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"California Über Alles" (B-side "The Man with the Dogs") was the first single by the Dead Kennedys. The record was released in June of 1979 on lead singer Jello Biafra's label Alternative Tentacles. The lyrics were written by Biafra and longtime childhood friend John Greenway, and the music was composed solely by Biafra, one of his rare early efforts when he attempted to compose music on guitar (most of Biafra's musical compositions have been done with him singing the parts into a tape recorder or to the musicians he records with during sessions or rehearsals).
Meaning
The title is an allusion to the first stanza of the national anthem of Germany, introduced after the downfall of the German monarchy at the end of World War I. It has been Germany's national anthem ever since, sung, though, without this first two stanzas to avoid any expressions of superiority. The anthem, "Das Lied der Deutschen" is a 19th-century patriotic song, written by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben on the then British island of Heligoland in 1841. It begins with the words "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles." The word-for-word translation of this line is "Germany above all," which the author intended to mean that a unified Germany was more desirable than the continued division of the German Sprachraum into independent states. During the days of the Third Reich, anti-German political propaganda claimed the anthem was a typical Nazi expression of racial superiority. To avoid such misunderstanding, only the third verse of the anthem, "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit" (literally: Unity and Justice and Freedom) is used anymore, even though the first two verses are by no means expressions of an extreme right-wing or Nazi attitude.
The song's focus is on then-California Governor Jerry Brown, and is sung from what is supposedly his perspective. In it, an imaginary Brown outlines a bizarre hippie-fascist vision for America, in which his "suede denim secret police" kill un-cool people with "organic poison gas" chambers. The song illustrates lead singer Jello Biafra's concern with the dilution of the radical and revolutionary tendencies of the 60s by "yuppies" and their representatives, such as, one presumes, Jerry Brown. Biafra's accusation of fascism was meant to highlight his dislike for the decidedly centrist policies of self-professed progressive Jerry Brown. Other lines, such as "Serpent's egg already hatched" (a reference to a line from William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar), simply comment on the corrosive and nature of power.
A classic early punk tune, the song is structured almost like an evil, Wagnerian mini-opera, illustrating the Kennedys' trademark use of menace and musical tension. The sly, sneeringly self satisfied and knowing verses build on each other before exploding into one of the most nervous choruses in rock: "California Über Alles, Über Alles, California" sung in a frightening warble by Biafra and possibly bassist Klaus Flouride in the background. After the first few verses, the song slips into a slower section set to a martial drum beat over which Jello Biafra gleefully portrays the actions of Jerry Brown's Gestapo-like secret police. The song ends with an amplified, skipping martial drum beat set to Ray's menacing chords and a final explosive thwack on the drums followed by a few busts on punk guitars. The paranoia of the whole piece results in one of the best examples of a musical illustration of fascism.
The song has appeared in the video games Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, and Tony Hawk's American Sk8land.
Alternative versions
There is a different, faster version of "California Über Alles" on Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, with more strident Biafra vocals and a more garage-like 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 Ronald Reagan, including a lounge-jazz introduction, different lyrics, and several verses set at a much slower pace. A live version of the song was also recorded, this time with the instrumentals of the original version of the song.
Jello Biafra has frequently made satirical references to the song in his political advocacy. A speech of his appears on the spoken word 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 as governor of California, Biafra commented, "California Über Alles indeed."
In the 1990s, the song was once again updated by The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, on their album Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury. They replaced references to Jerry Brown with references to Pete Wilson.
Another updated version of this song about Governor Schwarzenegger, called "Kali-Fornia Über Alles 21st Century", was performed live (among a few other Dead Kennedys classics) when Biafra toured with The Melvins to support their collaboration album in 2004. A live recording of this new version appears on their second collaborative effort, Sieg Howdy (2005).
The song was also widely known in Poland thanks to the cover made by famous Polish rockman Kazik Staszewski 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 Uber Alles", Jerry Brown is replaced by former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani. The song is an attack on Giuliani's alleged dictiorial style and incidents of police brutality during his reign.
The band The Delgados cover the song in their Peel Sessions CD set.
See also
External links
- Dead Kennedys - California Uber Alles LIVE 1981, video.
- Jello Biafra discusses the history of "California Uber Alles" on KQED's The California Report, July 14, 2006.
"California Über Alles"