Agent Orange was formed in Placentia, California in 1979 by guitarist Mike Palm, a musical omnivore whose early influences included vintage surf music, heavy metal, and '50s and '60s rock. Emboldened by the rise of punk rock, Palm began consolidating his tastes into a meld that fused the style of classic sounds with the impact and velocity of punk. Teaming with bassist Steve Soto and drummer Scott Miller, Palm assembled the first edition of Agent Orange (the name was a dual reference to the notorious defoliant used by the United States military in Vietnam and the group's home in California's Orange County). In 1980, the trio self-released their debut single, "Bloodstains" b/w "America" and "Bored of You." Thanks to frequent spins on Bingenheimer's KROQ radio show, "Bloodstains" became a favorite in the Southern California punk community, and the band struck a deal with the independent Posh Boy label to cut their first full-length album, 1981's Living in Darkness. By the time Agent Orange cut the LP, Steve Soto had left the group to form the Adolescents, and James Levesque took over on bass. Living in Darkness spread the word about the band's skate-friendly surf/punk sound, and Posh Boy pulled a single from the album, "Everything Turns Gray," backed with a revved-up cover of the Chantays' "Pipeline." 1982 saw the release of Bitchin' Summer, a four-song EP featuring covers of four classic surf instrumentals.
In 1983, Agent Orange jumped from Posh Boy to a larger and better distributed indie, Enigma Records, and brought out the EP When You Least Expect It, which featured two originals and two covers, including their take on Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love." While Agent Orange remained active as a live band, it would be three years before they released another recording, their second full-length album, 1986's This Is the Voice, which boasted slicker production and a poppier sound than their previous efforts. Agent Orange were never an especially prolific recording act, and it would be 1991 before another album appeared, a live recording titled Real Live Sound. During the downtime between This Is the Voice and Real Live Sound, Scott Miller and James Levesque both left the group, and bassist Brent Liles and drummer Derek O'Brien signed on. In 1991, O'Brien dropped out, and Scotty Lund took over behind the drums, while Sam Bolle preplaced Liles on bass in 1992. In 1996, Agent Orange released their third studio album, Virtually Indestructible, released by the Gunka Disc label. The album featured drummer Charlie Quintana (formerly of the Plugz and Social Distortion) taking over for Scotty Lund, though Steve Latanation would step in after Quintana's departure in 1997.
In 2000, Agent Orange returned with Greatest & Latest, which collected live and studio recordings of original songs as well as tunes from their back catalog. The album was reissued in 2004 as Blood Stained Hitz, and was recycled again in 2008 as Surfing to Some F#*ked Up S@!t, with the addition of a cover of Metallica's "Seek and Destroy." In 2004, there was another turnover in the rhythm section with the arrival of bassist Bruce Taylor and drummer Dusty Watson. In 2006, bassist Perry Giordano came on board after Taylor moved on, and Dave Klein succeeded Watson as drummer in 2009. In 2003, Agent Orange's Enigma Records material was reissued in a two-CD set titled Sonic Snake Session. Liles died in 2007 after being hit by a truck, Levesque passed in 2014, and Quintana lost his life after struggling with emphysema and heart disease in 2018.
Biography by Mark Deming
Members
Mike Palm : Vocals & Guitars (1979 - Present)
Steve Soto : Bass & Vocals (1979-1980)
James Levesque : Bass & Vocals (1980 - 1988)
Brent Liles : Bass & Vocals (1989 - 1995)
Sam Bolle : Bass & Vocals (1996 - 2005)
Perry Gx : Bass & Vocals (2006 - Present)
Scott Miller : Drums & Vocals (1979 - 1988)
Derek O'Brien : Drums & Vocals (1989 - 1995)
Charles Quintana : Drums & Vocals (1996 - 1998)
Dusty Watson : Drums (1999 - 2000)
Steve Latanation : Drums (2000 - 2005)
Dave Klein : Drums (2009 - Present)
Albums
Living in Darkness 1980
When You Least Expect It 1984
This Is The Voice 1986
Real Live Sound 1990
Virtually Indestructible 1996
This That-n-The Other Thing 2000
There are other artists with the same name:
Dutch Agent Orange
The second Agent Orange was a Dutch hardcore punk band from Amsterdam. They were formerly known as Jezus and the Gospelfuckers and also recorded songs for a Pusmort compilation under the bandname "Genocide Express". As Agent Orange they record 2 singles, the first called "your mother sucks coocks in hell" which sells on ebay for insanely high prices, and a second one called "VD" aka "hello boyfriend coming my way?
German Agent Orange are from Germany and were formed in 2005 in "hude" near Bremen.
Swiss Agent Orange
Trip/bit hop producer, to avoid confusion, he changed his name to agentff6600.
Danish Agent Orange
Two musicians of a local danish band called digiis (short of digital inspired), who has made a side project. The music is both electronic and acoustic.
http://www.myspace.com/davidmads
There is also another German Agent Orange from Bisingen. They played Metal and released a single and 2 albums, the second on B.O. Records.
