"Kill the Poor" is a song by

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing p ...

, released in October 1980 on Cherry Red Records as the band's third

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, with "In-sight" as its B-side. The song is a scathing

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

of the elite who if given the chance, would wipe out the impoverished with a bomb. The title track was re-recorded for the band's first album, ''

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables ''Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables'' is the debut studio album by the American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. It was first released on September 2, 1980, through Cherry Red Records in the United Kingdom, and I.R.S. Records in the United States. ...

'' (1980), although the single and album versions show little difference in comparison. The B-side of this single is also additionally on the compilation album ''

Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death ''Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death'' (stylized as ''Give me convenience OR give me death'') is a compilation album by the American hardcore punk band Dead Kennedys. It was released in June 1987 through front man Jello Biafra's record label Al ...

'' (1987). A special "disco version" was played and recorded on March 3, 1979 and released on their live album '' Live at the Deaf Club.'' "Kill the Poor" reached #49 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, spending three weeks on the chart.

Charts

Cover versions

* American metalcore band

The Agony Scene The Agony Scene is an American heavy metal band from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Formed in 2000, the group currently consists of lead guitarist Chris Emmons, vocalist Mike Williams, and rhythm guitarist Brian Hodges. The band has released four albums, o ...

covered the song for the special edition of their album '' Get Damned'' in 2007. * American heavy metal band

Trivium The trivium is the lower division of the seven liberal arts and comprises grammar, logic, and rhetoric. The trivium is implicit in ''De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii'' ("On the Marriage of Philology and Mercury") by Martianus Capella, but t ...

covered the song as part of a series of covers recorded during the recording session of their album ''

The Sin and the Sentence ''The Sin and the Sentence'' is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Trivium. It was released on October 20, 2017, through Roadrunner Records and was produced by Josh Wilbur. The album is the first to feature fifth drummer Alex ...

'' in 2017. * Russian

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band Pornofilmy covered the song with russian translation named ''Нищих убивай'' (lit. 'Kill the poor') for their album ''Русская мечта. Часть 2'' (lit. 'Russian Dream. Part 2') in 2016. * Dutch composer Maarten Regtien covered the song in the concluding part of his 2nd Trumpet Concerto

References

External links

* " Kill the Poor"at

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kill The Poor Dead Kennedys songs 1980 singles 1980 songs Songs written by Jello Biafra Cherry Red Records singles Satirical songs Songs about nuclear war and weapons UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles

Charts

Cover versions

See also

References

External links