Song of the Day 1/17: The Circle Jerks, “When the Shit Hits the Fan”
Though the song was written about America under Reagan, its core message remains true today: We all gotta duck when the shit hits the fan.
The Circle Jerks formed in 1979 when vocalist Keith Morris left Black Flag and guitarist Greg Hetson from Redd Kross joined him. They became a seminal LA punk band, cited as an influenced by people like Flea and the Dropkick Murphys despite doing everything possible to avoid commercial viability (they originally called themselves the Bedwetters). This appeared on their third LP, “Golden Shower of Hits,” released in 1983.
The band’s closest brush with mainstream success came in 1984, when Alex Cox used a slower acoustic version of the song, with the band performing as a post-punk lounge act, in that year’s cult film “Repo Man.”
And here’s their nine seconds of film fame. Doopity doo-wop-wop say what yeah?