Breakdown
Agent Orange Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
what to burn into the groove
we're just gonna sit
and let them make the first move
the radio obsession
doesn't mean shit to me
i don't like first impressions
and i don't watch much tv
i don't want to think about it
who, what, when, or where
i don't want to think about it
i don't really care
i don't want to think about
creating something new
i don't want to think about it
because i've got much better things to do
i don't want to think about it
i don't want to see
i don't want to know
the kind of fool they'll make of me
the public gets what they deserve
not what they demand
unless we all decide to be a business, not a band
i don't want to think about it
who, what, when, or where
i don't want to think about it
i don't really care
i don't want to think about
creating something new
i don't want to think about it
because i've got much better
things to do - just like you
it's just an awful nightmare
and i get these awful headaches
and i can't get any sleep at night
i don't know what to do
i don't know where to turn
or what to think
i haven't got a clue
i don't know what's come over me
i'm getting dizzy
please will someone make it stop
In the lyrics of Agent Orange's song Breakdown, the band expresses their disdain for being told what to create and how to do it. The opening lines suggest that some outside force is trying to influence what the band produces but the band is unwilling to comply. The song speaks to the idea of originality and authenticity, rejecting trends in a world obsessed with mass media and consumer culture. The lyrics also suggest that the public does not always get what they want, but rather what they deserve. The band sees themselves as separate from the masses, and they refuse to conform to what mainstream culture demands of them. The chorus follows a similar theme of detachment from the world, suggesting that the band has better things to do than worry about public opinion or trends.
The lyrics draw attention to the idea that sometimes people can feel overwhelmed when everything around them is moving quickly and changing rapidly. The refrain "I don't want to think about it" may reflect the struggle to keep up with society's expectations and trends. The last lines of the song suggest that the band is feeling helpless and hopeless, with no clear path to move forward. Overall, the song celebrates individualism and independence, rebelling against the idea of conforming to societal norms and expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
they want us to tell them
The authorities are pressuring us to reveal what we intend to burn into our music, but we refuse to offer them any response.
what to burn into the groove
The groove of our music represents our unique artistic expression, and we won't compromise our creativity just to satisfy the authorities.
we're just gonna sit
Rather than acting impulsively, we'll wait and let the authorities make the first move.
and let them make the first move
By letting the authorities make the first move, we can better understand their intentions and make a more informed decision.
the radio obsession
Obsessively listening to the radio doesn't interest us, nor does it influence our creative process.
doesn't mean shit to me
Listening to the radio has no value to our creative process, and we don't place much importance on it.
i don't like first impressions
Judging something based on a first impression can be misleading and doesn't align with our creative philosophy.
and i don't watch much tv
Television shows are similarly unimportant to us since they don't align with our creative process.
i don't want to think about it
We don't want to spend time worrying about things like who, what, when, or where since they have no bearing on our music.
who, what, when, or where
We don't want to waste our time contemplating details that aren't relevant to the creative process.
i don't really care
We're indifferent to the specifics of who, what, when, or where and their impact on our music.
creating something new
We prefer not to dwell on creating something new since it can halt and delay our artistic progress.
because i've got much better things to do
We have many important tasks to complete, and spending time contemplating something irrelevant is not among them.
i don't want to see
We refuse to watch anything put out by the establishment, knowing it will compromise our integrity.
i don't want to know
We won't listen to the establishment or society's demands, as they often contradict what we feel is right.
the kind of fool they'll make of me
We refuse to be manipulated and controlled by external forces or feel obligated to comply with society's standards.
the public gets what they deserve
The public gets the results of their actions, whether good or bad, and we have no obligation to comply with them.
not what they demand
We are not going to bow down to society's often unreasonable or unreasonable expectations.
unless we all decide to be a business, not a band
The only time we would consider giving in to society's pressure is if we traded our artistic integrity to become a commercial success.
it's just an awful nightmare
The thought of abandoning our artistic vision and conforming to society's standards is agonizing for us.
and i get these awful headaches
The stress of trying to balance artistic integrity and societal expectations is incredibly taxing and painful for us.
and i can't get any sleep at night
The stress is so great that we cannot even get proper sleep and rest while trying to navigate it.
i don't know what to do
We are at a loss for what to do when the pressures from society bear down on us.
i don't know where to turn
We feel like we have no escape from the pressures and expectations of society.
or what to think
We are unsure about how to reconcile our artistic vision with society's demands.
i haven't got a clue
The stress of trying to balance artistic integrity and societal expectations can be so great that it feels like we don't even have the answers we need.
i don't know what's come over me
The stresses of trying to balance artistic vision and societal expectations are so great that it feels like we've lost control of ourselves.
i'm getting dizzy
The emotional toll of trying to balance artistic vision and societal expectations is so great that it's making us feel lightheaded and disoriented.
please will someone make it stop
It feels like we are stuck in a situation where the pressures and expectations never cease, and it's becoming unbearable.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DAVID COVERDALE, MICK MOODY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind