"You Get What You Give"
Single by New Radicals
from the album Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too
B-side
  • "To Think I Thought"
  • "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too"
ReleasedNovember 3, 1998 (1998-11-03)
Genre
Length
  • 5:00
  • 4:42 (single version)
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Gregg Alexander
New Radicals singles chronology
"You Get What You Give"
(1998)		 "Someday We'll Know"
(1999)
Music video
"You Get What You Give" on YouTube

"You Get What You Give" is a song by American alternative rock band New Radicals. It was the first and most successful single from their only studio album, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too (1998). Released on November 3, 1998, it reached number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number eight on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Outside the US, it reached number five in the United Kingdom, number four in Ireland, and number one in Canada and New Zealand.

In the liner notes to her 2004 compilation Artist's Choice, the Canadian songwriter Joni Mitchell praised "You Get What You Give" for "rising from the swamp of 'McMusic' like a flower of hope".[1] In 2006, Ice-T was asked on Late Night with Conan O'Brien about what he has heard, besides rap music, in the last few years that really grabbed him and his only reply was "You Get What You Give". In a Time interview, U2 lead guitarist the Edge is quoted saying "You Get What You Give" is the song he is "most jealous of. I really would love to have written that."[2]

Composition

"You Get What You Give" has been described as an alternative rock,[3] power pop,[4][5] and pop rock song.[6] It is written in the key of D major with a moderate tempo of 120 beats per minute.[7] Gregg Alexander said the central theme of the song was "remembering to fly high and be completely off your head in a world where you can't control all elements".[8]

Much of the media attention "You Get What You Give" received centered on the closing lyrics:

"Health insurance, rip-off lying
FDA, big bankers buying
Fake computer crashes dining
Cloning while they're multiplying
Fashion shoots with Beck and Hanson,
Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson
You're all fakes, run to your mansions
Come around, we'll kick your ass in."

According to lead singer Gregg Alexander, he had written this section for the song as a test to see whether the media would focus on the important political issues of the first few lines, or the petty celebrity-dissing. As suspected, a considerable amount of press began to appear about the name-dropping, and the other political issues were largely ignored.[9]

Marilyn Manson commented that he was "not mad he said he'd kick my ass, I just don't want to be used in the same sentence with Courtney Love... I'll crack his [Alexander's] skull open if I see him."[10] Beck reported that Alexander personally apologized for the line when they met each other by chance in a supermarket, claiming that it was never meant to be personal.[11] Alexander collaborated with Hanson, whose drummer, Zac Hanson, called him "a bit of a character, but a cool guy."[12]

Although the lines were used for the band's Top of the Pops appearance, it was truncated at "kick you".[13]

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard gave a mixed review of the song, saying that it was a "chugging, Wham!-style pop song with slightly cheesy lyrics", but that the ending lyrics were "interesting".[14] Daily Record wrote, "This anthem sounds like The Waterboys at their best and has meaningful lyrics."[15] They also added, "It may sound like Bruce Springsteen, but that's no bad thing. This upbeat anthem will be played in all the good bars of the land."[16] A reviewer from The Mirror called it a "gold nugget of a single".[17]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "You Get What You Give" was filmed in the Staten Island Mall in New York and directed by Evan Bernard. The New Radicals' frontman Gregg Alexander said he chose this setting because he sees the shopping mall as a metaphor for society—a fake, controlled environment engineered to encourage spending. The video showed a group of teenagers, led by Alexander, going through the mall wreaking havoc—tossing nets on security guards, placing businessmen in animal cages, knocking over merchandise, hijacking Lambrettas, and moshing in the food court.[18]

Impact and legacy

In 2002, VH1 voted it as the 64th greatest one-hit wonder of all time. In 2007, the song was voted number 90 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s".[19] It was listed number 440 on Blender's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".[20] In 2010 it was number 106 on Pitchfork's "Top 200 Tracks of the 90s".[21] In 2011, VH1 ranked it as 11th on "40 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 90s". Annie Zaleski for The A.V. Club wrote that the song was "surprisingly influential on popular music, just in a non-obvious, almost obscured way", and that it was "both a nostalgic artifact and a song that transcends any era".[22] BBC Radio ranked the song at number 38 on its list of the "Most Heard Recordings in Britain of the Last 75 Years".[23]

