"Fuck Off", also released as "(If You Don't Wanna Fuck Me, Baby) Fuck Off!!",[1] is the debut single by Wayne County & the Electric Chairs. It was released through Sweet FA, an imprint of Safari Records.[2] The single's B-side was "On the Crest".[3] Playing piano on the record was Jools Holland, then a session musician in his late-teens.[3][4] Described as "trashy, New York Dolls-influenced punk rock", the song was included in the book X-Rated: The 200 Rudest Records Ever!.[5]
| "Fuck Off" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Wayne County & the Electric Chairs | ||||
| from the album Blatantly Offenzive | ||||
| A-side | "Fuck Off" | |||
| B-side | "On the Crest" | |||
| Released | 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1977 Marquee Studios | |||
| Label | Sweet FA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jayne County | |||
| Producer(s) | Melvyn Slime | |||
| Wayne County & the Electric Chairs singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Overview
editThe song begins with a boogie woogie feel,[6] with the piano part played by a then-unknown Jools Holland.[2] Toward the end of the song, however, the style changes to a punk rock style with a double-time feel.[6] 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.[7]
Background
editThe song was written when Jayne County's band were still known as The Backstreet Boys.[nb 1][8] AllMusic describes the lyrics as County's way of "chastising those who won't take [her] home".[9] 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.[8] 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.[10]
A dance remix of the song was released in the 1990s, remixed by Sleazesisters (DJ Pete Martine and Porl Young).[citation needed]
Reception
editThe Encyclopedia of Popular Music described the song as "[an] enduring low-rent punk favourite",[11] and the Encyclopedia of Punk Music and Culture described the single as "seminal".[12]
Personnel
edit- Vocals — Jayne County
- Guitar — Greg Van Cook
- Piano — Jools Holland
- Bass guitar — Val Haller
- Drums — J.J. Johnson
Footnotes
edit- ^ Not to be confused with the 1990s boy band of the same name
References
edit- ^ Discogs (1995). "Wayne/Jayne County And The Electric Chairs* – (If You Don't Wanna Fuck Me, Baby) Fuck Off!!". Discogs. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
- ^ a b Moore, Christie (2006). The unultimate rockopedia. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse. p. 110. ISBN 1425964745.
- ^ a b Discogs (1977). "Electric Chairs, The – Fuck Off c/w On The Crest". Discogs. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ Hemmings, Jeff (26 June 2012). "Interview: Jools Holland". The Latest. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ Johnson, Howard (2002). X-rated : the 200 rudest songs ever!. London: Carlton. ISBN 1842227491.
- ^ a b "Wayne County - Singles". Punk77. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
- ^ Holland, Jools; Vyner, Harriet (2008). Barefaced lies and boogie-woogie boasts : the autobiography. London: Penguin. ISBN 978-0141026770.
- ^ a b Buckley, Jonathan (1999). Rock : the rough guide (2. ed., expanded and completely rev. ed.). London: Rough Guides. p. 235. ISBN 1858284570.
- ^ Torreano, Bradley. "Rock 'N Roll Cleopatra". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
- ^ Discogs (1978). "Wayne County & The Electric Chairs – Man Enough To Be A Woman". Discogs. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1995). The Guinness encyclopedia of popular music (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Stockton Press. p. 957. ISBN 1561591769.
- ^ Cogan, Brian (2006). Encyclopedia of punk music and culture. Westport: Conn. p. 43. ISBN 0313333408.