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"You Get What You Give" is a song by American
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
band
New Radicals New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
. It was the first and most successful single from their only studio album, ''
Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too ''Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too'' is the only studio album by American alternative rock band the New Radicals. Released October 16, 1998, it is their only album release before disbanding in 1999. The album charted in several North American a ...
'' (1998). Released on November 3, 1998, it reached number 36 on the US ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
''
Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
and number eight on the ''Billboard''
Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...
chart. Outside the US, it reached number five in the United Kingdom, number four in Ireland, and number one in Canada and New Zealand. In the liner notes to her 2004 compilation ''Artist's Choice'', the Canadian songwriter
Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her st ...
praised "You Get What You Give" for "rising from the swamp of 'McMusic' like a flower of hope". In 2006, Ice-T was asked on ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...
'' about what he has heard, besides
rap music Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
, in the last few years that really grabbed him and his only reply was "You Get What You Give". In a ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' interview, U2 lead guitarist
the Edge David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...
is quoted saying "You Get What You Give" is the song he is "most jealous of. I really would love to have written that." LMC released a remix of this song sampling the original Alexander vocals as "LMC vs. New Radicals" in 2005, under the title "Don't Let Go". Another remix titled "You Get What You Give" was released in 2006, this time with a re-recorded vocal performance by Rachel McFarlane. This version charted at number 30 in the United Kingdom.


Composition

"You Get What You Give" has been described as an
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
,
power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, an ...
, and
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...
song. It is written in the key of
D major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Ch ...
with a moderate
tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...
of 120 beats per minute. Much of the media attention "You Get What You Give" received centered on the closing lyrics: :"
Health insurance Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among m ...
, rip-off lying : FDA, big bankers buying :Fake computer crashes dining :Cloning while they're multiplying :Fashion shoots with
Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical colla ...
and
Hanson Hanson or Hansson may refer to: People * Hanson (surname) * Hansson (surname) * Hanson (wrestler), ringname of an American professional wrestler Musical groups * Hanson (band), an American pop rock band * Hanson (UK band), an English rock ...
, :
Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, her career has spanned four decades. She rose to prominence as ...
and
Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...
:You're all fakes, run to your mansions :Come around, we'll kick your ass in." According to lead singer Gregg Alexander, he had written this section for the song as a test to see whether the media would focus on the important political issues of the first few lines, or the petty celebrity- dissing. As suspected, a considerable amount of press began to appear about the name-dropping, and the other political issues were largely ignored. Marilyn Manson commented that he was "not mad he said he'd kick my ass, I just don't want to be used in the same sentence with Courtney Love... I'll crack his lexander'sskull open if I see him." Beck reported that Alexander personally apologized for the line when they met each other by chance in a supermarket, claiming that it was never meant to be personal. Alexander collaborated with
Hanson Hanson or Hansson may refer to: People * Hanson (surname) * Hansson (surname) * Hanson (wrestler), ringname of an American professional wrestler Musical groups * Hanson (band), an American pop rock band * Hanson (UK band), an English rock ...
, whose drummer, Zac Hanson, called him "a bit of a character, but a cool guy." Although the lines were used for the band's ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
'' appearance, it was truncated at "kick you".


Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...
from ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
'' gave a mixed review of the song, saying that it was a "chugging,
Wham! Wham! (briefly known in the US as Wham! U.K.) were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They became one of the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling mor ...
-style pop song with slightly cheesy lyrics", but that the ending lyrics were "interesting". '' Daily Record'' wrote, "This anthem sounds like
The Waterboys The Waterboys are a folk rock band formed in Edinburgh in 1983 by Scottish musician Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. Mike Scott has remained ...
at their best and has meaningful lyrics." They also added, "It may sound like
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...
, but that's no bad thing. This upbeat anthem will be played in all the good bars of the land." A reviewer from '' The Mirror'' called it a "gold nugget of a single".


Music video

The accompanying
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...
for "You Get What You Give" was filmed in the
Staten Island Mall Staten Island Mall is a shopping mall in New Springville, Staten Island, New York City, opened in 1973. It is the only indoor shopping mall in the borough. It is the largest retail center on the island and is the site of the island's third-largest ...
in New York and directed by
Evan Bernard Evan Bernard is an American director of commercials and music videos who has directed videos for artists such as Moby, the Beastie Boys, Green Day, Lit, Cibo Matto and many others. Life and career After studying advertising design at Syracuse ...
. The New Radicals' frontman Gregg Alexander said he chose this setting because he sees the shopping mall as a metaphor for society—a fake, controlled environment engineered to encourage spending. The video showed a group of teenagers, led by Alexander, going through the mall wreaking havoc—tossing nets on security guards, placing businessmen in animal cages, knocking over merchandise, hijacking Lambrettas, and moshing in the
food court A food court (in Asia-Pacific also called food hall or hawker centre) is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dinner. ...
.


