Americana (album)

Infobox Album |
Name = Americana
Type = Album
Artist = The Offspring


Released = November 17, 1998
Recorded = 1998 at Eldorado Recording Studio in Burbank, California
Length = 43:35
Label = Columbia
Producer = Dave Jerden
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:61420r5ay48z link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|3|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/theoffspring/albums/album/96021/review/5943314/americana link]
Last album = "Ixnay on the Hombre"
(1997)
This album = "Americana"
(1998)
Next album = "The Offspring Collection"
(1999)
Misc = Singles
Name = Americana
Type = studio
single 1 = Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)
single 2 = Why Don't You Get a Job?
single 3 = The Kids Aren't Alright
single 4 = She's Got Issues
single 1 date = 1998
single 2 date = 1999
single 3 date = 1999
single 4 date = 1999

"Americana" is the fifth album by American punk rock band The Offspring, released on November 17, 1998 (see 1998 in music), and has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide. This was their most successful album since their 1994 breakthrough "Smash".

Some pressings of "Americana" are also enhanced CD's and contain the karaoke videos of "Staring at the Sun", "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" and "Why Don't You Get a Job?", and the previous MTV music videos from its predecessor, "Ixnay on the Hombre". Many of the lyrics are of unpleasant realities of American life.

Production and marketing

"Americana" was recorded in 1998 at Eldorado Recording Studio in Burbank, California, with Dave Jerden, who also produced "Ixnay on the Hombre".

Reception

"Americana" was released on November 17, 1998 and peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart,cite web|title=Americana's entry at Billboard.com| publisher=Billboard.com|url= http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?pid=23138&aid=329136|accessdate=2007-12-01] the highest position the band attained at the time. Shortly after its release, the album was certified gold and platinum.cite web|title=RIAA Certification (type in "Offspring" in the artist box)| publisher=RIAA|url= http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH|accessdate=2007-12-01]

The album received positive reviews, Michael Gallucci of Allmusic described the album as a "raucous ride through America as seen through the eyes of a weary". Gallucci praised the music as "a hearty combination of poppy punk" and a "blend of salsa and alterna-rock sounds", stating the band's music was taking a different direction. The album received a rating of three out of five stars, while "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)", "Why Don't You Get a Job?", "The Kids Aren't Alright" and "She's Got Issues" earned The Offspring its heaviest airplay on MTV and radio stations to date.cite web|title=Americana| publisher=Allmusic.com|url= http://wm06.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:61420r5ay48z|accessdate=2007-12-01]

Track listing

All songs written by the Offspring; except "Feelings" - Morris Albert and Louis Felix-Marie Gaste , with lyrical parody by Dexter Holland.

# "Welcome" – 0:09
# "Have You Ever" – 3:56
# "Staring at the Sun" – 2:13
# "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" – 3:08
# "The Kids Aren't Alright" – 3:00
# "Feelings" (Parody/cover of Morris Albert's 1975 single) – 2:51
# "She's Got Issues" – 3:48
# "Walla Walla" – 2:57
# "The End of the Line" – 3:00
# "No Brakes" – 2:06
# "Why Don't You Get a Job?" – 2:52
#:*After "Why Don't You Get a Job?", a spoken interlude is heard.
# "Americana" – 3:15
# "Pay the Man" – 10:19
#* "Pay the Man" ends at 8:08, followed by the hidden track "Pretty Fly (Reprise)" at 9:16 (on some versions the hidden track is accessed by rewinding from the beginning index of "Pay the Man"). The track is a mariachi reprise of the song "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" that lasts for only a minute.

Notes

* Pictures in the booklet are illustrations for the songs and these pictures are also used on the single covers.
* On the booklet of the album, where the lyrics to "Pay the Man" are, there is an image that is extremely similar to a design of a poster for the "No Control" tour, featuring Bad Religion. Considering both pieces of art are by the artist Frank Kozik, it is likely that The Offspring requested this piece of art to be used in the booklet. The font of its band logo from the cover of "Americana" is also similar to Bad Religion's original logo. Incidentally, songs from both bands appear in the game Crazy Taxi.
* "Pay the Man" was actually recorded during the making of "Ixnay on the Hombre", but was left out because it sounded too different from anything else the band had currently made, in a dark, psychedelic rock/heavy metal sound, comparable to stoner rock. [ [http://www.offspring.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Offspring.woa/wa/interview?interviewID=308 Interviews: The Offspring ] ]
* Dexter Holland contributed the song "Too Much Drama" to The Vandals' album "Hitler Bad, Vandals Good". The chorus melody is reused on this album on the song "Walla Walla."
* A clip from the song "Americana," specifically the introduction, was used in the Michael Moore film "Bowling for Columbine".
* Between the tracks "Why Don't You Get a Job?" and "Americana" is the line "Hey, that's something everyone can enjoy", spoken by Calvert DeForest.
* The lyrics in the booklet for the song "Americana" leaves out the line "Well, fuck you" and the interjection "but I wanna fuck you" after "So don't blame me, I just work here." The CD also does not feature a Parental Advisory sticker, despite the fact that other profanities were kept in the booklet.

My Generation references

The album contains multiple references to the album "My Generation" by the Who. The first is the song "The Kids Aren't Alright" is a parody title to "The Kids Are All Right" (from My Generation.) The second is included in the lyrics to "Americana." Dexter sings "I want it right now because my Ge-Generation don't like to wait." This is a reference to the stutter done by Roger Daltrey in the song My Generation.

Chart positions

Australia

Personnel

The Offspring

*Dexter Holland - Vocals, Guitars
*Noodles - Guitars, Backing Vocals
*Greg K. - Basses, Backing Vocals
*Ron Welty - Drums

Other Musicians

* Carlos Gomez - Guitar
* Bryan Carlstrom - Engineer
* Annette Cisneros - Assistant Engineer
* Derrick Davis - Flute
* Higgins - Vocals (background)
* Dave Jerden - Producer, Mixing
* Eddy Schreyer - Mastering
* Sean Evans - Art Direction
* Frank Kozik - Artwork
* Gabriel McNair - Horn
* John Mayer - Vocals
* Justin Beope - Artwork
* Alvaro Macias - Biguela
* Phil Jordan - Horn
* Davey Havok- Vocals (background)
*Jack Grisham- Vocals (background)

References

General references

*cite album-notes| title = Americana| albumlink = Americana (album)| bandname = The Offspring| year = 1998| notestitle = | url = | first = | last = | pages = | format = CD liner| publisher = Columbia Records| publisherid = | location = | mbid =

Notes

succession box
before = "Highlights from The Main Event"
by Olivia Newton-John, John Farnham, and
Anthony Warlow
title = Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
years = January 4 - February 7 1999
after = "Come on Over" by Shania Twain