| "Turn On the News" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Hüsker Dü | |
| from the album Zen Arcade | |
| Released | July 1984 |
| Recorded | October 1983 |
| Genre | Hardcore punk [1] |
| Length | 4:21 |
| Label | SST |
| Songwriter(s) | Grant Hart |
| Producer(s) |
|
"Turn On the News" is a song by American punk rock band Hüsker Dü. Written by Grant Hart, it is the 22nd track on their 1984 double album Zen Arcade. The song was never released as a single, but is considered one of their best songs. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame placed "Turn On the News" on its list of " 500 songs that shaped rock and roll". [2] [3]
Background and composition
"Turn On the News" was written by Grant Hart and recorded in one take, as were the majority of songs on the album. [4] The song was one of the more conventional rock songs on the experimental Zen Arcade. It begins with a single piano note repeating while segments of random news stories play. The bass drum beat is added, with a distorted guitar starting the three- chord progression. Hart sings about the mass media's penchant for sensationalism and negative news headlines. The rest of the band shouts as he sings the ironic chorus of "Turn on/Turn on/Turn on the news!" [5]
Release and reception
The song was released to critical acclaim. Tom Maginnis of Allmusic called it "a weighty chunk of dense rock & roll." [5] The New York Times's Robert Palmer named it one of the three best songs on the album, along with "Standing by the Sea" and " Pink Turns to Blue", and said the three would be great cuts for any album. [6] David Fricke of Rolling Stone remarked that the harsh vocals "often obscure lyric bull's-eyes." [7] Slant magazine praised the song as "raise-your-fists anthemic". [8] The Chicago Tribune's Joshua Klein highlighted it as a superior album track and one of the "harbingers of Husker Du's melodic maturation." [1] Robert Christgau said "Turn On the News" was the best song of 1984. [9] The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named the song one of the " 500 songs that shaped rock and roll." [10]
Other versions
In 1993, "Turn On the News" was covered by Big Trouble House on Du Huskers: The Twin Cities Replays Zen Arcade. [11]
References
- ^ a b Klein, Joshua (August 14, 1998). "Hart's at the Heart of Husker DU". Chicago Tribune. p. 2.
- ^ "FAQ". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ "500 Songs That Shaped Rock". Infoplease.com. February 11, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ Janovitz, Bill. "Pink Turns to Blue review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
- ^ a b Maginnis, Tom. "Turn on the News review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
- ^ Palmer, Robert (September 23, 1984). "New Rock from the Suburbs". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
- ^ Fricke, David (February 14, 1985). "Hüsker Dü Zen Arcade > Album Review". Rolling Stone. No. 441. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (March 5, 2012). "Best Albums of the 1980s". Slant. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (February 19, 1985). "The Rise of the Corporate Single". Village Voice. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
- ^ "500 songs that shaped rock and roll". RockHall.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2006. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
- ^ "Big Trouble House/Arcwelder - Turn on the News". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved July 16, 2012.