Impact and legacy

In 2002, VH1 voted it as the 64th greatest
one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...
of all time. In 2007, the song was voted number 90 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s". It was listed number 440 on ''
Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...
s list of "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". In 2010 it was number 106 on ''Pitchfork'''s "Top 200 Tracks of the 90s". In 2011, VH1 ranked it as 11th on "40 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 90s".
Annie Zaleski Annie Zaleski is an American music journalist and author. Career Zaleski is a regular writer for mainstream media outlets such as The A.V. Club and NPR Music, and a columnist at ''Salon''. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio where she has won fir ...
for '' The A.V. Club'' wrote that the song was "surprisingly influential on popular music, just in a non-obvious, almost obscured way", and that it was "both a nostalgic artifact and a song that transcends any era". BBC Radio ranked the song at number 38 on its list of the "Most Heard Recordings in Britain of the Last 75 Years". The song was used by American Vice President
Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...
's husband,
Doug Emhoff Douglas Craig Emhoff (born October 13, 1964) is an American lawyer who is the second gentleman of the United States. He is married to the 49th vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris. As the first-ever husband of a vice president, Em ...
, for his walk-on music as part of Joe Biden's
inauguration In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugu ...
in 2021. On January 20, 2021,
New Radicals New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
reunited for the first time in 22 years to perform the song during an inauguration performance on the day Biden was sworn in as president. The song was a favorite of Joe's son
Beau Biden Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III (February 3, 1969 – May 30, 2015) was an American politician, lawyer, and officer in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps from Wilmington, Delaware. The oldest child of current U.S. president Joe Bid ...
. Beau died in 2015; at his funeral, his sister Ashley recited the lyrics in her eulogy. The band had rejected offers to perform over the past 22 years but wanted to honor this day and honor Beau, who was a military veteran. The band's Gregg Alexander said prior to their performance, "We pledged if Joe
iden Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN) is a mobile telecommunications technology, developed by Motorola, which provides its users the benefits of a trunked radio and a cellular telephone. It was called the first mobile social network by m ...
won, we'd get together and play our little song both in memory and in honor of our new president's patriot son Beau and also with the prayer of Joe being able to bring our country together again with compassion, honesty and justice for a change".


Accolades


Track listings

* UK CD single # "You Get What You Give" – 4:42 # "To Think I Thought" – 2:46 # "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" – 5:21 * UK cassette single # "You Get What You Give" – 4:42 # "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" – 5:21 * European CD single # "You Get What You Give" – 4:42 # "To Think I Thought" – 2:46 * Australian CD single # "You Get What You Give" – 4:42 # "To Think I Thought" – 2:46 # "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" – 5:21 # "You Get What You Give" (album version) – 5:02 * Japanese CD single # "You Get What You Give" – 4:08 # "You Get What You Give" (album version) – 5:00 # "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" (album version) – 5:20


Personnel

*
Gregg Alexander Gregg Alexander (born Gregory Aiuto; May 4, 1970) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and producer. He is best known as the frontman of the New Radicals, who had an international hit with " You Get What You Give" in late 1998. He dissolv ...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitar * Rusty Anderson – lead guitar * John Pierce – bass guitar *
Rick Nowels Richard Wright Nowels Jr. is an American songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and arranger. He has co-written and co-produced over 90 hit singles with multiple artistsMichael Brauer Michael Brauer is a New York-based mix engineer. He received a Grammy for "Best Pop Vocal Album" for his work on John Mayer's '' Continuum'', "Best Alternative Album" for Coldplay's ''Parachutes'', and also "Best Rock Album" for Coldplay's ''Viva l ...
– mixing


Charts and certifications


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


Usage in media

The song is an unofficial
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East En ...
anthem and is regularly played at their home ground
St James' Park St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England. St James' Pa ...
. The song was used by local radio station Metro Radio during Newcastle's FA cup-run of 1998–99, with Mick Lowes' commentary of Newcastle's cup goals mixed over the song. The song was played over the end credits of the 2006 film '' Click'', which starred
Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of wh ...
. "You Get What You Give" is also featured in the soundtrack of the 2007 animated film '' Surf's Up''. A clip of "You Get What You Give" appears in the fourth-season episode "Advanced Documentary Filmmaking" of ''Community'' when Abed gets Jeff to pay for use of the song in his documentary. The song also appeared in '' The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas'', '' Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'' and on the 2019 TV series '' Schooled'' as well as trailers for '' Big Daddy'', ''
Cheaper by the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bestsel ...
'' and ''
The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompas ...
''. It was used in the '' Glee'' third-season finale " Goodbye," where the graduating seniors of the New Directions glee club perform it for the underclassmen. "You Get What You Give" is featured in the final episode of '' Dear White People: Vol 4''. It is performed by
Obba Babatundé Obba Babatundé (born Donald Cohen; December 1, 1951) is an American actor. A native of Queens, New York City, he has appeared in more than seventeen stage productions, thirty theatrical films, sixty made-for-television films, and two prime-time ...
who plays Dean Fairbanks, and is sung to the graduating class of students as both a message of hope and warning about the world ahead.


Other versions

* Felix Cartal recorded a version in 2017, which ''Billboard'' called "infectious"."Felix Cartal Drops Infectious Track 'Get What You Give': Premiere"
''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
'', March 24, 2017.


References

{{Authority control 1998 singles 1998 songs 1999 singles MCA Records singles New Radicals songs Number-one singles in New Zealand Protest songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles Song recordings produced by Gregg Alexander Songs written by Gregg Alexander Songs written by Rick Nowels American power pop songs American pop rock songs