Buzzbomb

Album: Plastic Surgery Disasters (1982)
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Songfacts®:

  • Not all Dead Kennedys songs are about politics or civil unrest. "Buzzbomb," a track from their second album, is about a car, a "macho-mobile" that can do some serious speed. The guy in the song gets it up to 110 on Highway 50 in Nevada before police come and shoot out the tires.
  • Dead Kennedys lead singer Jello Biafra wrote this with the group's guitarist, East Bay Ray, who describes it as a "California car song."

    "We were in California, we had cars and sunshine," he explained to Songfacts. "I guess that's kind of our tribute to California."

    Ray added that while there a shades of surf rock in the guitar part, the sound was most influenced by Scotty Moore, who was Elvis Presley's guitarist.

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