At the time of their first self-titled EP, in 1980, the band changed their name to Red Cross, which was allegedly inspired by the masturbation scene in the film, The Exorcist. Ron Reyes became the drummer. Eventually, Hetson left to join the Circle Jerks (and later Bad Religion) and Reyes left for Black Flag. Keller left to join Trixie and the Doorknobs as its guitarist and singer. To complete the lineup on their first full-length album, Born Innocent, they assembled a revolving door of musicians including original drummer John Stielow and drummer Janet Housden. Full of the brothers' pop culture obsessions, Born Innocent featured odes to Linda Blair (who starred in a television movie of the same name), a cover of "Look On Up At The Bottom" by the Carrie Nations from Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, and Charles Manson (whose song "Cease to Exist" they covered). The album also contains nods to Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, Tatum O'Neal, and Lita Ford. Not long after the release of the album, the group was threatened with a lawsuit from the International Red Cross and changed their name to Redd Kross, allegedly being inspired by Redd Foxx.
In 1984, Redd Kross returned with drummer Dave Peterson to record Teen Babes from Monsanto, an album featuring songs originally by such artists as KISS, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, and The Shangri-Las.
In 1984, lead guitarist Robert Hecker joined the band, as Redd Kross embarked on tour in support of Teen Babes from Monsanto.
In that same year, they were featured on the soundtrack of Desperate Teenage Lovedolls with their cover of the Brady Bunch Kids' "It's a Sunshine Day". Jeff and Steve appear in the movie, along with Robert in the sequel Lovedolls Superstar which the brothers co-wrote with Dave Markey and Jennifer Schwartz. Both movies are available now on DVD.
In 1985, drummer Roy McDonald (formerly of The Things, and no relation to the brothers) joined the band.
In 1987, Redd Kross released Neurotica, an album reportedly influenced by Saturday morning cartoons and breakfast cereal (one of the songs was called "Frosted Flake"). Although the album itself was successful, the band's label, Big Time Records folded. The band continued to tour during these years however, and in 1988, drummer Victor Indrizzo joined the band.
On February 20, 1990, Redd Kross appeared on Episode 2 of the cult Public-access television show "Decoupage" with Summer Caprice.
In 1990, Redd Kross signed with Atlantic Records, releasing Third Eye, and appeared with David Cassidy in the film Spirit of '76, and issued several singles, including "Annie's Gone", which had some mild success on college radio. Former Red Hot Chili Peppers / future Pearl Jam drummer Jack Irons joined for the Third Eye tours, and appears in the promotional video for "Annie's Gone", which saw some light rotation on MTV. Brian Reitzell succeeded Irons as drummer in the band, and appears in the promotional video for "1976".
In 1991, Robert Hecker took leave from the band.
The album Phaseshifter was released in 1993, with new band members Eddie Kurdziel, Gere Fennelly, and Brian Reitzell. The videos for "Jimmy's Fantasy" and "Lady In The Front Row" were both shown on MTV's 120 Minutes. They toured on Phaseshifter for over a year, headling their own shows as well as tours supporting The Lemonheads and The Spin Doctors in late 1993 and Stone Temple Pilots in 1994. In 1995, Jeff and his wife, Charlotte Caffey (from The Go-Go's), had a daughter, named Astrid.
In 1997, Redd Kross released Show World, produced by Chris Shaw (who also produced albums for Weezer and Soul Asylum) and toured supporting The Presidents of the United States of America. The band took an indefinite hiatus after the Show World tour, and their future was uncertain after the untimely death of guitarist Eddie Kurdziel on June 6, 1999.
On July 1, 2006, Redd Kross returned to the live stage after almost a decade's absence. The Neurotica-era line up of Jeff McDonald, Steven McDonald, Robert Hecker and Roy McDonald performed a career-spanning set at the REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney/Cal Arts Theater) at Disney Hall in Los Angeles. The band has subsequently gone on to play at the Azkena Festival in Spain, the Detour Festival in Los Angeles, give a performance of their entire first EP in honor of Rodney Bingenheimer's being awarded a star on Hollywood Boulevard, and a set consisting of the entire Born Innocent album opening for Sonic Youth (who performed Daydream Nation) at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. They toured Spain and England in January, 2007. They have played a number of one-off shows including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. In 2008 they played the Coachella Festival in Coachella, California; ATP vs Pitchfork festival in Sussex, England; and NXNE Festival in Toronto, Ontario. In 2010, Redd Kross headlined the Turbo Rock Festival in Spain. In 2011 they headlined the POP Montreal Festival.
Redd Kross will tour Australia again as part of the Hoodoo Gurus' 30th Anniversary on the "Dig It Up" Festival concert series.
The band released "Researching the Blues" in 2012.
Teen Competition
Redd Kross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Letters from fans inspire your
Magic lies, girls and guys
You make us want to cry, cry, teen competition
We sit and listen very closely to you
Feel your, your wisdom and your
Magic lies, girls and guys
Dedications from up above
The kids all pledge their love to you
Obey, don't ask why
Good and evil remain in your eyes, come on
Teen competition
Teen competition
Poorly crafted spells
(Teen competition)
Won't accidentally turn us to dust they won't
(Teen competition)
(Teen competition)
Magic lies, girls and guys
They make us want to cry, cry, cry, cry, we get high
Teen competition, competition
Teen competition, competition
Teen competition, competition
Teen competition, competition
The lyrics to Redd Kross's song Teen Competition express the admiration that fans have for their idols. The song emphasizes the magical pull that celebrities have on their fans, elevating them to a god-like level. The opening lines, "I thought, I'd take this time to write to you, Letters from fans inspire your magic lies," show the way that fans romanticize the celebrities they idolize, believing that they possess some otherworldly power that inspires them. The chorus, "You make us want to cry, cry, teen competition," speaks to the emotional pull that these idols have on young people. The lyrics suggest that the teenage years are a time when emotions are especially raw, and that the desire to be close to one's idols is heightened during this time.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought, I'd take this time to write to you
I wanted to express my thoughts through this letter
Letters from fans inspire your
The fans' letters are inspiring you
Magic lies, girls and guys
Your captivating charm attracts both boys and girls
You make us want to cry, cry, teen competition
Your performances are so moving that they make us cry
We sit and listen very closely to you
We listen to you attentively
Feel your, your wisdom and your
We sense your wisdom
Dedications from up above
The dedications are coming from above
The kids all pledge their love to you
The kids are devoted to you
Obey, don't ask why
They follow your commands without questioning
Good and evil remain in your eyes, come on
You embody both good and evil
Poorly crafted spells
Ineffective magic spells
Won't accidentally turn us to dust they won't
The spells won't harm us
Magic lies, girls and guys
Your charming aura still captivates us
They make us want to cry, cry, cry, cry, we get high
Your performances still move us emotionally, making us feel elated
Teen competition, competition
Teenagers compete with each other
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BILL BARTELL, STEVEN MCDONALD, JEFFREY MCDONALD, BRIAN REITZLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Raymundo Flores
One of the best songs ever made! Thanks for uploading. It's pretty rare. The demo version is the best hands down, but that's even rarer. Try finding it. It's on the "Get out of myself" single. Its awesome.
Brian Baker
Love this song.
Sxnam Mxman
just uploaded the demo version. Like both, but prefer that version.
Barondickhorn
@Ghaiyst you're right-other version's better,but this one isn't ruined by the embellishment..hmm.or is it?hahaha
Angel Perez
rulz !