Bedtime for Democracy is the fourth and final studio album by American punk rock band
Dead Kennedys. Released in 1986, songs on this album cover common punk subjects often found in
punk rock lyrics of the era such as
conformity,
Reaganomics, the
U.S. military, and critique of the
hardcore punk movement. The album's title refers to the 1951 comedy film, Bedtime for Bonzo starring
Ronald Reagan and also reflects the band's weary bitterness from the trial they were undergoing at the time over the
controversial art included with their
previous album. By the time recording of Bedtime for Democracy had begun, the Dead Kennedys had already played what would be their last concert with
Jello Biafra and announced their breakup immediately after the release of the record, whose opening track is a cover of
David Allan Coe's "
Take This Job and Shove It."[4]
Track listing
All tracks are written by
Jello Biafra, except when stated
The East Bay punk band
Isocracy parodied the name in their 1988 EP, Bedtime for Isocracy. The cover art depicted the band together in a bed, accompanied by Jello Biafra. After the record's release, Isocracy split up, with two members forming the group
Samiam and another joining
Green Day.[6]