They and fellow Washington DC residents Bad Brains set the standard for many hardcore punk bands in the 1980s and 1990s. They produced short, often astonishingly fast songs, eventually with excellent production quality, which at the time was lacking in most punk/alternative rock. All of Minor Threat's records were released on the band's own Dischord Records.
History
While at Wilson High School, Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson were in the influental DC punk band The Teen Idles. After that band broke up, MacKaye decided to switch from bass to vocals, and organized Minor Threat with Nelson and two prep-school kids (from Georgetown Day School), bassist Brian Baker and guitarist Lyle Preslar. Minor Threat's first performance was in December 1980, opening for Bad Brains.
Their first 7" EPs, "Minor Threat" and "In My Eyes", were released in 1981. The group became popular regionally, and toured the United States' east coast.
"Straight Edge," a song on the first EP, inadvertently inspired the straight edge movement. The song seemed to be a call for abstention from drugs and alcohol-- a new concept in punk music, which initially found a dedicated following.
Another Minor Threat song from the first EP, "Out of Step", further demonstrates the aesthetic: " Don't smoke/Don't drink/Don't fuck/At least I can fucking think/I can't keep up/Out of step with the world." The "I" in the lyrics was implied, and some in Minor Threat -- Jeff Nelson in particular -- took exception to what they saw as MacKaye's imperious attitude on the song.
In the time between the release of the band's second seven inch E.P. and the "Out Of Step" record, the band briefly split when guitarist Lyle Preslar moved to Illinois for college. During this period MacKaye and Nelson put together a studio only project called Skewbald/Grand Union (in a reflection of the slowly increasing disagreements between the two musicians, they were unable to decide on one name). The group recorded three untitled songs which would be released posthumously as Dischord's 50th release. During this period Brian Baker also briefly played guitar for Government Issue and appeared on the "Make An Effort" EP. Preslar dropped out of college and, at the urging of Bad Brains vocalist H.R. Hudson, Minor Threat reformed to play a series of shows and record the "Out Of Step" mini-album.
When "Out of Step" was re-recorded for the band's LP "Out Of Step," MacKaye inserted a spoken section explaining, "This is not a set of rules..." An ideological door was already opened, however, and by 1982, some straight-edge punks, such as followers of the band SS Decontrol, were swatting beers out of people's hands at clubs. (Ironically, SS Decontrol's singer, Springa, was at the time a heavy drinker and cocaine user.)
Minor Threat's song "Guilty of Being White" led to some accusations of white pride. But MacKaye has strongly denied such intentions and said that some listeners misinterpreted his words which call for a separation of association between non-racist white people of future generations and the horrible past of slavery often blamed on the white race as a whole rather than on those individuals principally responsible for the atrocities. The metal band Slayer later covered the song, though perhaps not entirely in the spirit in which MacKaye wrote it: they calculatedly changed the lyric "guilty of being white" to "guilty of being right" at the song's climax to shock people. MacKaye has stated that he was offended by the change because of the racist implications of the new lyrics.
Minor Threat broke up in 1983. One contributing factor was disagreement over musical direction. For example, guitarist Preslar was increasingly enamored of pop/rock band U2. MacKaye was allegedly skipping practices towards the end of the band's career, and he wrote the lyrics to the songs on the "Salad Days" E.P. in the studio. This was quite the contrast between the earlier recordings as he had written the music for some of the band's early material and also collabarated in writing the music on others. Minor Threat played its last show on September 23, 1983 with Trouble Funk and the Big Boys.
MacKaye went on to found Embrace (which was among the first bands to be labeled emocore) with former members of The Faith, the obscure Egg Hunt with Jeff Nelson, and later the groundbreaking DIY punk/alternative band Fugazi with ex-Rites of Spring vocalist Guy Picciotto and The Evens, as well as collaborating on Pailhead. Brian Baker went on to play in Junkyard and the seminal Dag Nasty and currently plays in Bad Religion. Lyle Preslar briefly played in Glenn Danzig's Samhain and his playing appears on a few songs on the band's first record; he later became an A&R director for Atlantic Records. Jeff Nelson played less frantic alternative rock with Three and The High-Back Chairs before retiring from live performance; he also runs his own label, Adult Swim Records (distributed by Dischord), does graphic art, and became a somewhat prominent political activist in the D.C. area.
Minor Threat's self-owned Dischord Records released material by many punk bands from the Washington, D.C. area, such as Rites of Spring, Gray Matter, and Dag Nasty, and has become a highly respected independent record label.
