You Get What You Give (song)

"You Get What You Give" is a 1998 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 in November 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.

"You Get What You Give"
Single by New Radicals
from the album Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too
B-side"To Think I Thought"
Released
  • November 1998
  • April 1999 (physical)[1]
Recorded1997–1998
Genre
Length5:00
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

In the liner notes to her 2004 compilation Artist's Choice, Joni Mitchell praises "You Get What You Give" for "rising from the swamp of 'McMusic' like a flower of hope."[2] 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."[3]

LMC released a remix of this song sampling the original Alexander vocals as "LMC vs. New Radicals" in 2005, under the title "Don't Let Go". Another remix entitled "You Get What You Give" was released in 2006, this time with a re-recorded vocal performance by Rachel McFarlane. "You Get What You Give" charted at No. 30 in the United Kingdom.

Controversy

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.[4]

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."[5] 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.[6] Alexander collaborated with Hanson, whose drummer, Zac Hanson, called him "a bit of a character, but a cool guy."[7]

Although the lines were used for the band's Top of the Pops appearance, it was truncated at "kick you".[8]

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".[9] Daily Record wrote, "This anthem sounds like The Waterboys at their best and has meaningful lyrics."[10] 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."[11] The Mirror called it a "gold nugget of a single".[12]

Music video

The 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.[13]

Impact and legacy

In 2002, VH1 voted it as the 64th greatest one-hit wonder of all time. In 2007, the song was voted No. 90 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.[14] It was listed No. 440 on Blender's list of The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born.[15] In 2010 it was number 106 on Pitchfork's Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.[16] 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".[17] BBC Radio ranked the song at number 38 on its list of the Most Heard Recordings in Britain of the Last 75 Years.[18]

The song was used by 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 passed away in 2015; at his funeral, his sister Ashley recited the lyrics in her eulogy. The band had rejected offers to reform over the past 22 years but wanted to honor this day and honor Beau, who was a military veteran. They 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".[19]

Accolades
Publication Accolade Rank
1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die Not ranked
VH1 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders[20] 64
VH1 40 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the '90s[21] 11
Blender 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born[22] 440
Pitchfork Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s[23] 106
Rolling Stone 50 Best Songs of the Nineties[24] 37

Track listing
  1. "You Get What You Give" (Edit) – 4:42
  2. "To Think I Thought" – 2:47
  3. "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" – 5:21
  4. "You Get What You Give" (Album Version) – 5:02 (Not on some copies)

Live versions

Two live recordings of "You Get What You Give" were officially released:

  • "You Get What You Give" (Live at WXPN's World Cafe) on Live at the World Cafe – Volume 8 (1999)
  • "You Get What You Give" (Live at KBCO, September 13, 1998) on KBCO Studio C – Volume 11 (1999)

Also there are three MP3's circulating:

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 and certifications

Release history
Country Release date
United States November 10, 1998
United Kingdom March 22, 1999

Usage in media

The song is an unofficial Newcastle United anthem and is regularly played at their home ground St James' Park. The song was used by local radio station Metro Radio during Newcastle's FA cup-run of 1998–99, with Mick Lowes' commentary of Newcastle's cup goals mixed over the song.

The song was played over the end credits of the 2006 film Click, which starred Adam Sandler.[58]

"You Get What You Give" is also featured in the soundtrack of the 2007 animated film Surf's Up and on the 2019 TV series Schooled as well as trailers for Cheaper by the Dozen and The Muppets.

Other versions
  • Felix Cartal recorded a version in 2017, which Billboard called "infectious".[59]

References
  1. "Australian-charts.com – New Radicals – You Get What You Give". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  2. "PopMatters Short Takes: Brief Reviews of New Music". Popmatters.com. February 28, 2005. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  3. 10 Questions for The Edge, Time Magazine, September 25, 2006
  4. Sibilla, Gianni (March 25, 1999). "New Radicals Song Misunderstood, Singer Says". MTV. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
  5. "New Radicals Discuss Slighting Marilyn Manson And Courtney Love, Manson Responds". MTV. Archived from the original on May 23, 2006. Retrieved August 6, 2005.
  6. "No turning Beck". The Sunday Times. July 10, 2005. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  7. 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.
  8. "One-Hit Wonders at the BBC". April 17, 2015. BBC Four. Missing or empty |series= (help)
  9. "'You Get What You Give' review". Billboard: 25. September 19, 1998.
  10. "Chartslot". Daily Record. April 9, 1999. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  11. "Chartslot". Daily Record. April 2, 1999. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  12. "Music: CD Releases: Out This Week". The Mirror. April 2, 1999. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  13. Gregg Alexander & Rick Nowels. "You Get What You Give". Music Video. MCA Records. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
  14. "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s". Blog.vh1.com. December 13, 2007. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  15. "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 401–450". Blender. Archived from the original on October 19, 2006. Retrieved November 23, 2006.
  16. "Pitchfork Top 200 Tracks of the 90s". Pitchfork.com. August 31, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  17. Annie Zaleski (July 28, 2015). "New Radicals' only hit, "You Get What You Give," was secretly influential". The A.V. Club.
  18. "Gregg Alexander". Billboard: 145. October 3, 2009. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  19. "Exclusive: Watch the Complete New Radicals 'You Get What You Give' Inauguration Performance". rollingstone.com.
  20. "VH1's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders". Rate Your Music. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
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  24. Sheffield, Rob. "The 50 Best Songs of the Nineties". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
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  30. Danish Singles Chart 9 April 1999
  31. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16 no. 15. April 10, 1997. p. 8. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
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  33. "Offiziellecharts.de – New Radicals – You Get What You Give". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  34. "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.
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