Written by: Dewey Bass
Everything is STILL backwards in Americana my way. More than 10 million copies sold, gold and platinum certifications, and 20 years later, The Offspring’s fifth album still packs a punch, and is as relevant as ever.
Rather than follow the footsteps of punk rock forefathers by calling on fans to take action against something or someone, or calling out specific figures of power, The Offspring used their “almost concept album” to tell individual stories in a critical and humorous way, most often about people whose lifestyles reflect where the country was at the time.
“The songs on Americana aren’t condemnations, they’re short stories about the state of things and what we see going on around us. We want to expose the darker side of our culture. It may look like an episode of Happy Days out there in America, but it feels more like Twin Peaks,” singer Dexter Holland told SFGate.com
From tales of suburban white kids thinking they’re gangster (“Pretty Fly for a White Guy”), to criminals blaming their actions on others (“Walla Walla”), to slackers mooching off of others (”Why Don’t you Get a Job”), Americana voices frustrations that still resonate. With the absence of specific references, the album has aged quite well, satirizing hypocritical lives and political correctness – an issue still discussed today.
Shortly after the release, Holland explained, ”There’s a sense of political correctness which almost becomes strangling after a while,” he explains. ”It’s getting to the point where they’ll have to put a sign on the window of a hotel room that says ‘Don’t jump out of this window.’ They’ll put iron bars up because they’ll be afraid of the liability. That sense of trying to protect and being PC inhibits freedom more.” – Entertainment Weekly
Debuting at #6 in the Billboard 200 with around 175,000 copies sold in its first week, Americana climbed the charts to peak at #2, remaining in the Billboard Top Ten for 22 weeks, making it their highest charting album ever, and their second-best selling album second only to 1994’s Smash.
We urge you to revisit this album. Think about how little has changed thematically over the years, and how relevant this album still is. Indulge in an over-stuffed re-issue, check out anniversary shows, buy anniversary merch, whatever you have to do. However you choose to celebrate this album, make it loud!
