Starting as a hardcore punk band in the late 1970s to the early 1980s, Social Distortion would go on a temporary hiatus in the mid-1980s, due to Ness's drug addiction and troubles with the law which resulted in extended stints in various rehabilitation centers that lasted for two years. Following their reformation, the band has shifted its style to a country, blues and early rock and roll-influenced style of punk. Since its inception, the band's lineup has seen significant turnover, with Ness as the only constant member. After 44 years of performing, Social Distortion continues to tour and record music.
To date, Social Distortion has released seven full-length studio albums, two compilations, one live album, and two DVDs. They released two albums — Mommy's Little Monster (1983) and Prison Bound (1988) — before signing a three-album contract with Epic Records in 1989. Social Distortion rose to fame with their 1990 self-titled third album, which produced their well-known hit singles "Ball and Chain", "Story of My Life", and the cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire", and was certified gold by RIAA. Many of their later albums, including their second gold record Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992), were also well received. Dubbed by Steven Blush as "the Rolling Stones of hardcore," Social Distortion is considered one of the best-selling and most influential punk rock bands, with more than three million albums sold worldwide. The band's most recent studio album is Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011), and they have spent about more than a decade working on new material their forthcoming eighth studio album.
Social Distortion was formed in 1978 by Mike Ness, inspired by the Sex Pistols and many other British punk bands as well as rock acts such as the Rolling Stones. Aside from Ness on guitar and Casey Royer on drums, early members included Mark Garrett on bass and former Cal State Fullerton basketball player Tom Corvin on vocals. Garrett was succeeded by Rikk Agnew in late 1978. On the origins of the band's name, Royer recalled "Mike was like 15, trying to play guitar but he couldn't. Social Distortion was named for my distortion pedal, which I gave to Mike to play 'cause back then he was no good."
Their early music was composed by Ness with lyrics by Royer and sometimes Corvin, and many songs were retired after only a few performances. After Corvin left in the fall of 1979 to attend graduate school at Bob Jones University, Ness recruited his high school friend Dennis Danell to join the band on guitar even though Danell had never played an instrument before. When Danell was brought in, the other members left as they did not want to wait for him to learn. Before joining the Adolescents in 1980, Royer and Agnew played with Garrett in a separate band named Social Distortion consisting of Royer on vocals, Garrett on bass, Rikk Agnew on drums, and Frank Agnew and Tim Maag on guitars. The band's first real show was in early 1979 at the Cuckoo's Nest nightclub on Placentia Avenue in Costa Mesa, California. Mike and Dennis remained the only constant members for the next two decades with bass and drum members changing every few years. The Adolescents song "Kids of the Black Hole" and Social Distortion song "The Playpen" chronicled this period of the band's history.
Its first single, Mainliner/Playpen featuring Ness on guitar and vocals, Dennis on bass, and Carrot on drums was released in 1981 on Posh Boy, the label responsible for releasing the first singles and albums of many of the local O.C. punk bands. Rodney Bingenheimer of KROQ-FM was responsible for much of the radio play in Orange County, California, that punk received in the early 80s, and took a liking to Social Distortion, releasing the single "1945" on his 1981 compilation album, Rodney on the ROQ, Blood on the ROQ in 1983, and The Best Of Rodney on the ROQ in 1989.
In 1982, the band—now consisting of Ness, Danell (who now played rhythm guitar), Brent Liles on bass, and Derek O'Brien on drums—embarked on their first international tour (US and Canada) with fellow punk band Youth Brigade, a trip chronicled in the punk rockumentary 'Another State of Mind', which was not released until 1984.
The band has consistently used as their logo a skeleton holding a cigarette and a martini glass. It was designed by Mackie Osborne, wife of Melvins frontman Buzz Osborne. It is frequently featured in live performances as well as album covers. The logo came from an invitation to a New Year's Eve party that a friend of Ness' had designed. Said Ness in an April 2011 interview with Rolling Stone: "At the time, I saw that, and it just felt like, 'That's it right there. It's life and death, it's celebration.' It just felt powerful."
Gimme the Sweet and Lowdown
Social Distortion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You lost your party hat
Seems your lifestyle ain't so worthwhile, after all
A heavy-hearted taxi ride
Then a walk on the wild side
Did your guardian angel let you down?
Gonna lay low and play it straight
It's time to rejuvenate
I can tell you now, you’ve really gotten the blues
I can tell you now, that I’ve walked in your shoes
Gimme the sweet and lowdown
You better get outta the way
It's history made the hard way
From a hero to a zero once again
Ain't no time for vanity
Or this insanity
You're maladjusted and now you're busted once again
I can tell you now, it comes as no surprise
I can tell you now, by that look in your eyes
Gimme the sweet and lowdown
You're looking kinda punch drunk
'Cause that's the way you strut your stuff
With a swing and a swagger, down the road you go
You shoulda made a better choice
And listened to your inner voice
You gotta get right or get left, don't y'know
I can tell you now, it's the peak of bad news
I can tell you now, that I've walked in your shoes
Gimme the sweet and lowdown
The sweet and lowdown
Gimme the sweet, the sweet and lowdown
The lyrics of Social Distortion's song "Gimme the Sweet and Lowdown" depict a character who has hit rock bottom after a series of poor choices and reckless behavior. The opening lines set the scene for a "moonlight mishap" in which the character loses their "party hat", suggesting a wild night of partying that may have resulted in trouble. The lyrics go on to question the worth of the character's lifestyle, asking if it's really "so worthwhile, after all". The character's "guardian angel" is questioned, implying that they may have been looking out for the character's well-being, but ultimately failed to steer them away from trouble.
