SONG OF THE DAY
“Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (Bad Reputation, Boardwalk Records, 1981). Written by Joan Jett, Ritchie Cordell, Kenny Laguna and Marty Joe Kupersmith.
INTERESTING FACTS (a la wikipedia)
– In 2009 it was named the 29th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.
– It was the theme song for American Chopper and Freaks & Geeks.
– It was also featured in the music video games Rock Band 2, Rock Revolution and Band Hero as a playable track.
– It has been featured in films such as Shrek, 10 Things I Hate About You, Baby Mama and Bad News Bears.
– It is also the theme song for the internet video game reviewer, Pat the NES Punk.
– The song was covered by Canadian punk-pop singer Avril Lavigne on her “Best Damn Tour” and is also attached to the single “The Best Damn Thing”. It was also covered by the Hardcore punk band North Side Kings, the surf band Los Straitjackets, and the band Halfcocked (featured in the movie Shrek).
MY TAKE
This song was used as the theme song for Judd Apatow’s short-lived 1999 television series, Freaks & Geeks. I’ve always wanted to put a notch on my belt that I’ve seen this series, and I finally did it over the past few weeks. With only one season of episodes, this one was a quickie compared to my Everwood and Joan of Arcadia stints, and it’s a baby compared to the golden anniversaries I’ve celebrated with Law & Order: SVU and Homicide: Life On The Street. Sometimes overwritten, the show has very endearing characters and a kickass soundtrack. Below is a list of the songs used in the show, it’s quite a righteous list:
Episode 1: Pilot “Runnin’ With the Devil” by Van Halen “I’m Alright” by Kenny Loggins “Renegade” by Styx “Come Sail Away” by Styx Episode 2: Beers & Weirs “Hush” by Deep Purple “Jesus Is Just Alright” by The Doobie Brothers “Rock & Roll, Hoochie Koo” by Rick Derringer “No One to Depend On” by Santana “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” by Van Halen “Maybe” by Janis Joplin “Do You Love Me” by KISS Episode 3: Tricks & Treats “The Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett “Gonna Raise Hell” by Cheap Trick “Roller” by April Wine “Free-For-All” by Ted Nugent Episode 4: Kim Kelly Is My Friend “Jamie’s Cryin’ ” by Van Halen “Ice Cream Man” by Van Halen “King Tut” by Steve Martin “Reminiscing” by The Little River Band Episode 5: Tests & Breasts “Takin’ Care of Business” by Bachman Turner Overdrive “Superfly” by Curtis Mayfield “Love’s Theme” by Love Unlimited Orchestra “Little Dreamer” by Van Halen “Debris” by The Faces Episode 6: I’m With The Band “The Spirit Of The Radio” by Rush “Sunshine Of Your Love” by Cream “Crossroads” by Cream “White Room” by Cream “One Step Beyond” by Madness Episode 7: Carded & Discarded “C’Etait Toi (You Were The One)” by Billy Joel “Rosalinda’s Eyes” by Billy Joel “Don’t Ask Me Why” by Billy Joel “Stomp!” by The Brothers Johnson “I’m Eighteen” by Alice Cooper “American Band” by Grand Funk Railroad Episode 8: Girlfriends & Boyfriends “Whipping Post” by The Allman Brothers Band “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’ ” by Journey “Nights In White Satin” by The Moody Blues “Lady” by Styx Episode 9: We’ve Got Spirit “Dust In The Wind” by Kansas “Keep Yourself Alive” by Queen “Everybody Wants Some!!” by Van Halen “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent “Do Ya Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)” by Joan Jett “The Song Is Over” by The Who Episode 10: The Diary “Journey To The Center Of The Mind” by The Amboy Dukes “No Language In Our Lungs” by XTC Theme from Different Strokes by Al Burton & Gloria Loring Theme from What’s Happening!! by Henry Mancini Overture from Rocky II by Bill Conti Episode 11: Looks & Books “I’m The Man” by Joe Jackson “Look Sharp” by Joe Jackson “Slip Kid” by The Who “Stomp!” by Brothers Johnson “Flamethrower” by The J. Geils Band “Take the Long Way Home” by Supertramp Episode 12: The Garage Door “25 Or 6 To 4” by Chicago “Beautiful Loser” by Bob Seger “Good Times Roll” by The Cars “Karn Eval 9” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” by The Charlie Daniels Band “Amie” by Pure Prairie League “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd Episode 13: Chokin’ & Tokin’ “Smokin’ ” by Boston “Fat-Bottomed Girls” by Queen Hi-De-Ho” by Blood, Sweat & Tears “Aqualung” by Jethro Tull “Little Green Bag” by George Baker “Baby, Don’t Get Hooked On Me” by Mac Davis Episode 14: Dead Dogs & Gym Teachers “I’m Free” by The Who “I’m One” by The Who “Boris The Spider” by The Who “Love, Reign O’er Me” by The Who “Squeeze Box” by The Who “Going Mobile” by The Who “Drowned” by The Who “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts Episode 15: Noshing & Moshing “Spacefunk” by Paul Feig “Rise Above” by Black Flag “Your Phone Is Off The Hook But You’re Not” by X “You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You” by Dean Martin “Lime Green” by Diesel Boy “Happy Street” by Diesel Boy “Punk Rock 101” by Diesel Boy Episode 16: Smooching & Mooching “Tom Sawyer” by Rush “The Monster” by Gene Krupa & Buddy Rich “Katmandu” by Bob Seger “You’ll Accomp’ny Me” by Bob Seger “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” by Warren Zevon Episode 17: The Little Things “If My Friends Could See Me Now” by Linda Clifford “Fashion” by David Bowie “The Road” by Jackson Browne Episode 18: Discos & Dragons “Hot Number” by Foxy “Box of Rain” by Grateful Dead “Ripple” by Grateful Dead “I Don’t Want To Be A Freak” by Dynasty “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor “The Groove Line” by Heatwave “Spacefunk” by Paul Feig- Over 120 songs are featured in the series.
- The artist to be featured in the most episodes (5) is Van Halen.
- The artist with the most songs in the series (9) is The Who.
- The album to have the most songs in the series (5) is Van Halen’s 1979 self-titled debut.
- The oldest song to appear on the series (1955) is “The Monster” by Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich.
- Other than instrumentals such as “Spacefunk” and score, and songs sung by characters such as “Lady L,” the only songs to appear in the series that were not written or recorded until after 1981 are “Lime Green”, “Happy Street” and “Punk Rock 101” by Diesel Boy (recorded in 1996).
- The only songs to be featured in more than one episode are “Stomp!” by Brothers Johnson, “When the Saints Go Marching In” by the McKinley High Marching Band and “Spacefunk” by Paul Feig (all of which were used twice).