Later that year, the group released the classic hardcore single "Amoeba" on Posh Boy Records. The Adolescents signed with Frontier Records in January 1981 and recorded The Adolescents the following month. Rikk Agnew left and was replaced by Pat Smear, formerly of The Germs. This line up lasted until the end of June when Smear left.
The Adolescents broke up in August 1981. Cadena formed The Abandoned, Soto and Agnew joined Legal Weapon, Royer formed D.I. and Agnew joined Christian Death after his departure.
Rikk Agnew made his solo album in 1983 then joined D.I. with Alfie Agnew, Frank and Rikk's younger brother.
In 1986 The Adolescents reformed with their original line-up and started to work on a new album. They recorded Brats in Battalions in the late summer. The record came out in August 1987 due to the band deciding to produce and release the album themselves with little cash or backing.
The Adolescents broke up in April 1989.
The band regrouped to tour for the 20th anniversary of their self-titled album in 2001 and have continued to perform.
The Adolescents have a new release out on Finger Records, O.C. Confidential in 2005. Finger Records is owned and run by Mel Schantz out of Orange County, California.
The Adolescents toured in support of OC Confidential, but Frank Agnew left the band in 2006. Rotating through as the band's live guitarists over the next few years were Matt Beld, Joe Harrison, and Soto's former Joyride bandmate Mike McKnight. O'Brien left the band in 2008 and was replaced by Armando Del Rio. Reflex and Soto became the band's sole constant members and primary songwriters from this point forward, and signed the Adolescents to German label Concrete Jungle Records. A split EP with the band Burning Heads was released in 2009. For the band's next album, 2011's The Fastest Kid Alive, the lineup was Reflex, Soto, Del Rio, McKnight, and Harrison. The band also contributed a cover version of the Runaways' "School Days" to the tribute album Take It or Leave It: A Tribute to the Queens of Noise that year.
Dan Root took Harrison's guitar position in 2012, and the Adolescents released the American Dogs in Europe EP in conjunction with a European tour. This was followed by the band's sixth studio album, Presumed Insolent (2013). Del Rio was replaced by Mike Cambra, and McKnight by Leroy Merlin, for 2014's La Vendetta..., which was given a North American release the following year by Frontier Records. Hot War, a split EP with Russian band Svetlanas, followed in 2015, containing one song from Presumed Insolent and one from La Vendetta... The Adolescents' most recent studio album, Manifest Density, was released July 8, 2016 by Concrete Jungle, with Ian Taylor taking Merlin's place as rhythm guitarist.
L.A. Girl
Adolescents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We don't waste our time tanning in the sun
We don't even care what you now or think
Spoiled rich brat you ain't so neat
[Chorus:]
L.A. girl, L.A. world
Don't tell us how to act
Don't tell us what to wear
You didn't create our scene
We don't care
We can't see why
We dont live our lives
To keep you satisfied
Stuck in your world of dreams again
My life starts where your life ends
You've burned out your battery has died
If it wasnt for O.C. your scene wouldn't be alive
[Chorus]
We don't really care if you say we're too young
We don't waste our time tanning in the sun
We don't even care what you now or think
Spoiled rich brat you ain't so neat
[Chorus]
I'm bored of the sleasy make-up
You'd fuck any guy in town
Your life's a total mess-up
Why the hell do you hang around
L.A. girl you bring me down
L.A. girl, L.A. world
Don't tell us how to act
Don't tell us what to wear
L.A. girl, L.A. world
In this song, Adolescents express an attitude of rebellion and detachment towards the Los Angeles scene, particularly towards the L.A. Girl stereotype, who is often presented as a superficial, spoiled, and conformist person obsessed with looks, status and trends. The band members categorically reject this image and assert their own identity and authenticity by refusing to conform to external standards and expectations.
The opening verses highlight the band's disregard for conformity and social norms, emphasizing their indifference towards judgment and criticism. The line "We don't waste our time tanning in the sun" is particularly telling, as it shows a rejection of the ideal of physical perfection often associated with the beach culture of Los Angeles. The chorus further emphasizes this point, asserting the band's independence and autonomy: "Don't tell us how to act/Don't tell us what to wear/L.A. girl, L.A. world/You didn't create our scene". The song thus becomes a kind of anthem for a generation of young people who refuse to be defined or controlled by the mainstream culture and its values.
The song also reflects on the history and origins of the L.A. scene, which the band sees as being in decline and losing its vitality. The lines "You've burned out your battery has died/If it wasn't for O.C. your scene wouldn't be alive" suggest that the band views the scene as having lost its energy and creativity, and being sustained only by external factors such as the Orange County punk scene. By contrasting the L.A. Girl stereotype with their own rejection of mainstream culture, Adolescents suggest that the mainstream is inherently stagnant and that true creativity can only be found in resistance and opposition.
Line by Line Meaning
We don't really care if you say we're too young
Other people's opinions on our age don't mean anything to us
We don't waste our time tanning in the sun
We don't care about superficial things like getting a tan
We don't even care what you now or think
We don't care about your thoughts or opinions on us
Spoiled rich brat you ain't so neat
You may think you're neat, but we don't see it that way
[Chorus:]
L.A. girl, L.A. world
Don't tell us how to act
Don't tell us what to wear
L.A. girl, L.A. world
You didn't create our scene
We won't let anyone dictate how we act or what we wear, and we don't owe anything to the LA scene
We don't care
We don't care about your superficial lifestyle
We can't see why
We don't understand why people obsess over superficial things
We don't live our lives
We don't let others dictate how we live our lives
To keep you satisfied
We don't live to please others
Stuck in your world of dreams again
You're caught up in your own fantasy lifestyle
My life starts where your life ends
We have nothing in common and live completely different lifestyles
You've burned out your battery has died
Your lifestyle is draining and unsustainable
If it wasn't for O.C. your scene wouldn't be alive
The LA scene only exists because of a different scene (O.C.) that influenced it
[Chorus]
I'm bored of the sleazy make-up
We don't care for the fake look
You'd fuck any guy in town
You're promiscuous and we don't approve
Your life's a total mess-up
You don't have your life together
Why the hell do you hang around
We don't understand why you're even here
L.A. girl you bring me down
We don't like the lifestyle and image associated with LA girls
L.A. girl, L.A. world
Don't tell us how to act
Don't tell us what to wear
L.A. girl, L.A. world
We refuse to let anyone tell us how to live our lives in this LA world
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: FRANK AGNEW, TONY BRANDENBURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
CR
on No Way
I perceive the "No ass, no head" lyrics to mean no sex, no blowjobs(head) hence the "gotta go home and jack off instead"