The chorus of the song contains the repeated plea of "Gimme the sweet and lowdown", which can be interpreted as a desire for honest and straightforward information or advice. The character seems to be in need of guidance, having made poor choices that have led to them being "busted once again". The lyrics suggest that the character needs to "get right or get left" and make better choices in order to turn their life around.
Overall, "Gimme the Sweet and Lowdown" is a song about hitting rock bottom and the need for guidance and support during difficult times. It emphasizes the importance of making positive choices and listening to one's inner voice in order to avoid repeating past mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
It was a moonlight mishap
Something went wrong under the moonlight
You lost your party hat
You lost something that represents the fun and excitement in your life
Seems your lifestyle ain't so worthwhile, after all
Your way of living is starting to become very unsatisfying
A heavy-hearted taxi ride
A sad and heavy emotional experience
Then a walk on the wild side
You did something daring and unexpected
Did your guardian angel let you down?
Your protection failed you when you needed it the most
Gonna lay low and play it straight
You will be low-key and more honest with your actions
It's time to rejuvenate
It's time for you to start anew and recharge yourself
Gonna kick start your heart until you come around
You'll have to work hard to get your motivation and passion back
I can tell you now, you’ve really gotten the blues
I can sense that you're really down and upset right now
I can tell you now, that I’ve walked in your shoes
I have experienced something similar to what you're currently feeling
Gimme the sweet and lowdown
Tell me the truth about what's really going on with you
You better get outta the way
You need to move aside and avoid any trouble
It's history made the hard way
Your actions in the past have been very difficult and regretful
From a hero to a zero once again
You went from being successful to struggling once again
Ain't no time for vanity
This is not the time to be self-absorbed or obsessed with your appearance
Or this insanity
You should not continue to do the same thing and expect different results
You're maladjusted and now you're busted once again
You're not fitting in and you're in trouble once again
You're looking kinda punch drunk
You're looking disoriented and confused
'Cause that's the way you strut your stuff
That's the way you present yourself to the world
With a swing and a swagger, down the road you go
With confidence and attitude, you're moving forward
You shoulda made a better choice
You should have made a wiser decision in the past
And listened to your inner voice
You should have paid more attention to what your instincts were telling you
You gotta get right or get left, don't y'know
You need to make a change for the better or accept the consequences
I can tell you now, it's the peak of bad news
It's the worst possible outcome, and I can sense how you feel about it
Gimme the sweet, the sweet and lowdown
Tell me the honest and truthful story of what happened to you
Contributed by Thomas R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Qinan Fattah
Gimme The Sweet And Lowdown"
It was a moonlight mishap
You lost your party hat
Seems your lifestyle ain’t so worthwhile after all
A heavy-hearted taxi ride
Then a walk on the wild side
Did your guardian angel let you down?
Gonna lay low and play it straight
It’s time to rejuvenate
Gonna kick start your heart until you come around
I can tell you now; you’ve really gotten the blues
I can tell you now; that I’ve walked in your shoes
Gimme the sweet and lowdown
You better get outta the way
It’s history made the hard way
From a hero to a zero once again
Ain’t no time for vanity
Or this insanity
You’re maladjusted and now you’re busted once again
I can tell you now; it comes as no surprise
I can tell you now; by that look in your eyes
Gimme the sweet and lowdown
You’re looking kinda punch drunk
Cuz that’s the way you strut your stuff
With a swing and a swagger down the road you go
You shoulda made a better choice
And listened to your inner voice
You gotta get right or get left, don’t ya know
I can tell you now; it’s the peak of bad news
I can tell you now; that I’ve walked in your shoes
Gimme the sweet and lowdown
The sweet and lowdown
Gimme the sweet - the sweet and lowdown
RetroSoulGirl
Is it weird that this music video brought tears to my eyes? It has such a deep story to it. Love the song, animations, and Social D!
Andrew Abbott
The animators did a superb job. Made re retook and also tear up the visuals man..
Kimmotion1
Me too. I tear up a little too.
CYCOLIFER
Not weird at all. It's good music! If it weren't it would just suck! And it made you feel a certain way. That's what good music does. Takes you back to a certain time and place. Don't be sad. Enjoy! 👍😎
Lolo Potatoes
Not weird at all. The video and the song carry heavy emotions.
Kylah Puzzi
Hey its a good music video. sometimes i tear up to.
ilfidanzatodellamorte
Gracias Social Distortion por salvarme con su música de tantas depresiones y pensamientos suicidas. Saludos desde el sur de la Patagonia Argentina 🇦🇷
Nicholas DeLarge
I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve cried to this many times. Especially the end scene. And the lady even has a June Carter Cash tattoo, so she’s been through the same shit. Just fantastic.
RetroSoulGirl
This is the most inspiring music video I have ever watched. I actually put in in slow motion so I can watch it over it more details. The story is so inspiring, so touching, and so true. This makes me feel for Mike Ness even more. The true pain someone can endure.. the loss of loved ones, drugs, brokenhearted, and prison... there's so much anguish. But the MESSAGE told in this video is so desperately inspiring, that you can't help but to fall in love with the song and lyrics. Mike Ness is telling us that no matter how hard life is, no matter how much pain you've seen, and even if you're rather just die, you can come out of it with a little bit of love, music, and the right mindset. This song deserves a medal. Why can there be more positive people like this?
Madtwins
Thank you Mr Sickboy. We feel the same. Thanx to Social D and great musicians who inspiring us through our life.