"California Über Alles" is the debut single by American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...

. It was the group's first recording and was released in June 1979 on the Optional Music label, with "The Man with the Dogs" appearing as its

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

. The title track was re-recorded in 1980 for the band's first album, ''

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables ''Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables'' is the debut studio album by the American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. It was first released on September 2, 1980, through Cherry Red Records in the United Kingdom, and I.R.S. Records in the United States. I ...

'', and the original recording as well as the B-side were later included on the 1987 compilation ''

Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death ''Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death'' (stylized as ''Give me convenience OR give me death'') is a compilation album by the American hardcore punk band Dead Kennedys. It was released in June 1987 through front man Jello Biafra's record label A ...

''.

Meaning

The lyrics were written by

Jello Biafra Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and political activist. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Init ...

and John Greenway for their band The Healers. Biafra composed the music in one of his rare attempts at composing on bass.Jello Biafra and The Melvins. Liner notes. ''

Sieg Howdy! ''Sieg Howdy!'' is the second album by Jello Biafra and The Melvins. It consists of songs recorded during the same sessions that produced their first collaboration '' Never Breathe What You Can't See'' but not used on that album, plus remixes o ...

'' San Francisco: Alternative Tentacles. 2005. The title is an allusion to the first stanza of the national anthem of Germany, which begins with the words "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" ("Germany, Germany above everything"). After the end of the

Third Reich Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

in 1945, the anthem was shortened to just the third stanza of the original song, as this passage is sometimes associated with

Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

and, in following, claims a large area of land that is no longer contained within the current borders of Germany. The lyrics are a pointed, satirical attack on

Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...

, the

Governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The Governor (United States), governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constit ...

from 1975 to 1983 (and later 2011–2019), and are sung from his perspective, as an imaginary version of Brown outlines a

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

vision of America. The line "Serpent's egg already hatched" is a reference to a comment on the corrosive nature of power from

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

'', and also a reference to the

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors of all time, his films have been described as "profoun ...

film '' The Serpent's Egg'' set in

1920s Berlin The Golden Twenties was a particular vibrant period in the history of Berlin. After the Greater Berlin Act, the city became the third largest municipality in the world and experienced its heyday as a major world city. It was known for its leade ...

that gets its title from the Shakespeare play. The lines "Big Bro on white horse is near" and "now it is 1984" refer respectively to a statement Brown made during his first governorship that Americans were supposedly looking for "a leader on a white horse", and to the totalitarian regime of

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

's classic novel ''

Nineteen Eighty-Four ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also published as ''1984'') is a dystopian novel and cautionary tale by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final completed book. Thematically ...

'' to describe a future (from a 1979 perspective) where Jerry Brown has become president, and his "suede/denim secret police" kill "uncool" people in "organic poison gas" chambers. After the song's initial release, mild confusion arose in the Bay Area music scene as to why Biafra (who was outspoken about his

far-left Far-left politics, also known as extreme left politics or left-wing extremism, are politics further to the left on the left–right political spectrum than the standard political left. The term does not have a single, coherent definition; some ...

political views) was targeting Jerry Brown (a notably liberal politician for the time). Brown succeeded

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

as governor of California, and Reagan was a seemingly more obvious target. However, Biafra frequently expressed his disdain for

s, and the Dead Kennedys often satirized both

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...

and

right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...

politicians. The song is also an early example of Dead Kennedys' style, with heavy

surf rock Surf music (also known as surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is inst ...

and militaristic overtones. It begins with sinister military-style drums, joined by an ominous bass riff. Biafra paints the scene in low, sneering tones before bursting into the manic chanted chorus; after two verses and choruses, the song shifts into a slower middle eight section set to a martial drumbeat over which Jello Biafra imagines the nightmarish actions of Brown's SS-styled secret police (''"Come quietly to the

camp Camp may refer to: Areas of confinement, imprisonment, or for execution * Concentration camp, an internment camp for political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or minority ethnic groups * Extermination ...

; you'd look nice as a drawstring lamp,"'' a reference to the allegation that lampshades were made from human skin during the Holocaust). The pace speeds up as it approaches the last iteration of the chorus, closing with a repeated chord sequence accompanied by a final burst of explosive drums. German-American author Gero Hoschek was inspired by the song to title a 1988 magazine piece about the "Golden State" in the German '' Zeit Magazin'' weekly titled "Kalifornia Über Alles!" as well as a never–produced screenplay. Biafra complained, and was provided with a copy of the movie script, which he read and liked; understanding that there was no copyright violation, he gave Hoscheck permission to use the similar name.

