Add It Up
"Add It Up" is a song by American rock band Violent Femmes, released on their 1983 debut album Violent Femmes.
| "Add It Up" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Violent Femmes | |
| from the album Violent Femmes | |
| Released | April 1983 |
| Genre | Alternative rock, folk punk, post-punk |
| Length | 4:44 |
| Label | Slash Records |
| Songwriter(s) | Gordon Gano[1] |
It contains the lyrics:
Why can't I get just one screw
Believe me I'd know what to do
But something won't let me make love to you
Why can't I get just one fuck
Why can't I get just one fuck
I guess it's got something to do with luck
But I waited my whole life for just one
Band member Gordon Gano commented:
I was in my bedroom—that's where I wrote it—feeling frustrated. I had nowhere to go and nothing to do. It just happened to feel good lyrically ... and it still does.[1]
The song title was used as the name for the compilation album by the group, Add It Up (1981–1993).
Some radio stations substitute a guitar note for the swear word for airplay.
Used in other media
- Ethan Hawke's character in the 1994 film Reality Bites plays a cover of "Add It Up" with his band Hey That's My Bike.
- The song appears in the 2004 skateboarding video game Tony Hawk's Underground 2.
- The song was featured in a trailer for the 2004 video game The Sims 2
- The song was covered on a cello and piano, as are several other Violent Femmes songs, in the 2007 film Rocket Science.
- Canadian singer Shawn Mendes performed a cover of the song during the season 3 premiere of The 100, "Wanheda: Part One", which aired on January 21, 2016. In the episode, Mendes's character plays the piano and sings a soulful version of the song for the Sky People, at Raven's (Lindsey Morgan) request.[2][3][4] A music video for the cover was released by The CW.[4] Violent Femmes bassist Brian Ritchie responded positively to the rendition through the band's official Facebook page, saying "It’s a testament to the universality expressed in [the song] that it can be resurrected with a different result even after 35 years and still sound current."[5]
Notes and references
- "Behind the lines", Rolling Stone, 14 November 2005. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
- Murphy, Shaunna (January 8, 2016). "Watch Shawn Mendes Bring Sweet, Beautiful Music to 'The 100'". MTV. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- Highfill, Samantha (January 8, 2016). "The 100: Shawn Mendes sings for the Sky People". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- Frederick, Brittany (January 24, 2016). "Shawn Mendes releases 'Add It Up' music video from 'The 100'". AXS. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- Ritchie, Brian (February 1, 2016). "Violent Femmes - 'Add It Up' by Shawn Mendes". Facebook. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
External links