"You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" is a song by American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band

the Offspring The Offspring is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Dexter Holland, Bryan "Dexter" Holland, ...

. It is the third track from the band's eighth studio album, ''

Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace ''Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace'' is the eighth studio album by American punk rock band the Offspring, released on June 11, 2008, by Columbia Records., Offspring.com, 04-09-2008 It was the band's first album of new material in five years, followi ...

'' (2008) and was released as its second single on September 4, 2008.

Background

The song had previously impacted radio on August 12. It is the band's third number one single on the

Hot Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart, after " Come Out and Play" and "

Hit That "Hit That" is a song by American rock band the Offspring, included as the fourth track on the band's seventh studio album, ''Splinter'' (2003), and was released as its first single. The song also appears as the 13th track on their '' Greatest H ...

". The song stayed at No. 1 for 11 weeks and has sold 1.6 million copies in the United States, making it the longest consecutive run for any Offspring single at number one. "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" was certified platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. The band has notched 16 top tens on the Alternative chart since then, including three number ones, the most recent being "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid".

Track listing

Music video

The music video for this single was directed by

Chris Hopewell Chris Hopewell is an English music video director. He has directed videos for Radiohead, Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Scissor Sisters, Run the Jewels, Louis XIV, The Knife, The Offspring, Avenged Sevenfold, and several others. His video for Radi ...

, who has also directed videos for several other bands. On October 16, 2008, it was announced on the Offspring's official website that the video would debut Friday, October 17 at 3:00 pm Eastern/12 noon Pacific on

Myspace.com Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it was the first social network to reach a ...

. As in the videos for " Hammerhead" and "

", the video contains large amounts of CGI and does not include any footage of the band performing the song. However, unlike "Hammerhead" and "Hit That", the video also contains live actors recorded by camera mixed in with the CGI effects. The plot follows a peasant working in a garden in a

dystopia A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmen ...

n future. Suddenly, a

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

appears and gives the peasant a magical, golden

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

and he begins strumming to the song. He enters town and plays for the locals. The magical abilities of the guitar make the peasant a sensation, earning him much-needed money and causing various townsfolk to start dancing uncontrollably. The peasant then plays for plague-infested townspeople, and they are cured by the magic of the guitar. In return, he demands from one of them her expensive necklace while the nymph looks upon him disapprovingly. The peasant moves on to a very expensive hotel but is denied entry based on his appearance. He plays more to earn money for a nice suit. He buys the suit, enters the restaurant, and begins to play his guitar for the wealthy

socialites A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having ...

, for more money. The nymph appears and punishes the peasant for his selfishness by first forcing him to dance alone to the music and then dragging him into the ground through a

whirlpool A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms ( ). ''Vo ...

. The guitar lands on the floor and dissolves into leaves at the end of the song.

Personnel

The Offspring

Dexter Holland Bryan Keith "Dexter" Holland (born December 29, 1965) is an American musician, best known as the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, main songwriter and composer, and only constant member of the punk rock band the Offspring. He co-found ...

– vocals, guitar *

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 and made into a variety of shapes. The most common noo ...

– guitar *

Greg K. Gregory David Kriesel (born January 20, 1965) known by his stagename Greg K., is an American retired musician and the founding bassist of the rock band the Offspring. He is also the co-founder (along with bandmate Dexter Holland) of the record ...

– bass

Additional musicians

Josh Freese Joshua Ryan Freese (born December 25, 1972) is an American drummer. A member of punk rock band the Vandals since 1989, Freese has also been a member of new wave band Devo since 1996. He was previously a member of hard rock band Guns N' Roses ...

– drums

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2008 songs 2008 singles The Offspring songs Songs written by Dexter Holland Song recordings produced by Bob Rock Columbia Records singles Music videos directed by Chris Hopewell