Personnel

– lead vocals *

East Bay Ray Raymond John "East Bay Ray" Pepperell is an American musician who plays guitar for the San Francisco Bay area-based punk band Dead Kennedys. His guitar work was influenced by jazz and rockabilly. Alongside Jello Biafra's astute lyrics and uniqu ...

– guitar *

Klaus Flouride Klaus Flouride is the stage name of Geoffrey Lyall (born May 30, 1949), an American musician who is the bassist and backing vocalist for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Ca ...

– bass, backing vocals * Ted – drums

Alternative versions

The original, improvised version (containing familiar lyrics but different music performed by the Dancing Assholes and Biafra's first band, The Healers) is included as the final track on the vinyl version of the "Rocky Mountain Low" compilation. The version recorded for ''Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables'' was played slightly faster, featuring a much more strident vocal from Biafra and a fuller, more confrontational sound altogether than the single mix. On their EP '' In God We Trust, Inc.'', they recorded an updated version of the song, titled "We've Got a Bigger Problem Now", about then-

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

, including a lounge-jazz introduction, different lyrics, and several verses set at a much slower pace. A live version of the song was recorded with the instrumentals of the original version of the song.

has made satirical references to the song in his political advocacy. A speech of his appears on the

spoken word Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an oral tradition, ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetic ...

album ''Mob Action Against the State'' that is entitled "We've Got a Bigger Problem Now: War, Terrorism & Beyond". After the election of

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

as governor of California, Biafra commented, "California Über Alles indeed". Another updated version of this song about

Governor Schwarzenegger The governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger began in 2003, when Arnold Schwarzenegger ran for governor of California in a recall election. He was subsequently elected Governor when the previous governor Gray Davis was recalled and Schwarzenegge ...

, called "Kali-Fornia Über Alles 21st Century", was performed live (among a few other Dead Kennedys classics) when Biafra toured with the band

Melvins Melvins (sometimes the Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Primarily a trio, they have also performed as a quartet, with eith ...

to support their collaboration album in 2004. A live recording of this new version appears on their second collaborative effort, ''

''. Fans of

Dulwich Hamlet F.C. Dulwich Hamlet Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in East Dulwich in south-east London, England. They are currently members of and play at Champion Hill. History The club was formed in 1893, by Lorraine 'Pa' Wilson. Th ...

in South London als
regularly sing a version of the song
as a tribute to their longest-serving manager - Gavin Rose. Many of the words are replaced in this version, e.g. "Dulwich Hamlet" instead of "California".

Cover versions

* The song was sampled in "Dead Ken Beats" by

The Prodigy The Prodigy are an English electronic music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured Rapping, MC and vocalist Maxim (musician), Maxim, dancer and occasi ...

, and featured in the 2010 film ''

The Social Network ''The Social Network'' is a 2010 American biographical drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, based on the 2009 book '' The Accidental Billionaires'' by Ben Mezrich. It portrays the founding of social networkin ...

''. * The song was updated by

The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy were an American hip-hop musical ensemble, active during the early 1990s. The band was formed in 1990 by Michael Franti (vocals, production, misc. instruments) and Rono Tse (drums, percussion, programming), wh ...

when they released a cover version in 1992 on the album '' Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury''. They replaced references to Jerry Brown with references to

Pete Wilson Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American attorney and politician who served as governor of California from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Wilson previously served as a United S ...

. * The song was also widely known in Poland (as "Kalifornia Ponad Wszystko") thanks to the

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of c ...

by Polish rocker

Kazik Staszewski Kazimierz Piotr Staszewski (born 12 March 1963), also known as Kazik, is a Polish singer and songwriter. He is the son of the architect and poet Stanisław Staszewski. He is the frontman of the band Kult, which he founded in 1982; their latest ...

with his band Kazik Na Żywo ("Na Żywo Ale W Studio" album, 1994). * The band Hasidic New Wave perform a remake of the song on their 1999 album, ''Kabalogy''. In their version, titled "Giuliani Über Alles", Jerry Brown is replaced by former Mayor of New York

Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney ...

. * British anarcho-pop group

Chumbawamba Chumbawamba () was a British anarcho-punk band who formed in 1982 and disbanded in 2012. They are best known for their 1997 single "Tubthumping", which was nominated for Best British Single at the Brit Awards 1998. Other singles include "Amnes ...

covered the song in their 1988 album ''A Night of Punk Nostalgia''. *

The Delgados The Delgados are a Scottish indie rock band formed in Glasgow in 1994. The band is composed of Alun Woodward (vocals, guitar), Emma Pollock (vocals, guitar), Stewart Henderson (bass guitar), and Paul Savage (drums). Biography The band was f ...

cover the song in their ''

Peel Sessions John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

'' CD set. * Six Feet Under do a cover the song on their '' Graveyard Classics'' album. *

Deceased Death is the end of life; the Irreversible process, irreversible cessation of all biological process, biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former o ...

covered the song on their punk covers album ''Rotten to the Core''. *

Hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

band

Ceremony A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin, via the Latin . Religious and civil ...

has covered the song. *

John Linnell John Sidney Linnell ( ; born June 12, 1959) is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist, and is one half of the Brooklyn-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, with John Flansburgh, which was formed in 1982. In addition to sing ...

and his band The Statesmen covered it live at least once during his "State Songs" tour, choosing to perform it because it mentioned the state of California. *

Dramarama Dramarama is an American, New Jersey–based alternative rock/power pop band, who later moved to Los Angeles. The band was formed in New Jersey in 1982 and disbanded in 1994. The band formally reunited in 2003 following an appearance on VH1's ' ...

has recorded a version, updated in 2003 about California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger containing the line "You will lift weights in school". * A 1986 live recording focused on Ronald Reagan on the album '' Mutiny On The Bay'' with live recordings from 1982 and 1986. *

Jayne County Jayne County (born Wayne Rogers) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, record producer, and visual artist whose career has spanned six decades. Under the name Wayne County (inspired by Wayne County, Michigan), she was the vocalist of infl ...

covered the song with She Wolves about California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The green vinyl single was released under artist name ''Jayne County Meets The She Wolves'' by the German label Trash 2001. * Mexican-American death metal band

Brujeria Witchcraft in Latin America, known in Spanish as () and in Portuguese as ''bruxaria'' (), is a blend of Indigenous, African, and European beliefs. Indigenous cultures had spiritual practices centered around nature and healing, while the arriv ...

covers Dead Kennedys with the song "California Uber Aztlan" in 2010. * German industrial band T.A.S.S. album "Maniafesto" 1994. * Greek punk band Panx Romana perform a remake of the song named "Πάρτυ κωφαλάλων" (Party for deaf-mutes) in their 1996 album "Διαγωγή Κοσμία". *

AJJ AJJ may refer to: *Amy Jo Johnson, actor *AJJ (band), an American folk punk band, formerly known as Andrew Jackson Jihad * Akjoujt Airport, Mauritania (IATA airport code AJJ) * American Jiu-Jitsu *Arakkonam Junction railway station, Tamil Nadu, Indi ...

's song "

Joe Arpaio Joseph Michael Arpaio (; born June 14, 1932) is an American former law enforcement officer and politician. He was the Sheriffs in the United States, Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona for 24 years, from 1993 to 2017, ...

is a Punk" shares the same opening and closes with an "Arizona über alles" chorus. * ''Top Ranking'', a "mixtape" by

DJ Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is a co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer; a member of the supergroup LSD, with La ...

x Santogold (Santigold) includes the song "Big Belly Guns" which utilizes the intro to "California über alles". This record was released in 2008. * German punk band

Die Toten Hosen Die Toten Hosen are a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf. The name is taken from the German slang idiom ''tote Hose'' (literally "dead trousers"), which means "nothing happening"; "boring". The band has had an important success through th ...

covered the song, which is included in their cover album 'Learning English: Lesson 2'. The version features the updated lyrics about

, with many references to his movies and

frontman Jello Biafra sharing vocals with Campino. * Hungarian rock band

Tankcsapda Tankcsapda is a Hungarian rock band. History Tankcsapda was formed in 1989, in Debrecen, Hungary. The group started off as a power trio A power trio is a rock band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit, leavin ...

made a song titled "California über alles" in 2006. *

Combichrist Combichrist is an American Electro-industrial, aggrotech / industrial metal band formed in 2003 by Norwegian vocalist Andy LaPlegua, who also founded the bands Icon of Coil, Panzer AG, Scandinavian Cock and Scandy. Combichrist was formed in Atlan ...

covered the song on their album ''One Fire'', with lyrics updated with the year 1984 changed to 2024. * Thrash metal band

Vio-lence Vio-lence is an American thrash metal band formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Throughout its career, they have released demo tapes, three EPs and three studio albums. Vio-lence is best-known for their association with the 1980s Bay ...

released a cover version of this song in 2020. * In 1991 czech punk rock band Tři sestry (Czech band) released album '' Alkáč je největší kocour, aneb několik písní o lásce'' that consist only of covers''.'' All the songs are not translated, but acoustically similar to the original. California über allesa was dubbed as ''Na Kovárně, to je nářez.''

Charts

References

External links

Jello Biafra discusses the history of "California Über Alles"
on KQED's ''The California Report'', July 14, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:California uber alles 1979 debut singles Dead Kennedys songs Songs written by Jello Biafra Songs about California Jerry Brown Songs about American politicians Satirical songs Protest songs Anti-fascist music 1979 songs