"The Meaning of Life" | ||||
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Single by the Offspring | ||||
from the album Ixnay on the Hombre | ||||
Released | August 15, 1997 | |||
Recorded | 1996 | |||
Genre | Skate punk | |||
Length | 2:56 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Dexter Holland | |||
Producer(s) | Dave Jerden [1] | |||
The Offspring singles chronology | ||||
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"The Meaning of Life" is a song released by the American punk rock band the Offspring. It appears as the second track on their fourth studio album, Ixnay on the Hombre (1997), and was released as its third single. The single peaked at #90 on the Australian ARIA singles chart in August 1997. [2]
A music video was made in support of the single. It was directed by Kevin Kerslake and released in 1997. The video features a high-speed wheel chair race in the desert. The race footage was interspersed with shots of lead singer Dexter Holland hanging upside down in a tree with a capuchin monkey.
The music video appears on the Complete Music Video Collection DVD, released in 2005.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Meaning of Life" | 2:55 |
2. | "I Got a Right" (The Stooges cover) | 2:19 |
3. | "Smash It Up" (Live, The Damned cover) | 3:23 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Meaning of Life" | 2:56 |
Chart (1997) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [2] | 90 |
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Todd Morse, multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy and drummer Brandon Pertzborn. The Offspring is often credited for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the 1990s. During their 40-year career, the Offspring has released 10 studio albums and sold more than 40 million records, making them one of the best-selling punk rock bands.
Ixnay on the Hombre is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Offspring, released on February 4, 1997, by Columbia Records, as the band's first album on the label. After the massive commercial success of their previous album, Smash (1994), the band entered the studio in the middle of 1996 to record a new album. The title combines Pig Latin and Spanish to convey the message "fuck The Man", as in "fuck authority".
"Come Out and Play" is a 1994 song by the American punk rock band the Offspring. It is the seventh track on their third album, Smash (1994), and was released as its first single. Written by frontman Dexter Holland, the song was the second single to be released by the band, after "I'll Be Waiting" (1986). It is considered the Offspring's breakthrough song, as it received widespread radio play, with first attention brought by Jed the Fish of KROQ-FM, and reached number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, bringing both the band and the punk rock genre to widespread attention.
"Self Esteem" is a song by American punk rock band the Offspring. It is the eighth track and second single from their third studio album, Smash (1994). The song was released on 22 December 1994 by Epitaph and was a worldwide hit, reaching number one in Iceland, Norway, Latvia and Sweden. "Self Esteem" was nominated for the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards for Best Song. The song also appears as the third track on their Greatest Hits (2005). Its music video was directed by Darren Lavett.
Greatest Hits is a 2005 compilation album by the American punk rock band The Offspring, compiling hit singles from five of their first seven studio albums along with the previously unreleased songs "Can't Repeat" and "Next to You", the latter a cover version of The Police song included as a hidden track at the end of the album. Greatest Hits peaked at no. 8 on the Billboard 200, with 70,000 copies sold in its first week of release, and has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
"Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" is a song by American rock band the Offspring. It is the fourth track from the band's fifth studio album, Americana (1998), and was released as its first single in November 1998. The song peaked at number 53 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number five on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and number three on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. It was successful internationally, reaching number one in 10 countries, including Australia, where it stayed at number one for six weeks and was certified quadruple platinum.
"Gotta Get Away" is a song by American rock band the Offspring. It is the fourth track and third single from their breakthrough album, Smash (1994). The song was a modest hit in several countries and peaked at No. 6 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Gotta Get Away" was inspired by an early track, "Cogs", written while the band was still named Manic Subsidal. Although the song was a big hit, it did not reach the heights nor achieve the popularity, success, airplay, or sales of the album's previous singles "Come Out and Play" and "Self Esteem".
"The Kids Aren't Alright" is a song by the Offspring. It is the fifth track from the band's fifth studio album, Americana (1998), and was released as its third single. It became another top 10 hit on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart.
"Why Don't You Get a Job?" is a song by American rock band the Offspring. The song is the 11th track on the Offspring's fifth studio album, Americana (1998), and was released as its second single on March 15, 1999. The song also appears as the eighth track on the band's Greatest Hits album (2005). The single peaked within the top 10 of the charts in several countries, including reaching number two in the United Kingdom, Australia, Iceland, and Sweden.
"She's Got Issues" is a song by The Offspring. It is the seventh track on their fifth studio album Americana (1998) and was released as the fourth and final single on October 19, 1999. The song also appears as the third track on the EP A Piece of Americana (1998).
"Hit That" is a song by American rock band the Offspring, included as the fourth track on the band's seventh studio album, Splinter (2003), and was released as its first single. The song also appears as the 13th track on their Greatest Hits (2005). "Hit That" was released to US rock radio on November 3, 2003.
"All I Want" is a song by American punk rock group the Offspring. It is the tenth track on their fourth studio album, Ixnay on the Hombre (1997), and was released as its lead single in January 1997. It reached No. 31 in the United Kingdom and No. 15 in Australia. In the US, it peaked at No. 13 on Modern Rock Tracks. The song also appears as the fifth track on their Greatest Hits (2005). The single was also the shortest single to be released by the band.
"Gone Away" is a song by American rock band the Offspring. Written by the band's singer, Dexter Holland, it is the seventh track on the band's fourth studio album, Ixnay on the Hombre (1997), and was released as its second single. It also appears as the sixth track on Greatest Hits (2005). A piano version of the song features as the eleventh track on the group's tenth studio album Let the Bad Times Roll (2021).
"Defy You" is a song by American punk rock band the Offspring. It was recorded, along with its own music video, in 2001 after the release of their album Conspiracy of One for the movie Orange County. The song was also released as a single in December 2001.
"I Choose" is a punk rock song by the Offspring. It is the eighth track on their fourth studio album, Ixnay on the Hombre (1997), and was released as its fourth and final single.
"A Life Less Ordinary" was a non-album single released by the band Ash on 13 October 1997. It was the title track of the film of the same name, A Life Less Ordinary, starring Cameron Diaz and Ewan McGregor, and also appeared on the film's soundtrack. The single was released in three formats: CD, 7-inch vinyl, and cassette. The limited-edition 7-inch was printed on blue vinyl. The song peaked at number ten on the UK Singles Chart.
The Offspring, a Southern California-based punk rock band, has released 10 studio albums, four extended plays (EP), two compilation albums, five demos, three video albums, and over 30 singles.
"Straight Lines" is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair. It was released on 12 March 2007 and debuted at number one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, becoming the band's first number-one single since 1997's "Freak". The single was shortly followed by the release of the band's fifth studio album Young Modern on 31 March 2007. Unlike the songs written during Diorama, when Daniel Johns wrote all the tracks himself, "Straight Lines" was co-written by the Presets' Julian Hamilton.
"Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" (alternatively called "Pretty Fly (For a Rabbi)" in Australia) is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" by The Offspring, and it was released from the 1999 album Running with Scissors. The song was released as a single exclusively in Australia. Tress MacNeille performs the line "How ya doin' Bernie?", and appears in the music video. Voice actress Mary Kay Bergman also contributes with the "For a rabbi!" line near the middle of the song.
"(Can't Get My) Head Around You" is a punk rock song by The Offspring. The song features as the sixth track of the band's seventh studio album, Splinter (2003), and was released as its second single in 2004. "(Can't Get My) Head Around You" was released to radio on February 24, 2004. The song also appears as the 14th and final track on the band's Greatest Hits (2005).