Cop vs. Phone Girl

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"Cop vs. Phone Girl"
Third Eye Blind Phone Girl.png
Single by Third Eye Blind
from the album We Are Drugs
ReleasedJuly 25, 2016 (2016-07-25)
Studio
Length3:26
Label
Songwriter(s) Stephan Jenkins
Producer(s)
Third Eye Blind singles chronology
"Get Me Out of Here"
(2015)
"Cop vs. Phone Girl"
(2016)
"Company of Strangers"
(2016)

"Cop vs. Phone Girl" is a song by American rock band Third Eye Blind from their second extended play, We Are Drugs (2016). It was released as the lead single from the extended play on July 25, 2016, by MegaForce Records. The song addresses the issues of racism and police brutality, specifically focusing on a 2015 incident at South Carolina's Spring Valley High School.

Contents

Following a viral performance near the Republican National Convention, the band was inspired to release a political song. Frontman Stephan Jenkins helmed the writing and production of the song, with recording and mixing taking place in Texas in the span of a week. "Cop vs. Phone Girl" received mixed reviews from music critics, who praised the message of song but criticized the blunt lyrics.

Background

The song was first released on July 25, 2016, [1] as a means of capitalizing on the band's nationwide publicity the week prior from their comments regarding the Republican Party. [2] [3] On July 19, 2016, the band had played a benefit concert for "Musicians on Call", a charity organization, in close proximity to the Republican National Convention. Band frontman Stephan Jenkins took the opportunity to speak out against the Republican Party, criticizing their views on science and LGBT rights between songs, and performing songs with the band that were specifically critical of their stances, including "Jumper" and "Non-Dairy Creamer". [4] The video of the event went viral, [5] [6] inspiring the band to release a political single as a response. [7] [8] [9]

Writing and recording

The song was written and recorded as part of their We Are Drugs EP, where the band locked themselves in a studio for a week in Texas in mid 2016. [7] The song was one of many that went from inception to finish in that week, in stark contrast to the band's usual approach of recording albums over the course of 4–6 years. [7] The sessions were not particularly politically or socially charged on a whole, but rather, the only theme to the sessions was that there were no boundaries or preconceived notions about the direction of the music. [7]

Composition

The song's lyrics touch on the topics of social justice, [8] police brutality, [7] Black Lives Matter, [10] and racism. [1] The song makes many allusions to a 2015 incident at South Carolina's Spring Valley High School, where a police officer violently removed an African American student from class. [1] Specifically, the song takes a pro-Black Lives Matter stance, with lyrics of "On the classroom floor, there's a little blood splatter / Why's it so hard to say Black Lives Matter? / Doesn't mean that you're anti-white / Take it from me, I'm super fucking white." [11] Jenkins, the band's principal lyricist, stated that the incident had hit him particularly hard due his time prior to being in Third Eye Blind, when he held a job caring for mentally disturbed children at a school. [7] The Spring Valley incident horrified him, because he was always instructed to be cautious and calm with students, even during violent outbursts, in stark contrast to the events at Spring Valley. [7] Despite this, Jenkins still asserts that the song is not meant to be "anti-police", also citing the lines "I am all for the good fight / And if the cops roll by, throw a peace sign." [12]

"Cop vs. Phone Girl" is a mid-tempo, rhythmic singalong-type song. [13]

Critical reception

The music website Stereogum was critical of style of the lyrics, calling them as "handled so bluntly that what should be a meaningful declaration of support ends up sounding like a joke", but ended up conceding that the song's lyrics were a net positive "if it convinces one person to forsake their willfully ignorant and/or racist All Lives Matter rhetoric in favor of empathy." [14] New Noise Magazine described the track as the most "incendiary" song of the summer, calling the lyrics both "nightmarish and uplifting", concluding that it was "a testament to Jenkins' songwriting mastery, he still finds a way to chide hope into a dark narrative, and creates something anthemic out of viscously specific details." [13]

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel are adapted from the We Are Drugs album liner notes. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Third Eye Blind</span> American rock band

Third Eye Blind is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1993. After years of lineup changes in the early and mid-1990s, the songwriting duo of Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan signed the band's first major-label recording contract with Elektra Records in 1996. The band released their self-titled debut album in 1997, with the band largely consisting of Jenkins, Cadogan, Arion Salazar, and Brad Hargreaves (drums). Shortly after the release of the band's second album in 1999, Blue, with the same line-up, Cadogan was released from the band under controversial circumstances.

