Did anybody else notice that in the Dead Milkmen’s most ‘popular’ song, they name-checked the wrong band?
The Dead Milkmen
‘Punk Rock Girl’
Okay, so they were idiots… ‘California Dreamin’ wasn’t really a Beach Boys song, rather, it was by the Mamas and the Papas. Much later, a re-recording of that song by some of the Beach Boys did actually emerge.
So DM has some splainin’ to do. But still. Look at this godless masterpiece!
The Dead Milkmen
‘Methodist Coloring Book’
“Don’t color outside the lines, or else god will send you to hell.”
It’s in the Bible. It’s a fact.
UPDATE:
Many of you were absolutely right to criticize me for assuming it was accidental. I’ve been away from the blog for about a month, so I didn’t notice it until now.
Rodney Anonymous, lead vocalist for the Dead Milkmen turned up to correct this post:
“For what is probably the thousandth time: IT’S FREAKIN’ INTENTIONAL! Joe actually heard the Beach Boys cover on a jukebox and included a line about it in the song.
For the record (pardon the pun), I had nothing to do with that song, but I’m the one who usually ends up explaining the “mistake” to amateur music historians.
It’s an honor to finally get a mention on Free Thought Blogs, though.”
Whoohooo! I’m an amateur musical historian!
Loading tweets...
14 comments
1 ping
Skip to comment form ↓
earwormopera
October 24, 2012 at 9:21 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I always thought that the mistake was deliberate -- like the main character of the song and the punk rock girl didn’t know one 60s band from another, so they think the song is by the beach boys.
Janine: Hallucinating Liar
October 24, 2012 at 11:02 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Both The Mamas & The Papas and The Beach Boys used the Wrecking Crew.
jaxkayaker
October 25, 2012 at 12:55 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Death Rides a Pale Cow is a great Dead Milkmen compilation. I wish I could find my copy.
Janine: Hallucinating Liar
October 25, 2012 at 1:24 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I can find Death Rides A Pale Cow on Spotify.
nurseingrid
October 25, 2012 at 1:51 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I always thought that error was supposed to be intentional. Like the punk rock guy knew it was some hippie crap band, but didn’t know or care which one.
Janine: Hallucinating Liar
October 25, 2012 at 11:06 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Also, let us not forget what the next generation of The Mamas & The Papas and The Beach Boys brought us, Wilson Philips.
Live in fear.
Rodney Anonymous
October 25, 2012 at 6:00 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
For what is probably the thousandth time: IT’S FREAKIN’ INTENTIONAL! Joe actually heard the Beach Boys cover on a jukebox and included a line about it in the song.
For the record (pardon the pun), I had nothing to do with that song, but I’m the one who usually ends up explaining the “mistake” to amateur music historians.
It’s an honor to finally get a mention on Free Thought Blogs, though.
Brownian
October 26, 2012 at 11:34 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Hold on, what’s wrong with Wilson Phillips?
left0ver1under
October 26, 2012 at 1:57 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
PRG remains my favourite love song of all time. Seriously.
Joseph Hewitt
October 31, 2012 at 1:38 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Intentional or not, they’re no idiots. I mean hey, their new album includes a biography of Roman emperor Tiberius!
John Kruger
November 2, 2012 at 11:45 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I always thought of “Bitchin Camero” or “Big Lizard in My Back Yard” as their biggest ones. Hence the scare quotes I guess.
kdan59
November 7, 2012 at 2:49 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I saw the Dead Milkmen at what’s now called Webster Hall (was it the Ritz back then?) in New York many years ago. The guy on lead vocals looked entirely different than this guy: he had short hair and a rat tail (a hair style that was briefly in vogue back then). Did they have a personnel change? Wikipedia is not clear on this.
godless11b
November 21, 2012 at 5:25 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I knew it almost as soon as I pressed play on my cassette deck those many years ago, and I’ve always been sure it was deliberate. It seems I’m not alone in that conclusion, either. It looks like some of us just aren’t like the other people, here in the trailer park.
Justin Griffith
December 2, 2012 at 10:31 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
HOLY SHIT. Sorry man. Fuck.
My Ultimate Geek Fail, Dead Milkmen Edition | Cryptic Philosopher
October 25, 2012 at 1:00 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
[...] therefore came as an embarrassing shock to me to learn, via Justin Griffith at FreeThought Blogs, that a beloved ’80s anthem contained a glaring error. Specifically, the Dead Milkmen’s [...]