Dead Kennedys are a punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California… Read Full Bio ↴Dead Kennedys are a punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, USA in 1978. During its initial eight-year run with original vocalist Jello Biafra, the band attracted controversy for their provocative content and were among the first to define the style of 1980s hardcore punk.

Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing the Reagan Administration and the American establishment in general, as well as popular culture and even the punk movement itself. Several stores refused to stock their recordings, sparking debate about censorship in rock music. Jello Biafra became an active campaigner against the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), culminating in an obscenity trial in 1985-1986 which resulted in a hung jury.

The group released a total of four studio albums and one EP before disbanding in 1986. Following the band's dissolution, Jello Biafra continued to collaborate and record with other artists including D.O.A., NoMeansNo and his own bands Lard and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, as well as releasing spoken word performances and becoming an activist with the Green Party.

In 2000, Jello Biafra lost an acrimonious legal case initiated by his former Dead Kennedys band mates over songwriting credits and unpaid royalties. In 2001, the band reformed; various singers have since been recruited for vocal duties.

MTV Get Off the Air
Dead Kennedys Lyrics

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Fun Fun Fun in the fluffy chair
Flame up the herb
Woof down the beer

Hi
I'm your video DJ
I always talk like I'm wigged out on quaaludes
I wear a satin baseball jacket everywhere I go

My job is to help destroy
What's left of your imagination
By feeding you endless doses
Of sugar-coated mindless garbage

So don't create
Be sedate
Be a vegetable at home
And thwack on that dial
If we have our way even you will believe
This is the future of rock and roll

How far will you go
How low will you stoop
To tranquilize our minds with your sugar-coated swill

You've turned rock and roll rebellion
Into Pat Boone sedation
Making sure nothing's left to the imagination

M.T.V. Get off the
M.T.V. Get off the
M.T.V. Get off the air
Get off the air

See the latest rejects from the muppet show
Wag their tits and their dicks
As they lip-synch on screen
There's something I don't like
About a band who always smiles
Another tax write-off
For some schmuck who doesn't care

M.T.V. Get off the air
And so it was
Our beloved corporate gods
Claimed they created rock video

Allowing it to sink as low in one year
As commercial TV has in 25
"It's the new frontier," they say
It's wide open, anything can happen

But you've got a lot of nerve
To call yourself a pioneer
When you're too god-damn conservative
To take real chances.

Tin-eared
Graph-paper brained accountants
Instead of music fans
Call all the shots at giant record companies now

The lowest common denominator rules
Forget honesty
Forget creativity
The dumbest buy the mostest
That's the name of the game

But sales are slumping
And no one will say why
Could it be they put out one too many lousy records?!?

M.T.V.-Get off the air!
NOW

Overall Meaning

The Dead Kennedys, a punk rock band from California, released the song MTV Get Off the Air in 1985. The song is a criticism of the MTV network and their effect on the state of music and entertainment. The lyrics are a message to MTV to stop airing the garbage that they call music videos and to get off the air. The first few lines of the song, "Fun Fun Fun in the fluffy chair, flame up the herb, woof down the beer," sets the tone for the song as being a critique of the mind-numbing nature of excessive television viewing.

The lyrics of the song are a commentary on the impact of MTV on the music industry. The song accuses the network of promoting mindless garbage and pacifying the imagination of the viewers at home. The singer encourages people to create rather than consume and to reject the sugar-coated swill that is being marketed as the future of rock and roll.

The song argues that MTV's focus on visuals and gimmicks has overshadowed the artistic value of music. The lyrics reference the absurdity of music videos by mocking the performers and their lack of musical talent. The singer denounces the commercialization of the music industry and how it has become a game of profits rather than artistic expression.

Line by Line Meaning

Fun Fun Fun in the fluffy chair
Mindlessly indulging in lazy comfort

Flame up the herb
Smoking marijuana

Woof down the beer
Drinking beer quickly

Hi I'm your video DJ I always talk like I'm wigged out on quaaludes I wear a satin baseball jacket everywhere I go
Introducing themselves as unprofessional and incoherent, dressing in tacky clothes

My job is to help destroy What's left of your imagination By feeding you endless doses Of sugar-coated mindless garbage
Deliberately steering viewers towards shallow, thoughtless entertainment

So don't create Be sedate Be a vegetable at home And thwack on that dial If we have our way even you will believe This is the future of rock and roll
Encouraging passivity and conformity, promoting a bleak vision of the future

How far will you go How low will you stoop To tranquilize our minds with your sugar-coated swill
Challenging viewers to consider the lengths to which they will go to consume shallow entertainment

You've turned rock and roll rebellion Into Pat Boone sedation Making sure nothing's left to the imagination
Accusing MTV of replacing edgy music with bland, uncreative content

M.T.V. Get off the M.T.V. Get off the M.T.V. Get off the air Get off the air
Demands for MTV to stop broadcasting

See the latest rejects from the muppet show Wag their tits and their dicks As they lip-synch on screen There's something I don't like About a band who always smiles Another tax write-off For some schmuck who doesn't care
Mocking the shallow, manufactured nature of some popular bands and their representatives

And so it was Our beloved corporate gods Claimed they created rock video Allowing it to sink as low in one year As commercial TV has in 25 "It's the new frontier," they say It's wide open, anything can happen But you've got a lot of nerve To call yourself a pioneer When you're too god-damn conservative To take real chances.
Critiquing MTV for its hypocritical claims of innovation while playing it safe with bland content

Tin-eared Graph-paper brained accountants Instead of music fans Call all the shots at giant record companies now
Bemoaning the lack of artistic sensibility and control by music industry executives

The lowest common denominator rules Forget honesty Forget creativity The dumbest buy the mostest That's the name of the game
Criticizing the music industry for favoring shallow, unoriginal content to appeal to the masses

But sales are slumping And no one will say why Could it be they put out one too many lousy records?!?
Speculating on the cause of the music industry's decline in sales

M.T.V.-Get off the air! NOW
Urging MTV to act immediately and stop broadcasting

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Darren Henley, Eric Reed Boucher, Geoffrey Lyall, Raymond John Pepperelle

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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