‘You Get What You Give’ is a song by American alternative rock band New Radicals. It was the first and most successful single from their only studio album, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too (1998). Released on November 3, 1998, it reached number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number eight on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Outside the US, it reached number five in the United Kingdom, number four in Ireland, and number one in Canada and New Zealand.
In the liner notes to her 2004 compilation Artist's Choice, the Canadian songwriter Joni Mitchell praised ‘You Get What You Give’ for "rising from the swamp of 'McMusic' like a flower of hope". In 2006, Ice-T was asked on Late Night with Conan O'Brien about what he has heard, besides rap music, in the last few years that really grabbed him and his only reply was ‘You Get What You Give’. In a Time interview, U2 lead guitarist the Edge is quoted saying ‘You Get What You Give’ is the song he is "most jealous of. I really would love to have written that."
‘You Get What You Give’ has been described as an alternative rock, power pop, and pop rock song. Gregg Alexander said the central theme of the song was "remembering to fly high and be completely off your head in a world where you can't control all elements". Much of the media attention the song received was centered on the closing lyrics:
"Health insurance, rip-off lying
FDA, big bankers buying
Fake computer crashes dining
Cloning while they're multiplying
Fashion shoots with Beck and Hanson,
Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson
You're all fakes, run to your mansions
Come around, we'll kick your ass in."
According to lead singer Gregg Alexander, he had written this section for the song as a test to see whether the media would focus on the important political issues of the first few lines, or the petty celebrity-dissing. As suspected, a considerable amount of press began to appear about the name-dropping, and the other political issues were largely ignored. Marilyn Manson commented that he was "not mad he said he'd kick my ass, I just don't want to be used in the same sentence with Courtney Love." Beck reported that Alexander personally apologized for the line when they met each other by chance in a supermarket, claiming that it was never meant to be personal. Alexander collaborated with Hanson, whose drummer, Zac Hanson, called him "a bit of a character, but a cool guy." Although the lines were used for the band's Top of the Pops appearance, it was truncated at "kick you".
In 2002, VH1 voted it as the 64th greatest one-hit wonder of all time. In 2007, the song was voted number 90 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s". It was listed number 440 on Blender's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". In 2010 it was number 106 on Pitchfork's "Top 200 Tracks of the 90s". In 2011, VH1 ranked it as 11th on "40 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 90s". Annie Zaleski for The A.V. Club wrote that the song was "surprisingly influential on popular music, just in a non-obvious, almost obscured way", and that it was "both a nostalgic artifact and a song that transcends any era". BBC Radio ranked the song at number 38 on its list of the "Most Heard Recordings in Britain of the Last 75 Years".
Label – MCA
Songwriters – Gregg Alexander, Rick Nowels
Producer – Gregg Alexander
SONG LYRICS
[Intro]One, two!
One, two, three, ow!
[Verse 1]
Wake up, kids, we got the dreamers' disease
Age fourteen, they got you down on your knees
So polite, we're busy still saying please
Frienemies, who, when you're down, ain't your friend
Every night we smash a Mercedes-Benz
First we run, and then we laugh till we cry
[Pre-Chorus]
But when the night is falling
You cannot find the light (Light)
You feel your dreams are dying, hold tight
[Chorus]
You've got the music in you
Don't let go, you've got the music in you
One dance left, this world is gonna pull through
Don't give up, you've got a reason to live
Can't forget, we only get what we give
[Post-Chorus]
I'm comin' home, baby
You're tops
Give it to me now!
[Verse 2]
Four A.M., we ran a miracle mile
We're flat broke, but hey, we do it in style
The bad rich, God's flying in for your trial
[Pre-Chorus]
But when the night is falling
You cannot find a friend (Friend)
You feel your tree is breaking, just bend
[Chorus]
You've got the music in you
Don't let go, you've got the music in you
One dance left, this world is gonna pull through
Don't give up, you've got a reason to live
Can't forget, we only get what we give
[Verse 3]
This whole damn world could fall apart
You'll be okay, follow your heart
You're in harm's way, I'm right behind
Now say you're mine
[Chorus]
You've got the music in you
Don't let go, you've got the music in you
One dance left, this world is gonna pull through
Don't give up, you've got a reason to live
Can't forget, we only get what we give
Don't let go, I feel the music in you
You, you, you
[Post-Chorus]
Fly high, high
What's real can't die
You only get what you give
You're gonna get what you give
Don't give up, just don't be afraid to live
[Bridge]
Health insurance, rip-off flying
FDA, big bankers buying
Fake computer crashes dining
Cloning while they're multiplying
Fashion shoots with Beck and Hanson (Don't give up)
Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson
You're all fakes, run to your mansions
Come around, we'll kick your ass in
[Outro]
Don't let go, one dance left
Don't give up, can't forget
Don't let go