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.
Kiss Off
Violent Femmes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someone who'd care to love
Could it be you, could it be you
Situation gets rough then I start to panic
It's not enough it's just a habit
Hey kid, your sick, well, darling this is it
You can all just kiss off into the air
They'll hurt me bad but I won't mind
They'll hurt me bad they do it all the time
Yeah, yeah, they do it all the time, yeah, yeah
They do it all the time (do it all the time)
They do it all the time (do it all the time)
They do it all the time, do it all the time
I hope you know that this will go down
On your permanent record
Oh, yeah, well, don't get so distressed
Did I happen to mention that I'm impressed
I take one, one, one 'cause you left me
And two, two, two for my family
And three, three, three for my heartache
And four, four, four for my headaches
And five, five, five for my lonely
And six, six, six for my sorrow
And seven, seven for no tomorrow
And eight eight I forget what eight was for
And nine nine nine for a lost God
And ten, ten, ten, ten for everything, everything, everything, everything
You can all just kiss off into the air
Behind my back I can see them stare
They'll hurt me bad but I won't mind
They'll hurt me bad they do it all the time
Yeah, yeah, they do it all the time, yeah, yeah
They do it all the time (do it all the time)
They do it all the time (do it all the time)
They do it all the time (do it all the time, do it all the time)
Do it all the time
The Violent Femmes' song "Kiss Off" is a song about feeling alone and abandoned. The lyrics express a need for someone to talk to and care for them, while acknowledging that it's a bad habit to rely on someone else for comfort. When things get tough, the singer starts to panic, but their response to the situation is defiance. They declare that they don't care about the people who hurt them because they do it all the time. The chorus is a dismissive response to these people, suggesting that they can all "kiss off into the air."
The bridge of the song is a repetition of numbers, each one representing something different that the singer is taking one or more of. For example, taking "one" suggests that the singer is taking drugs to deal with their pain, while taking "three" represents heartache. The repetition of numbers adds to the feeling of overwhelm and confusion that the singer is experiencing.
Overall, the song is a powerful expression of frustration and defiance in the face of pain and abandonment. It suggests that sometimes the best way to deal with hurtful people is to simply ignore them.
Line by Line Meaning
I need someone a person to talk to
I need someone to help me during hard times and provide me with emotional support.
Someone who’d care to love
Someone who will love me for who I am and care for me unconditionally.
Could it be you, could it be you
Are you the person I'm looking for? Do you care enough to stay with me through thick and thin?
Situation gets rough then I start to panic
When things get tough, I become anxious and scared, unsure of what to do.
It’s not enough it’s just a habit
My need for someone in my life has become a habit not because I want someone to be there but because I feel like I do.
Hey kid, your sick, well, darling this is it
Hey, young one, you might be crazy for wanting to be with me, but if you do, this is what you're getting into.
You can all just kiss off into the air
You can all go away, disappear, and not come back into my life.
Behind my back I can see them stare
When I turn my back, I can tell that they're watching and judging me.
They’ll hurt me bad but I won’t mind
Although they'll hurt me, I won't let it bother me because it's something that happens often and I'm used to it.
They’ll hurt me bad they do it all the time
They hurt me often, and it's something that has become a pattern in my life.
I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record
I hope you know that whatever happens between us will be remembered forever, and it'll be a part of who you are forever.
Oh yeah, well, don’t get so distressed
Oh, relax. Don't worry about it too much. It's not that big of a deal.
Did I happen to mention that I’m impressed
Oh, and by the way, I'm impressed by you and everything you do.
I take one, one, one ’cause you left me
When you left me, I was devastated and felt like I lost a part of me.
And two, two, two for my family
Two is for my family who has always been there for me.
And three, three, three for my heartache
Three is for the pain I feel in my heart, which is something I have been struggling with lately.
And four, four, four for my headaches
Four is for the constant headaches I get from worrying too much.
And five, five, five for my lonely
Five is for the loneliness I feel, which is something that has been weighing me down.
And six, six, six for my sorrow
Six is for the sorrow I feel because of everything that has happened.
And seven, seven for no tomorrow
Seven is for the thought that there might not be a tomorrow and the uncertainty that comes with it.
And eight eight I forget what eight was for
I forget what eight was supposed to represent.
