Drummer Victor DeLorenzo said that he would be open to recording new material with the Violent Femmes, but on July 15, 2013, it was announced that Dresden Dolls drummer Brian Viglione would be replacing DeLorenzo as the band's drummer. In a statement, DeLorenzo said "It's always hard to write a eulogy for a lost loved one. In this case, I sadly lament the loss of a dream and an ideal that was once Violent Femmes." Viglione is credited as the drummer on the 2016 release We Can Do Anything but would later be replaced by John Sparrow, who had played in the Violent Femmes backing band previously.
Their music is an innovative combination of American folk music and punk rock. The lyrics mix common adolescent themes like yearning for love, sex and affection with explorations of sin, death, and the hope of salvation. Their songs often express both a lyrical and musical sense of humor. Critics often attribute the Violent Femmes as laying the groundwork of dynamicism for the 90s grunge movement.
In its early days, the band frequently played coffee houses and street corners. They were discovered by James Honeyman-Scott (of The Pretenders) on August 23, 1981, when the band was busking on a street corner in front of the Oriental Theatre, the Milwaukee venue that The Pretenders would be playing later that night. Chrissie Hynde invited them to play a brief acoustic set after the opening act. The band signed to Slash Records and recorded their eponymous debut in July 1982.
The group quickly gained a small cult following after the release of their self-titled album that never burgeoned into widespread popularity, although a few songs from this album did get some recognition ("Add It Up", "Blister in the Sun" and "Gone Daddy Gone"). The debut album Violent Femmes went platinum ten years after its release, and "Blister in the Sun" has become an alternative rock radio staple.
American Music
Violent Femmes Lyrics
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I like American music
Don't you like American music baby
I want you to hold me
I want your arms around me
I want you to hold me baby
Did you do too many drugs
I did too many drugs
You were born too late
I was born too soon
But every time I look at that ugly moon
It reminds me of you
It reminds me of you ooh ooh ooh
I need a date to the prom
Would you like to come along
But nobody would go to the prom with me baby
They didn't like American music
They never heard American music
They didn't know the music was in my soul baby
You were born too soon
I was born too late
But every time I look at that ugly lake
It reminds me of me
It reminds me of me
Do you like American music
We like American music
I like American music baby
Do you like American music
We like all kinds of music
But I like American music best
Baby you were born too late
And I was born too late
But every time I look at that ugly lake
It reminds me of me
It reminds me of me
Do you like American music
It reminds me of me
Do you like American music
The song American Music by Violent Femmes is a quirky take on the relationship between music and identity. The song opens with the singer asking if the listener likes American music, to which he himself replies that he does. The chorus repeats this sentiment, with the singer claiming that he likes American music best. However, the lyrics also hint at a sense of alienation from mainstream society. The singer asks if the listener ever did too many drugs, suggesting a countercultural lifestyle that is at odds with the mainstream.
The verses continue to explore feelings of being out of sync with American society. The singer laments being born too late or too soon, suggesting a sense of not belonging to the present moment. The ugly moon and ugly lake also seem to be emblematic of a world that is not quite right. The singer seeks solace in music, which he feels is a part of his very soul. However, he also suggests that others do not understand the importance of American music. The final repetition of the chorus seems to be a rallying cry for those who feel similarly out of step with society.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you like American music
The singer asks the listener if they enjoy music that originates from America.
I like American music
The singer acknowledges their preference for music from America.
Don't you like American music baby
The singer reiterates their initial question and adds an affectionate term.
I want you to hold me
The singer expresses their desire to be physically close to the listener.
I want your arms around me
The singer specifies that they want the listener to wrap their arms around them in an embrace.
I want you to hold me baby
The singer uses the same words from their previous line but adds the affectionate term 'baby'.
Did you do too many drugs
The singer asks the listener about their drug use.
I did too many drugs
The singer admits to their own history of drug use.
Did you do too many drugs too baby
The singer asks the listener about their drug use again, adding the affectionate term 'baby'.
