"Straight Edge" is a track from

Minor Threat Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C. by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, and recruited bassist Brian Baker and guitar ...

's 1981 eponymous debut 7" EP, later reissued both as part of the 1984 collection ''

'', then as part of 1989's '' Complete Discography''. The song was the inspiration for a movement in the punk subculture known as straight edge.

Cultural impact

The song provides a succinct summary of

Ian MacKaye Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye (; born April 16, 1962) is an American musician. Active since 1979, he is best known as the co-founder and owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label and the frontman of hardcore punk ...

's interpretation of the straight edge philosophy, in the four opening lines, :I'm a person just like you :But I've got better things to do :Than sit around and fuck my head :Hang out with the living dead. The song continues to specify abstinence from snorting white powder (

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

), speed (

amphetamines Substituted amphetamines are a class of compounds based upon the amphetamine structure; it includes all derivative compounds which are formed by replacing, or substituting, one or more hydrogen atoms in the amphetamine core structure with sub ...

), smoking dope ( marijuana), sniffing glue (

inhalants Inhalants are a broad range of household and industrial chemicals whose volatile vapors or pressurized gases can be concentrated and breathed in via the nose or mouth to produce intoxication, in a manner not intended by the manufacturer. They ...

), and quaalude use. This anti-inebriation movement had been developing in punk prior to this song, but the song was a major influence in giving the scene a name and, in frontman

, something of a (somewhat unwilling) figurehead. The song is also notable as being, at 46 seconds long, unusually short, especially considering its cultural impact. The track's themes were later followed up, and further detailed by the later Minor Threat songs "Out of Step (With the World)" and "In My Eyes".

Critical reception

Along with being cited regularly as an important moment in founding the straight edge punk scene, the track has continued to receive critical plaudits, with

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

stating that "Straight Edge" "rings with as much immediacy as it ever has", while

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 ...

's Blake Butler describes it as an "anthemic, pulse pounding manifesto", citing "this song's importance in the progression of

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

Personnel

– vocals *

Lyle Preslar Lyle Preslar is an American musician best known for being the guitar player and songwriter for the hardcore punk band Minor Threat. Before that, he was the vocalist for The Extorts, who later became State of Alert after he quit. Despite not perfo ...

– guitar * Brian Baker – bass guitar * Jeff Nelson – drums

NOFX cover version

Punk band NOFX covered the song on their 1992 album ''

White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean ''White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean'' is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX. It was released on November 5, 1992, through Epitaph Records. It is the first NOFX album to feature El Hefe on guitar, replacing Steve Kidwille ...

''. The song is played with a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

melody, and sung in the style of Louis Armstrong.

References

{{Authority control 1981 songs Minor Threat songs Songs about drugs Straight edge