''Prairie Home Invasion'' is a collaborative studio album by

Jello Biafra Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and politician. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Initially ac ...

and

Mojo Nixon Mojo Nixon (born Neill Kirby McMillan, Jr.; August 2, 1957) is an American musician and actor best known for his humorous, irreverent Novelty song "Elvis Is Everywhere" which was an alternative staple on MTV. His style can generally be define ...

, backed by Nixon's backing band the Toadliquors. Released in 1994 by Biafra's record label

Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 in San Francisco, California. It was used by Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single " California Über Alles". After realizing the potential for an independent label, t ...

, the album's lyrics predominantly deal with political themes, as well as criticism of corporate

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and

country pop Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...

Composition

's backing band, the Toadliquors, served as the backing band for the recordings. Although

provided most of the lead vocals,

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 dat ...

wrote, "ultimately this is more Nixon's show than Biafra's". The album's music is performed in a

honky-tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano ( tack piano) ...

cowpunk Cowpunk (or country punk) is a subgenre of punk rock that began in the United Kingdom and Southern California in the late 1970s - early 1980s. It combines punk rock or new wave with country, folk, and blues in its sound, lyrical subject matter ...

style. According to ''Louder'', "Mojo Nixon’s musicianship provides Jello free rein to deliver some of his most sardonic derision in the style of the music most at odds with his lyrics." Half of ''Prairie Home Invasion'' consists of covers, including interpretations of

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

songs. Many of the album's lyrics tackle political themes. "

Love Me, I'm a Liberal "Love Me, I'm a Liberal" is a satirical song by Phil Ochs, an American singer-songwriter. Originally released on his 1966 live album, ''Phil Ochs in Concert'', "Love Me, I'm a Liberal" was soon one of Ochs's most popular concert staples. Introdu ...

" is an updated rewrite of

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

folk singer

Phil Ochs Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter and protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer). Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, political activism, often alliterative lyrics, and ...

' criticism of "fuzzy left-leaners"; these themes, according to

, show an influence from

protest music A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...

. "Buy My Snake Oil" criticizes "corporate

", including

emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

and

Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as " Witchy Woman", " D ...

, a recurring target of Nixon's. Conversely, "Let's Go Burn Ole Nashville Down" criticizes

corporate A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

and country singers with manufactured images. "Nostalgia for an Age that Never Existed" criticizes the romanticism of the 1950s, the hypocrisy of

baby boomers Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the Western demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the mid-20th century baby boom. ...

and punk rock. Other topics discussed in the lyrics include deforestation, atomic power, truckers, and "the divine drinking abilities of Jesus Christ." "Will the Fetus be Aborted", sung to the tune of the Christian

country folk Contemporary folk music refers to a wide variety of genres that emerged in the mid 20th century and afterwards which were associated with traditional folk music. Starting in the mid-20th century a new form of popular folk music evolved from tradit ...

hymn "

Will the Circle Be Unbroken "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" is a popular Christian hymn written in 1907 by Ada R. Habershon with music by Charles H. Gabriel. The song is often recorded unattributed and, because of its age, has lapsed into the public domain. Most of the c ...

", satirizes the

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respo ...

movement. "Atomic Power" is performed in the style of Christian bluegrass.

Release

The album's artwork included Biafra and Nixon staging a parody of

Grant Wood Grant DeVolson Wood (February 13, 1891 February 12, 1942) was an American painter and representative of Regionalism, best known for his paintings depicting the rural American Midwest. He is particularly well known for '' American Gothic'' (1930 ...

's painting "

American Gothic ''American Gothic'' is a 1930 painting by Grant Wood in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Wood was inspired to paint what is now known as the ''American Gothic'' House in Eldon, Iowa, along with "the kind of people efancied shoul ...

," news stories covering "business and government idiocies", advertisements and excerpts from the comic strip "

This Modern World ''This Modern World'' is a weekly satirical comic strip by cartoonist and political commentator Tom Tomorrow (real name Dan Perkins) that covers current events from a left-wing point of view. Published continuously for more than 30 years, ''This ...

" by

Tom Tomorrow Tom Tomorrow is the pen name of editorial cartoonist Dan Perkins (born April 5, 1961, in Wichita, Kansas). His weekly comic strip, '' This Modern World'', which comments on current events, appears regularly in more than 80 newspapers across ...

. The album was released on

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Octo ...

audio cassette The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Otten ...

and

vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...

in 1994 by Biafra's record label

. On August 26, 2022, Alternative Tentacles released a

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

for the song "Will The Fetus Be Aborted", in response to the Supreme Court overturning

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and ...

