MAINSTREAM SINGLE



performed on:
Written strictly as a joke, "Mainstream Single," of course, got a life of its own when Hugh Padgham went insane on the production of the song to make it truly "mainstream." Of course several lyrics had to be censored, but in the end Geffen got their wish: the song went to #8 and HEAR THE NEW NOISES sold triple platinum in the same amount of time it took the last album to obtain gold status.

This song, with which fans share a love-hate relationship, has an interesting live history: the band openly dislikes it and said they would never play it live. However, at a September 1987 show, a fan was persistent in yelling for the band's scarcely-heard and widely adored version of "Good Vibrations," and Nick insisted that the band simply wasn't prepared to play it. To shut the kid up, he played a few verses of "Mainstream Single" alone on acoustic, to ear-rupturing cheers from the crowd.

That was nothing compared to the response when, upon coming out for the second encore at the incredible 11/19/01 show, Plaastik launched into a full-fledged (and very loud) band arrangement of the song which stretched for nearly eleven minutes (the studio version is just over six). It was the first-ever actual live performance of the song, and probably the last. The audience was elated, probably even if they didn't particularly like the song. (The band also played "Good Vibrations" that night, for the first time since the second Diplomacy Tour show in 1994, and since that was a stripped-down spontaneous acoustic version, really the first time since 1987.)

The hysterical video for this track has the band satirizing MTV mainstays such as Pat Benatar, Cyndi Lauper, Van Halen, and appropriately enough, the Police.


i love you
because
i'm in love love love love love love

feels so bleeping right

and i know you'll leave the door open for me
yeah leave the door open for me

yo fucking pussy groupies trying to make out with me
i gulp down some alcohol before i fuck 'till i can't see
i like a tightass cunt so i can come really hard
and then i turn on the fucking tv and watch get smart

'cause i'm guilty yeah i'm guilty
i'm guilty you know i'm guilty
'cause women are from mars and men are from jupiter
and earth is just a bunch of sewers
where alligators hang around

i'm in love love love love love love