But by 1992's Wasted in America, heavy metal had become commercially passé and Columbia dropped them soon after its release.Jizzy Pearl used himself in a legendary publicity stunt to help album sales. This stunt, with the help of a few others, included Jizzy successfully erecting a cross on the Hollywood Sign and positioned himself on it. Love/Hate moved to the Caliber label and released Let's Rumble in May 1994, an album much more raw than their previous material featuring Darren Housholder on Guitar replacing Jon E. Love. Another label switch, to Mayhem Records, resulted in October 1995's I'm Not Happy featuring the return of Jon E. Love. In 1997 the band released Livin' off Layla. During the Livin' Off Layla sessions Jizzy Pearl left for the first time breifly replaced my Mark Torien of Bulletboys. 1999 saw the release of Let's Eat with Jizzy back on vocals and Joey Gold on Drums
The original lineup reunited for the first time in ten years, on February 24, 2007 at Club Vodka in Hollywood, California to perform their classic record "Black out in the Red Room" in its entirety. The show sold out, with an audience of 1,500
The band continues to play One Off Shows and short tours with 3/4 of the original band.
Wasted In America
Love/Hate Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Papa's on the porch
Junior's downstairs in the basement
Passin' on freedom's torch
They're busy fighting
Fillin' all the jails
But sure as the sun do shine in the mornin'--
They're getting wasted
Wasted
They're getting wasted
Wasted in America
Something's gone wrong with the TV generation
I am the product of that situation
So you say you're feelin'
Pinhead frustration
c'mon join the nation
They're getting wasted
Wasted
They're getting wasted
Wasted in America
Don't ask me why things are the way they are
They just are
I don't know why
People are so curious
They want to chase it
They want to taste it
They want to get wasted
They're getting wasted
Wasted
They're getting wasted
Wasted in America
They're getting wasted in New Jersey
Wasted in Illinois
Wasted in California
And the Texans say "You 'all"
Wasted in America
They're getting wasted in America
They're getting wasted in America
The Love/Hate song "Wasted in America" presents a harsh critique of American society, focusing in particular on drug culture and the way it affects families. The song begins with a description of a typical American family, with the mama in the kitchen and the papa on the porch, but this idyllic picture is soon shattered by the revelation that their son is in the basement using drugs. The lyrics describe a society where people are "busy fighting, filling all the jails," but drugs are still readily available. The chorus repeatedly emphasizes the message that people are "getting wasted in America."
The second half of the song turns more introspective, with the singer acknowledging that he is a product of the same society he's critiquing. He talks about being filled with "pinhead frustration" and invites others to "join the nation" of those who are getting wasted. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, emphasizing how widespread the problem of drug use is across the entire country.
Overall, "Wasted in America" pulls no punches in its critique of American culture, making it a powerful social commentary that still resonates today.
Line by Line Meaning
Mama's in the kitchen
The mother is in the kitchen
Papa's on the porch
The father is sitting on the porch
Junior's downstairs in the basement
The child is downstairs in the basement
Passin' on freedom's torch
Teaching the next generation about freedom
They're busy fighting
People are fighting for various reasons
Fillin' all the jails
As a result of fighting, people are going to jail
But sure as the sun do shine in the mornin'--
It's a fact that can't be denied
There's drugs on sale
Drugs are being sold
Something's gone wrong with the TV generation
The TV generation has some fundamental problems
I am the product of that situation
The singer is a product of the TV generation
So you say you're feelin'
You're claiming to feel
Pinhead frustration
A feeling of frustration that is small-minded
c'mon join the nation
Join the crowd of people feeling frustrated
Don't ask me why things are the way they are
The singer doesn't know why things are the way they are
They just are
Things are the way they are, without a good explanation
I don't know why
The singer doesn't know why
People are so curious
People have a lot of curiosity
They want to chase it
People want to pursue things
They want to taste it
People want to try things
They want to get wasted
People want to get intoxicated
They're getting wasted in New Jersey
People in New Jersey are becoming intoxicated
Wasted in Illinois
People in Illinois are becoming intoxicated
Wasted in California
People in California are becoming intoxicated
And the Texans say "You 'all"
Texans refer to others as "you all"
Wasted in America
People all across America are becoming intoxicated
They're getting wasted in America
People all across America are becoming intoxicated
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROSE, Chris Rose
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DemoniacalLaughter
Love/Hate was one of the most under rated/appreciated bands of that era. Skid was a master song writer. Jizzy had(not so much with Ratt now) an awesome vocal range (see Mary Jane, Dont Be Afraid, and Tranquilizer). Two of my all time favorite albums are Wasted in America and Blackout in a Red Room. \m/
David Ellis
I still listen to these guys nearly every day. Definitely under rated/appreciated for sure. I wish they had a longer run. Skid was the sh*t, great songs! I really liked Jon E. Love's guitar too. What ever happen to him?
Sam Mue
Yes, you are 100% correct. These guys were waaaaay ahead of their time. I saw then at the Whiskey and other clubs in LA before they got signed. They RULED L.A. and well deserved. I saw what it took to become successful and was lucky enough to be acquaintances/ friends with the guitar player etc. Just a great band. And the drummer is one of my favs. Nobody plays Love/Hate drum parts like J. Gold....nobody....they all were irreplaceable.
Paul Fiero
They are as you say absolutely awesome albums
Eric Youngstrom
Still listen to them now as I did back in the late 80's/early 90's (my high school years). Just damn good!
gageman18
Love hate is one of my favorite all time bands!
Phil
I completely missed this band in the early 90s, as I was into thrash & the 1st wave of death metal. I liked a lot of hair metal & hard rock too but with the transition of all hard rock to grunge, this just missed me. I just discovered them during the pandemic & I'm pretty darn impressed with their creativity, musicianship, and songwriting. This is my favorite song from the 1st two albums. That dual-guitar melody intro is simply amazing - I just wish they would have brought it back again somewhere in the song. The middle section "I don't know why things are the way they are" at 2:05 is the same chord progression but sadly the 2-part guitar harmony isn't there!!! Regardless, killer song that just gets me so pumped and makes me feel damn great!
Kblogg 777
Seriously underrated band. They should have been much bigger.
Dallas Beikes
They were so unique in every aspect - funky sleaze metal! Made me wanna kick ass and thrash things around me. Such an adrenalin rush, I only think the old Skid Row had that same impact on me
Heavy Metal
God this brings back so many amazing memories. Still one of the best bands I've seen live