You were born too late
The singer tells the listener that they were born after a time where the singer believes they would have thrived.
I was born too soon
The singer expresses that they were born before a time they believe would have been better for them personally.
But every time I look at that ugly moon
The singer comments on the appearance of the moon but doesn't offer more information on its significance.
It reminds me of you
The singer associates the moon's appearance with the listener in some way.
It reminds me of you ooh ooh ooh
The singer repeats their association between the moon and the listener with added musical embellishments.
I need a date to the prom
The singer expresses their desire to have a date for a school dance.
Would you like to come along
The singer asks the listener if they would be interested in accompanying them to the prom.
But nobody would go to the prom with me baby
The singer laments that no one else wanted to accompany them to the dance despite their expressed desire for company.
They didn't like American music
The singer speculates that the reason others didn't want to go to the prom with them is because they didn't share the singer's preference for American music.
They never heard American music
The singer suggests that the others were unfamiliar with or ignorant of American music due to the implied lack of exposure.
They didn't know the music was in my soul baby
The singer believes that their love for American music is an integral part of their identity and laments that others didn't recognize this.
You were born too soon
The singer repeats their earlier sentiment to the listener regarding their perception of their timing.
I was born too late
The singer again expresses their feeling that they were born too late.
But every time I look at that ugly lake
The singer shifts their focus to a lake and finds it to be similarly unattractive to the moon.
It reminds me of me
The singer associates the unappealing lake with themselves on a personal level, possibly indicating feelings of inadequacy or discontent.
It reminds me of me
The singer repeats their association between the unappealing lake and themselves, driving home the idea of personal reflection or contemplation.
We like American music
The singer and an unidentifiable group express their positive view of American music.
We like all kinds of music
The group expands their taste in music beyond American origins.
But I like American music best
The singer clarifies their preference for American music despite acknowledging other enjoyable types of music.
Baby you were born too late
The singer shifts their focus to the listener and asserts that the listener was likewise born too late as the singer believes they were.
And I was born too late
The singer again asserts their belief that they were born at an inconvenient time for themselves.
But every time I look at that ugly lake
The singer again reflects upon the unappealing lake as a source of contemplation or reflection.
It reminds me of me
The singer again associates the lake with themselves on a personal level.
It reminds me of me
The singer repeats their association between the lake and themselves, driving home the idea of personal contemplation or introspection.
Do you like American music
The singer once again poses the question of the listener's overall opinion on music of American origin.
It reminds me of me
The singer repeats their earlier assertion for reasons that remain unclear.
Do you like American music
The singer again poses the question of the listener's overall opinion on music of American origin.
Lyrics Ā© Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: GORDON JAMES GANO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@PatrickHamilton-hx1rn
American originals. A absolute treasure of a band.
@scottsteele7109
Went to see the Violent Femmes while at Umass in 1983 at Hangar One, a club made from an old airplane hangar. We were waiting in the parking lot, this old station wagon pulled in with Wisconsin plates ...hung out with the guys from Wisconsin for awhile and they asked how good the Femmes band was. We had the first record and played it on a campus radio station so we told 'em they were great. When they came on stage to play it was the three dudes from the parking lot! Super hot show, slam dancing, drummer used an upside down galvanized tub for a drum. Up there with best show ever.
@Surferjoefwb
Thatās bad ass dude!
@briankelley4163
Great story
@akaicedtea6236
Very nifty
@orcvsivstitia7608
They were so odd. But nice.
@CookingWithMichaelD
I'm too young to remember that but I'm from Massachusetts when you say UMass do you mean Amherst? Where exactly was this concert
@NavigatEric
I loved it then (1991) and I love it now (2023).
@JimTheDruid-db3ok
In person, a remarkably quiet band that keeps the crowd very riled up. Never, ever underestimate the power of the bathrobe.
@Mewted
The greatest, most honest, sarcastic and to the point American song of all time. It should be the national Anthem.