, which made the song "hauntingly timely"; the video was directed by Ani Kyd of Sugar Skull Films Inc.

Reception

In his review for

, Ned Raggett wrote, "Nixon has the better voice for the proceedings ..his guitar kicks butt and takes names". Punk News wrote, "when people look back at albums that were as indebted to country as they were alternative rock in the early nineties … this isn’t a release people are going to be bringing up. As good as it is, this album doesn’t compare to the best work by bands like

Uncle Tupelo Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend c ...

The Bottle Rockets The Bottle Rockets were an American rock band formed in Festus, Missouri in 1992, and was based in St. Louis, Missouri. Its founding members were Brian Henneman (guitar, vocals), Mark Ortmann (drums), Tom Parr (1992–2002, guitar, vocals) an ...

, or even the albums the

Drive-By Truckers Drive-By Truckers are an American rock band based in Athens, Georgia. Two of five current members ( Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley) are originally from The Shoals region of northern Alabama and met as roommates at the University of North Alab ...

would be releasing just a few short years later." ''Louder'' called the album "an irreverent cowpunk classic".

Track listing

# "Buy My Snake Oil" - 9:07 # "Where Are We Gonna Work (When the Trees Are Gone?)" - 3:12 (''

Darryl Cherney Darryl Cherney (born 1956) is an American musician and environmental activist. He is a member of the Earth First! environmental movement. Born and raised in New York City, he lives in Humboldt County, California. Cherney has produced five albu ...

cover'') # "Convoy in the Sky" - 3:33 (''

The Willis Brothers The Willis Brothers were an American country music ensemble from Oklahoma, consisting of several brothers. Group history Early touring Two of the Willis brothers (James, Charles) and Webb "Robber Baron" Cardwell, played together as teenagers fr ...

cover'') # "Atomic Power" - 3:06 (''

Fred Kirby Frederick Austin Kirby (July 19, 1910 - April 22, 1996) was an American country-and-western recording and performance artist and song writer. Life and work Among Kirby's better-known works are "Atomic Power" (1946) and "When That Hell Bomb Fa ...

cover'') # "Are You Drinking With Me Jesus?" - 3:10 (''

Lou and Peter Berryman Lou and Peter Berryman (born 1947) are American folk singer-songwriters and longtime residents of Madison, Wisconsin. Lou (for Louise) and Peter were married at one time—hence the common last name. They divorced but remained friends and musi ...

cover'') # "

" - 4:01 (''updated version of

song'') # "Burgers of Wrath" - 3:51 # "Nostalgia for an Age That Never Existed" - 4:56 # "Hamlet Chicken Plant Disaster" - 3:48 (''to the tune of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

'') # "Mascot Mania" - 4:50 # "Let's Go Burn Ole Nashville Down" - 2:38 (''to the tune of

Old Joe Clark "Old Joe Clark" is a US folk song, a mountain ballad that was popular among soldiers from eastern Kentucky during World War I and afterwards. Its lyrics refer to a real person named Joseph Clark, a Kentucky mountaineer who was born in 1839 and murd ...

'') # "Will the Fetus Be Aborted?" - 3:42 (''to the tune of

Will the Circle Be Unbroken? "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" is a popular Christian hymn written in 1907 by Ada R. Habershon with music by Charles H. Gabriel. The song is often recorded unattributed and, because of its age, has lapsed into the public domain. Most of the ch ...

'') # " Plastic Jesus" - 4:31 (Ed Rush / George Cromarty)

Personnel

* Sean McCarthy - bass * Mike "Wild" Middleton - percussion, backing vocals, drums * Marty Muse - pedal steel * Ted Roddy - harmonica * Stuart Sullivan - engineer, mixing * Marshall Lawless - producer * Sandra Patyk - backing vocals * Amy Boone - backing vocals * Cindy Yates - backing vocals * Deborah Kelly - backing vocals * Louis Jay Meyers - banjo * Danny Barnes - dobro, electric guitar * Pete Gordon - organ, backing vocals, accordion, piano * Champ Hood - fiddle *

Evan Johns Evan Johns (July 12, 1956 – March 11, 2017) was an American guitarist specializing in a variety of music, including rockabilly. Early life Johns was born and raised in McLean, Virginia. His mother worked for the National Symphony Orchestra. Joh ...

- guitar * Don Leady - electric guitar *

- vocals, photography *

- banjo, harmonica, tambourine, vocals, guitar

References

{{Authority control 1994 albums Alternative Tentacles albums Mojo Nixon albums Jello Biafra albums Collaborative albums Cowpunk albums