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Stephan Douglas Jenkins is an American singer, guitarist, and the frontman of the alternative rock band Third Eye Blind. He began his musical career in 1992 as part of the short-lived rap duo Puck and Natty, alongside Detroit rapper Herman Anthony Chunn. Following the breakup of the duo, Jenkins and guitarist Kevin Cadogan formed Third Eye Blind in 1993. The band released their eponymous debut studio album in 1997, which went multi-platinum in the United States. Since then, they have released nine more albums: Blue (1999), Out of the Vein (2003), Ursa Major (2009), Dopamine (2015), We Are Drugs (2016), Thanks for Everything (2018), Screamer (2019), Our Bande Apart (2021), and Unplugged (2022). As part of Third Eye Blind, Jenkins has received one Billboard Music Award and eight California Music Awards.

<i>Third Eye Blind</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Third Eye Blind

Third Eye Blind is the debut studio album by American rock band Third Eye Blind, released on April 8, 1997, by Elektra Records. The album was collectively written by Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan, while production was helmed by Jenkins and Eric Valentine. Recorded in and around San Francisco at Toast Studios, Skywalker Ranch, and H.O.S., the album incorporates elements of alternative rock, post-grunge, and power pop. Thematically, the album focuses on topics such as relationships, drug addiction, suicide prevention, and the band's experience of being signed to a major record label. Third Eye Blind was promoted with five singles: "Semi-Charmed Life", "Graduate", "How's It Going to Be", "Losing a Whole Year", and "Jumper".

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semi-Charmed Life</span> 1997 single by Third Eye Blind

"Semi-Charmed Life" is a song by American rock band Third Eye Blind from their 1997 eponymous debut studio album. It was released to modern rock radio as the lead single from the album on February 18, 1997, by Elektra Records. Frontman Stephan Jenkins is credited as the sole writer of the song, although guitarist Kevin Cadogan has disputed the song's authorship through litigation. The song was produced by Jenkins and Eric Valentine. An alternative rock and power pop song with a rap-influenced singing style, the lyrics of "Semi-Charmed Life" concern a crystal meth addiction and transition periods in one's life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jumper (Third Eye Blind song)</span> 1998 single by Third Eye Blind

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">How's It Going to Be</span> 1997 single by Third Eye Blind

"How's It Going to Be" is a song by American rock band Third Eye Blind from their eponymous debut studio album (1997). It was released to radio as the third single from the album on October 20, 1997, by Elektra Records. Frontman Stephan Jenkins and guitarist Kevin Cadogan are credited as writers of the song. Production on the song was helmed by Jenkins, Eric Valentine, and Ren Klyce, with additional production and arrangement by Arion Salazar and Cadogan. According to Jenkins, the song is about the end of a relationship and the transition to acquaintanceship.

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<i>We Are Drugs</i> 2016 EP by Third Eye Blind

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Third Eye Blind's New Single 'Cop Vs. Phone Girl' Tackles Police Brutality & Racism". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  2. "Third Eye Blind: Why We Angered Cleveland Republicans". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  3. "Fan slaps Justin Timberlake; Dr. Dre handcuffed; 3EB 'Cop vs Phone Girl': AM Buzz". Syracuse.com. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  4. "Third Eye Blind taunts GOP during convention, gets booed". CNN. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  5. "Third Eye Blind Trolled the Hell Out of the RNC, Remain Semi-Charming". Vulture.com. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  6. "Third Eye Blind 'Repudiates' Republican Agenda, Draws Boos From GOP Crowd in Cleveland". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Third Eye Blind debut new song about police brutality". Ew.com. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  8. 1 2 "Third Eye Blind Wrote a Song About Police Brutality". Vulture.com. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  9. "Third Eye Blind 'Cop Vs. Phone Girl'". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  10. "Third Eye Blind Just Released a Song About Police Brutality: Listen to 'Cop vs. Phone Girl'". Fuse.tv. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  11. Tesema, Martha. "Third Eye Blind releases new song about police brutality". Mashable.com. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  12. "Third Eye Blind speaks out on police brutality on forthcoming EP". M.sfgate.com. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  13. 1 2 "Third Eye Blind Stream New Song "Cop V Phone Girl"". 25 July 2016.
  14. "Are Third Eye Blind Too Woke For Their Own Good?". Stereogum.com. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  15. We Are Drugs (Inlay cover). Third Eye Blind. MegaCollider Records. 2016. MC 05.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)