playing over and over in my head
Where it’ll end
Nobody knows”

Sounds to me that the song is actually talking about how fucked up a soldier gets — as their own natural morality is subverted to “do as they are told”.

My take is that this is more of a lament for how brainwashed and robotic soldiers come when the government gets their hands on them.

-olly

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