And nine nine nine for a lost God
Nine is for my search for a higher being, a sign of hope that I can hold onto.
And ten, ten, ten, ten for everything, everything, everything, everything
Ten is all-encompassing, and it represents everything I've gone through, everything that's happened to me along the way.
They do it all the time, do it all the time
They repeat the same behaviors and actions over and over again, never changing their ways.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Gordon James Gano
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mitsos3789
Kiss Off
Violent Femmes
I need someone a person to talk to
Someone who'd care to love
Could it be you, could it be you
Situation gets rough then I start to panic
It's not enough it's just a habit
Hey kid, your sick, well, darling this is it
You can all just kiss off into the air
Behind my back I can see them stare
They'll hurt me bad but I won't mind
They'll hurt me bad they do it all the time
Yeah, yeah, they do it all the time, yeah, yeah
They do it all the time (do it all the time)
They do it all the time (do it all the time)
They do it all the time, do it all the time
I hope you know that this will go down
On your permanent record
Oh, yeah, well, don't get so distressed
Did I happen to mention that I'm impressed
I take one, one, one 'cause you left me
And two, two, two for my family
And three, three, three for my heartache
And four, four, four for my headaches
And five, five, five for my lonely
And six, six, six for my sorrow
And seven, seven for no tomorrow
And eight eight I forget what eight was for
And nine nine nine for a lost God
And ten, ten, ten, ten for everything, everything, everything, everything
You can all just kiss off into the air
Behind my back I can see them stare
They'll hurt me bad but I won't mind
They'll hurt me bad they do it all the time
Yeah, yeah, they do it all the time, yeah, yeah
They do it all the time (do it all the time)
They do it all the time (do it all the time)
They do it all the time (do it all the time, do it all the time)
Do it all the time
@alejoquesada5605
Lyrics:
I need someone, a person to talk to, someone who'd care to love -- could it be you? Could it be you?
The situation gets rough, and I start to panic; it's not enough, it's just a habit and, kid, you're sick...
Well, darling, this is it...
Well, you can all just kiss off into to the air,
Behind my back, I can see them stare.
They'll hurt me bad, but I won't mind...
They'll hurt me bad, they do it all the time... (Yeah, yeah!)
Yeah, they do it all the time... (Yeah, yeah!)
They do it all the time... (Do it all the time!)
They do it all the time... (Do it all the time!)
They do it all the time, do it all the time...
I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record!
Oh, yeah? Well, don't get so distressed.
Did I happen to mention that I'm impressed?
I take one, one, one cause you left me,
And two, two, two for my family,
And three, three, three for my heartache,
And four, four, four for my headaches,
And five, five, five for my lonely,
And six, six, six for my sorrow,
And seven, seven for no tomorrow,
And eight, eight, I forget was eight was for,
But nine, nine, nine for the lost gods,
Ten, ten, ten, ten for everything, everything, everything...
Well, you can all just kiss off into to the air,
Behind my back, I can see them stare.
They'll hurt me bad, but I won't mind...
They'll hurt me bad, they do it all the time... (Yeah, yeah!)
Yeah, they do it all the time... (Yeah, yeah!)
They do it all the time... (Do it all the time!)
They do it all the time... (Do it all the time!)
They do it all the time, do it all the time, do it all the time...
@jasonf9736
NO ONE MAKES MUSIC LIKE THIS ANYMORE! Hell, I'm not sure anyone made music like this then!! Makes me feel like 20 again! Effing Amazing 👏
@burnout941
You mean nobody knows how to punk any more
@GaryE20904
32 years . . . and this song still makes me want to go and break stuff!! Just a very powerful song!
@nefarious67
Still ….
@bobpoulin9274
yep. 1, 1, 1 cus...
@alisterfolson
Everything, everything EVERYTHING EVERYTHING!! 😡😈
@BadApple4Life
I hope you know that will go down on your permanent record 😂
@CeciliaMartignetti-ks5gy
HELL YAH!!!!!
@Patriot41776
I love how every once in a while, it’ll creep into the airwaves again and everyone is like: “this new band is amazing!” Timeless and amazing!
@dandan1844
They used bass as lead, lead as rythm, drums as vocals and vocals as rhythmic percussion stirred it all together and made some brilliant music.