2. “Come Out & Play” – The Offspring
(From the album Smash)
1994
Following the tours in support of Ignition The Offspring went back into the studio to begin work on their third album Smash. In the time since the release of Ignition and the recording of Smash the music scene for a punk band like The Offspring had changed significantly due to the success of Nirvana’s Nevermind. Now, a punk band like The Offspring could aspire to real mainstream success. Indeed, even as Smash was being recorded fellow California punks Green Day and Rancid were finding a degree of mainstream success. However, in spite of this The Offspring changed their sound very little, opting to work with Thom Wilson, the same producer that had helmed Ignition, and following a similar punk blueprint as their earlier work. Some of this was forced on the band due to the relatively small budget they had been given to record the album. In spite of the changing musical trends and potential for more success, Epitaph Records was an independent label that couldn’t invest a lot of money into their bands. Nevertheless, when Smash was released in the spring of 1994 the album’s lead single “Come Out & Play” found success. A punk rock tale of teenage school violence that featured the double hook of a silly snake charmer guitar riff and the Hispanic-accented refrain of “you got to keep ‘em separated” helped the song stick in the memory, while a hard-charging punk rock song with just enough melody to appeal to a mainstream audience served to keep the song from becoming a mere novelty hit. As “Come Out & Play” earned increased airplay on radio and MTV, sales of Smash also increased and soon the album was a genuine hit.
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