The song was used by American Vice President Kamala Harris's husband, Doug Emhoff, for his walk-on music as part of Joe Biden's inauguration in 2021. On January 20, 2021, New Radicals reunited for the first time in 22 years to perform the song during an inauguration performance on the day Biden was sworn in as president. The song was a favorite of Joe's son Beau Biden. Beau died in 2015; at his funeral, his sister Ashley recited the lyrics in her eulogy. The band had rejected offers to perform over the past 22 years but wanted to honor this day and honor Beau, who was a military veteran. The band's Gregg Alexander said prior to their performance, "We pledged if Joe [Biden] won, we'd get together and play our little song both in memory and in honor of our new president's patriot son Beau and also with the prayer of Joe being able to bring our country together again with compassion, honesty and justice for a change".[24]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Rank
VH1 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders[25] 64
40 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the '90s[26] 11
Blender 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born[27] 440
Pitchfork Top 250 Tracks of the 1990s[28] 205
Rolling Stone 50 Best Songs of the Nineties[29] 37

Track listings

Personnel

  • Gregg Alexander – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Rusty Anderson – lead guitar
  • John Pierce – bass guitar
  • Rick Nowels – keyboard, backing vocals
  • Gary Ferguson – drums
  • Juliet Prater - percussion
  • Richie Podler – additional vocal arrangement
  • Michael Brauer – mixing

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[72] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States November 3, 1998 Contemporary hit radio MCA [73]
Japan December 19, 1998 CD [74]
United Kingdom March 22, 1999 [75]
Europe April 19, 1999 [35]

Cover versions

In 2017, Felix Cartal released a cover version (entitled "Get What You Give"), which received two nominations at the 2018 Juno Awards for Producer of the Year and Dance Recording of the Year.[76][77]

References

  1. ↑ "PopMatters Short Takes: Brief Reviews of New Music". Popmatters.com. February 28, 2005. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  2. ↑ 10 Questions for The Edge, Time Magazine, September 25, 2006
  3. ↑ "88 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1998". Spin. October 25, 2018. p. 10. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  4. ↑ Horton, Matthew (April 19, 2012). "15 Actually-Quite-Amazing One Hit Wonders". NME. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  5. ↑ Hoffman, Jordan (January 18, 2021). "Biden's America: New Radicals Reunite For Inaugural". Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Where Are They Now? 1999's Biggest Pop Acts". Rolling Stone. July 2, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  7. ↑ "You Get What You Give by the New Radicals – Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. March 20, 2008. MN0063957. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  8. ↑ Bambarger, Bradley (November 14, 1997). "The Modern Age". Billboard. p. 85. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  9. ↑ Sibilla, Gianni (March 25, 1999). "New Radicals Song Misunderstood, Singer Says". MTV. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
  10. ↑ "New Radicals Discuss Slighting Marilyn Manson And Courtney Love, Manson Responds". MTV. Archived from the original on May 23, 2006. Retrieved August 6, 2005.
  11. ↑ "No turning Beck". The Sunday Times. July 10, 2005. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  12. ↑ Fuoco, Christina (July 19, 2004). "liveDaily Interview: Zac Hanson of Hanson". Live Daily News. Archived from the original on August 11, 2004. Retrieved December 30, 2005.
  13. ↑ "One-Hit Wonders at the BBC". April 17, 2015. BBC Four. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  14. ↑ Flick, Larry (September 19, 1998). "'You Get What You Give' review". Billboard. p. 25.
  15. ↑ "Chartslot". Daily Record. April 9, 1999.
  16. ↑ "Chartslot". Daily Record. April 2, 1999.
  17. ↑ "Music: CD Releases: Out This Week". The Mirror. April 2, 1999.
  18. ↑ Gregg Alexander & Rick Nowels. "You Get What You Give". Music Video. MCA Records. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
  19. ↑ "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s". Blog.vh1.com. December 13, 2007. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  20. ↑ "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 401–450". Blender. Archived from the original on October 19, 2006. Retrieved November 23, 2006.
  21. ↑ "Pitchfork Top 200 Tracks of the 90s". Pitchfork.com. August 31, 2010. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  22. ↑ Annie Zaleski (July 28, 2015). "New Radicals' only hit, "You Get What You Give," was secretly influential". The A.V. Club.
  23. ↑ "Gregg Alexander". Billboard. October 3, 2009. p. 145. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Exclusive: Watch the Complete New Radicals 'You Get What You Give' Inauguration Performance". rollingstone.com. January 20, 2021.
  25. ↑ "VH1's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders". Rate Your Music. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  26. ↑ "VH1's 40 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the '90s". Top One Hit Wonders. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  27. ↑ "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 401-450". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on October 19, 2006. Retrieved November 18, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  28. ↑ Dombal, Ryan (September 27, 2022). "The Top 250 Tracks of the 1990s: 250-01". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  29. ↑ Sheffield, Rob. "The 50 Best Songs of the Nineties". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  30. ↑ You Get What You Give (UK CD single liner notes). New Radicals. MCA Records. 1999. MCSTD 48111.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  31. ↑ You Get What You Give (UK cassette single sleeve). New Radicals. MCA Records. 1999. MCSC-48111.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  32. ↑ You Get What You Give (European CD single liner notes). New Radicals. MCA Records. 1999. MCD-49103, 149 103-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  33. ↑ You Get What You Give (Australian CD single liner notes). New Radicals. MCA Records. 1999. MCD-49093.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  34. ↑ You Get What You Give (Japanese CD single liner notes). New Radicals. MCA Records. 1998. MVCE-9012.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  35. 1 2 "New Radicals – You Get What You Give". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  36. ↑ "New Radicals – You Get What You Give" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  37. ↑ "New Radicals – You Get What You Give" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  38. ↑ "New Radicals – You Get What You Give" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  39. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7495." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  40. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 7484." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  41. ↑ Danish Singles Chart April 9, 1999
  42. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 15. April 10, 1999. p. 8. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  43. ↑ "New Radicals – You Get What You Give" (in French). Les classement single.
  44. ↑ "New Radicals – You Get What You Give" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  45. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (NR. 319 Vikuna 16.4. – 23.4. 1999)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). April 16, 1999. p. 10. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  46. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – You Get What You Give". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  47. ↑ "Hits of the World – Italy" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 16. April 17, 1999. p. 62. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  48. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 11, 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  49. ↑ "New Radicals – You Get What You Give" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  50. ↑ "New Radicals – You Get What You Give". Top 40 Singles.
  51. ↑ "New Radicals – You Get What You Give". VG-lista.
  52. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  53. ↑ "New Radicals – You Get What You Give" Canciones Top 50.
  54. ↑ "New Radicals – You Get What You Give". Singles Top 100.
  55. ↑ "New Radicals – You Get What You Give". Swiss Singles Chart.
  56. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  57. ↑ "New Radicals Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  58. ↑ "New Radicals Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  59. ↑ "New Radicals Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  60. ↑ "New Radicals Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  61. ↑ "New Radicals Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  62. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1999". ARIA. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  63. ↑ "RPM 1999 Top 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. Retrieved January 31, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  64. ↑ "RPM 1999 Top 100 Adult Contemporary". RPM. Retrieved January 31, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  65. ↑ "Jaarlijsten 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  66. ↑ "Yearly Best Selling Singles" (PDF). British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  67. ↑ "Most Broadcast of 1999: Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music Week. January 22, 2000. p. 31. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  68. ↑ "Most Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 1999". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 7, no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 47.
  69. ↑ "Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 1999". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 7, no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 54.
  70. ↑ "1999 The Year in Music: Hot Modern Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-90. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  71. ↑ "The Best of '99: Most Played Triple-A Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 7, no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 38.
  72. ↑ "British single certifications – New Radicals – You Get What You Give". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  73. ↑ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1272. October 30, 1998. p. 44. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  74. ↑ "ホワット・ユー・ギブ | ニュー・ラディカルズ" [What You Give | New Radicals] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  75. ↑ "New Releases – For Week Starting 22 March, 1999" (PDF). Music Week. March 20, 1999. p. 27. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  76. ↑ "Junos 2018: the complete list of winners". cbc.ca. March 25, 2018.
  77. ↑ Shouneyia, Alexa (March 24, 2017). "Felix Cartal Drops Infectious Track 'Get What You Give': Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
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