THE OFFSPRING: Why We Reworked ‘Come Out And Play’ Into PSA Urging People To ‘Get Vaccinated’

BLABBERMOUTH.NET

THE OFFSPRING singer Bryan "Dexter" Holland and guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman spoke to New York's Q104.3 radio station about their decision to encourage fans to receive their COVID-19 vaccines by reworking the chorus of their 1994 classic "Come Out And Play" to say "you gotta go get vaccinated." The new version of the song was shared last month on THE OFFSPRING's Instagram, featuring a snippet from the song's music video with the reworked lyrics. Holland said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We got a lot of suggestions over the years — people have said, 'Hey, I thought of a funny line for 'Keep 'em separated.'' This one actually kind of resonated with me. I was, like, 'If there ever was a time to do it, this would be the time.' Because regardless of what people believe — I certainly don't wanna tell people how to think — I think it's a good thing to get vaccinated, and we wanted to promote it, and so we put that out." Added Wasserman: "There's a lot of people that are skeptic for various reasons. But those of them that aren't, please go get vaccinated. Even if it's not for yourself, if it's for the old lady who lives on the corner. We think vaccinations are a good thing." When THE OFFSPRING first released the new version of "Come Out And Play", the band wrote in an accompanying message: "Every time we get together, we talk about how we can't wait to get out there and play shows again. And we hear from you guys all the time, letting us know that you can't wait to go see concerts again too! But let's face it… live shows aren't gonna happen until you go get vaccinated. So we thought we'd have a little fun with one of our old songs. Check it out!" Holland has a Ph.D. in molecular biology and wrote his thesis on microRNA in HIV genomes. The 175-page research paper, titled "Identification of Human MicroRNA-Like Sequences Embedded within the Protein-Encoding Genes of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus", had been published in PLoS One. Holland had received his Ph.D. from University of Southern California in 2017. Released in 1994, "Come Out And Play" was THE OFFSPRING's alternative radio and MTV breakthrough hit, kicking off a mid-to-late nineties streak of success, including albums "Smash", "Ixnay On The Hombre" and "Americana", which have helped the band shift more than 17 million albums to date, per MRC Data.