"I Choose" is a punk rock song by

the Offspring The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guita ...

. It is the eighth track on their fourth studio album, ''

Ixnay on the Hombre ''Ixnay on the Hombre'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Offspring, released on February 4, 1997, by Columbia Records. After the massive commercial success of their previous album, '' Smash'' (1994), the band entered the studio ...

'' (1997), and was released as its fourth and final single. The single enjoyed less commercial success compared with the previous singles from the album and was omitted from the band's ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' album (2005). However, it became another top 10 Hot Mainstream Rock Track for The Offspring.

Literary reference

The song, in its second verse, contains a literary reference to

J. D. Salinger Jerome David Salinger (; January 1, 1919 January 27, 2010) was an American author best known for his 1951 novel ''The Catcher in the Rye''. Salinger got his start in 1940, before serving in World War II, by publishing several short stories in '' ...

's short story, "

A Perfect Day for Bananafish "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" is a short story by J. D. Salinger, originally published in the January 31, 1948, issue of ''The New Yorker''. It was anthologized in 1949's ''55 Short Stories from the New Yorker'', as well as in Salinger's 1953 coll ...

." In the story, the protagonist, who is suicidally depressed, tells a little girl at a Florida beach a story about bananafish, a fictional species of fish that hides in its burrow, eating bananas, until it is trapped inside forever and dies of banana fever.Salinger, J. D. "A Perfect Day for Bananafish." The New Yorker. 31 Jan. 1948: 21-25. 4 Oct. 201

In the original work, the bananafish is a tragic creature, but the song looks at the tragedy and laughs anyway, saying it "doesn't really matter" and shrugging off the self-pity of the original.

Track listing

Music video

The video for the song was directed by the band's lead singer and songwriter,

Dexter Holland Bryan Keith "Dexter" Holland (born December 29, 1965) is an American musician who is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, primary songwriter and last remaining original member of the American rock band the Offspring. He is also the creator of th ...

. The video takes place in an airport, where the band members depart from a taxi cab. While people are dancing, a skateboarder skates through. When his bag is checked, the x-ray sees a "ticking clock". Thinking that it is a bomb, a security guard chases him down only to open his bag and find a

Flava Flav William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), known by his stage name Flavor Flav (), is an American rapper and hype man. Known for his yells of "''Yeah, boyeeeeee!''" when performing, he rose to prominence as a founding member of the rap ...

style clock necklace. This footage is spliced with footage of the band performing antics of their own (such as lead guitarist

Noodles Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures (for example, Chinese noodles, Filipino noodles, Indo ...

playing the solo on a conveyor belt) and performing in a completely different place where heavy winds blow trash into their equipment. On the '' Greatest Hits DVD'', the band joked about the idea of making a video like this now, with the seriousness of airport security. The band considered it one of their best music videos.

DVD appearances

The music video appears also appears on the

Complete Music Video Collection ''Complete Music Video Collection'' is an extensive video album (released in DVD and UMD formats) by the American punk rock band The Offspring. It was released to accompany the ''Greatest Hits'' CD, which arrived a month earlier, and shows all ...

DVD. It was released in 2005.

Charts

References

{{TheOffspring The Offspring songs Songs written by Dexter Holland 1997 singles Skate punk songs