In 2005, the cover of Minor Threat's first EP (also used on the First two 7"'s on a 12" LP and Complete Discography CD) was copied by athletic footwear manufacturer Nike for use on a promotional poster for a skateboarding tour called "Major Threat". Nike also corrupted Minor Threat's distinctive logo (designed by Jeff Nelson) for the same campaign. MacKaye issued a press statement condemning Nike's (who are known to endorse sweatshop labor) actions and said that he would discuss legal options with the other members of the band. Meanwhile, fans, at the encouragement of Dischord, organized a letter-writing campaign protesting Nike's infringement. On June 27, 2005, Nike issued a statement apologizing to Minor Threat, Dischord Records, and their fans for the "Major Threat" campaign and said that all promotional artwork (print and digital) that they could get ahold of were destroyed.
On October 29, 2005, TV channel Fox played the first few seconds of Minor Threat's "Salad Days" during an NFL broadcast. Use of the song was not cleared by Dischord Records or any of the members of Minor Threat. Fox claimed that the clip was too short to have violated any copyrights.
Minor Threat
Minor Threat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cause I know we're all heading for that adult crash
The time is so little, the time belongs to us
Why is everybody in such a fucking rush?
Make do with what you have
Take what you can get
Pay no mind to us
We're just a minor threat
Early to finish, I was late to start
I might be an adult, but I'm a minor at heart
Go to college, be a man, what's the fucking deal?
It's not how old I am, it's how old I feel
Take your time
Try not to forget
We never will
We're just a minor threat
We're just a minor threat
The song "Minor Threat" by the American punk rock band, Minor Threat, addresses the common experiences of young people growing up feeling like outcasts in a society that values conformity. The opening lines capture this sentiment beautifully by acknowledging that while they may not be the first or last to feel alienated, they're aware of the impending "adult crash" - the moment that society expects them to conform to the standards of adulthood. However, they're unwilling to do so because they believe in the importance of youth culture and the power of individual expression that comes along with it.
The lyrics also touch on the frustration that young people feel when they're told to move on from their passion and interests in order to fit in with society's predetermined norms. The band members encourage listeners to make the most of what they have and to take whatever opportunities come their way, regardless of how insignificant they seem. The repetition of the phrase "we're just a minor threat" throughout the song becomes a rallying cry for those who feel marginalized and misunderstood, reminding them of the importance of their voice and their ability to change the world.
Overall, "Minor Threat" is an anthem for the young and the restless, providing both comfort and motivation to those who identify with its message of rebellion and resistance.
Line by Line Meaning
We're not the first, I hope we're not the last
We're aware that there were bands before us, and we hope there will be some after us to carry on the DIY punk spirit.
Cause I know we're all heading for that adult crash
We realize that growing up and conforming may lead to dissatisfaction with life and the feeling of being caught in a system.
The time is so little, the time belongs to us
We have limited time to make an impact, so we focus on living in the moment and using that time to make a difference.
Why is everybody in such a fucking rush?
We don't understand why people are so obsessed with conforming to societal expectations and growing up quickly rather than enjoying life on their terms.
Make do with what you have
We believe in using what you have available creatively and not worrying about what's missing.
Take what you can get
We advocate for taking advantage of opportunities as they arise, even if they're seemingly small or insignificant.
Pay no mind to us
We don't care about being recognized or praised; we're just doing what we believe in.
We're just a minor threat
Despite our lack of mainstream recognition, we're a force to be reckoned with, and we believe in the power of our message and actions.
Early to finish, I was late to start
We may not fit the mold of what society expects, but we're forging our own paths on our timeline and terms.
I might be an adult, but I'm a minor at heart
We may be aging, but our punk spirit and determination to live life on our terms hasn't changed.
Go to college, be a man, what's the fucking deal?
We're critical of societal expectations and the pressure to follow a prescribed path for success and adulthood.
It's not how old I am, it's how old I feel
Age is just a number, and we believe in embracing our youthful spirit even as we get older and take on more responsibilities.
Take your time
We advocate for slowing down and not rushing through life, taking time to enjoy the journey and make the most of each moment.
Try not to forget
We want to encourage people to remember what's important and not get bogged down in the mundane details of everyday life.
We never will
We will never forget our punk spirit and determination to live our lives on our terms, no matter what society expects of us.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Written by: Lyle Preslar, Ian MacKaye, James Brian Baker, Jeffrey K Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind