"Teenage Dirtbag" is a song and debut single by American alternative rock
group Wheatus. It was released in July 2000 as the lead single from their
eponymous debut album. The single was massively successful in
Australia, spending four weeks at number 1 and becoming the second-highest
selling single of the year. It also reached number 2 in Germany and the
United Kingdom, where it was certified Platinum in 2013.
Background The song is performed by Brendan B.
Brown, including the segment in a 'female' voice. When the group arranged
a joint tour with MC Frontalot, MC Frontalot contributed a nerdcore rap
verse to the song as did MC Lars. By February 2001 the single had sold
17,137 copies in the UK. Eventually being certified gold in the UK.
In March 2011, the song returned to the UK Singles Chart at number 43 and
climbed to number 35 the following week, nearly 11 years after its initial
release. Bigtop40.com suggested that this was due to a promotion on iTunes.
In April 2012, it re-entered the UK Singles Chart again, this time peaking
at number 36; and then once again in March 2013, where it entered at number
46. In June of 2013, Triple J ranked the
song as number 82 on their "Twenty years of Triple J's hottest 100".
The song was ranked number 69 on the "Top 100 Greatest Pop Songs Of All Time"
countdown by British music channel The Hits.
Track listing US CD Single
"Teenage Dirtbag" – 4:17 "I'd Never Write A Song About You" –
3:38 "Pretty Girl" – 4:29
European CD Single "Teenage Dirtbag" – 4:01
"I'd Never Write A Song About You" – 3:38
"Sunshine" – 2:52 French CD Single
"Teenage Dirtbag" – 4:01 "I'd Never Write A Song About You" –
3:38 UK CD Single
"Teenage Dirtbag" - 4:01 "I'd Never Write A Song About You" -
3:38 "Hey Mr Brown" - 2:22
"Teenage Dirtbag" Critical reception
Ayhan Sahin of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, calling it
a "gritty, on-the-edge track " and saying that its "keen melody, inventive
production, and cool lyric about those who have felt like underlings during
high school will entice listeners who prefer hanging out behind the gym with a
smoke to Latin club." He went on to say that it "stands strongly on its own as
an emphatic anthem and a song many teens will be proud to push hard from their
car speakers." Music video
The video clip alludes to the film Loser, with Jason Biggs playing a nerdy
character similar to that in the movie and Mena Suvari as the love interest who
unexpectedly invites the protagonist to an Iron Maiden concert. In some versions
of the music video a large glitter ball falls from the ceiling and strikes him
on the head. He wakes up having fallen asleep while doing his homework,
revealing his brief romance with Suvari to have been all a dream.
In popular culture The song appears in the HBO miniseries
Generation Kill at the end of episode four, Combat Jack. While driving away
from a road block, USMC 1st Reconnaissance Battalion Sgt. Brad
Colbert, Cpl. Ray Person, LCpl. James Trombley, Cpl. Walt Hasser, and Rolling
Stone's embedded reporter Evan Wright bust out singing it, changing the lyrics
"He drives an IROC" to "He drives in Iraq". When they are done singing it
Colbert says "Thank you, Ray" and Ray responds, "Thank you, Sergeant."
British girl group Girls Aloud performed a cover of the song on their first UK
tour for their album What Will The Neighbours Say? in the spring of 2005.
They later recorded a studio version of the track for BBC Radio 1's 40th
anniversary compilation Radio 1 Established 1967. In 2011, Weezer
performed a cover of "Teenage Dirtbag" on their festival tour and Wheatus
responded by covering 'My Name is Jonas' on their 2011 tour. This came about
after a Twitter conversation between the two bands regarding the common mistake
of people thinking the song is in fact a Weezer song. The Ukulele Orchestra of
Great Britain covers this song in concert. During the 2009 Glamour Kills
tour, the song was also covered numerous times by All Time Low frontman Alex
Gaskarth.. English-Irish boy band One Direction performed a cover of the song
on their Take Me Home Tour. The song was covered by the Australian pop/punk rock
band 5 Seconds of Summer on their YouTube channel. Indie rock band Tokyo
Police Club performed a version of the song in July 2014 for The A.V.
Club‍‍ '​‍s A.V. Undercover series. The 2011 documentary Bully features a
version of the song during the opening credits. This version is performed by
Scala & Kolacny Brothers. The song appeared in the Daria TV movie,
Is it Fall Yet? at the Landon's Fourth of July BBQ.
The popular British boyband One Direction covered the song as part of
their Take Me Home Tour in 2013 and it was featured in their movie One
Direction: This is Us Alterations
The second verse of the song originally began with, "Her boyfriend's a dick/He
brings a gun to school". Radio edits usually omitted the word "dick" or edit
it so that it sounds like the less offensive "Prick", but most modern
versions of the song have the words "brings a gun to school" covered by
scratching sounds. Some versions also edit the lines "And he'd simply kick/My
ass if he knew the truth", to remove the word "ass".
Charts and certifications References
External links Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics