Start Wearing Purple

Album: Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike (2006)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Although it wasn't released until 2006, Gogol Bordello frontman Eugene Hutz says the band's breakout song "Start Wearing Purple" was actually written in 1995. Hutz says the song is about a crazy neighbor he once had while living with his then-girlfriend. The neighbor was an old lady who used to dress in purple head-to-toe. According to Hutz, the woman was "clearly bonkers." When Hutz and his girlfriend had an argument, the girlfriend would scream and Hutz would respond by saying "you might as well start wearing purple now."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

David Gray

David GraySongwriter Interviews

David Gray explains the significance of the word "Babylon," and talks about how songs are a form of active imagination, with lyrics that reveal what's inside us.

Wedding Bell Blues

Wedding Bell BluesSong Writing

When a song describes a wedding, it's rarely something to celebrate - with one big exception.

Don Brewer of Grand Funk

Don Brewer of Grand FunkSongwriter Interviews

The drummer and one of the primary songwriters in Grand Funk talks rock stardom and Todd Rundgren.

Jello Biafra

Jello BiafraSongwriter Interviews

The former Dead Kennedys frontman on the past, present and future of the band, what music makes us "pliant and stupid," and what he learned from Alice Cooper.

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?