The Violent Femmes

The ‘80s folk punk pioneers, the Violent Femmes came together for a truly unique and totally awesome union with the Nashville Symphony to perform fully symphonic versions of their best hits like “Blister in the Sun,” “Add It Up,” “Gone Daddy Gone,” “American Music,” “Good Feeling,” “Color Me Once,” and more.

The Violent Femmes debut album is fantastic and one the great adolescent rites of passage. I can’t think of too many other albums that better capture the angst, lust, desperation, and emotional schizophrenia of the teenage years. That said, because its sound and style was (and is) so unique and novel – basically acoustic folk played like punk – it is also one of the pioneering albums of the early alternative moment and it remains a great listen long after one leaves behind their teenage years. 

Released over 40 years ago, the Violent Femmes’ trailblazing, debut album amplified teenage angst and alienation in the 1980s with such songs as “Kiss Off,” “Add It Up” and “Gone Daddy Gone,” written by Lead Vocalist and Guitarist Gordon Gano before he’d even gotten his driver’s license. The record, which was mostly autobiographical, would later prove to embody some of the most powerful anthems of a disenchanted youth that the world has ever known. Today, its legacy lives on and is regarded by generations of fans as the battle cry for their misunderstood adolescence.

Deciding to pay homage to this pivotal release as it enters four decades of infamy, the Femmes did the most unexpected thing possible. They invited the Nashville Symphony at the incredible Schmermerhorn Hall to be their “back- up band” for select dates on their almost entirely sold out 40th Anniversary Album Tour. They knew sonically it could work. And from the standing ovation and dancing in the symphony seats they did their thing. After all, they were an acoustic band, but the power of their ground-breaking first album was in the sparseness of its songs and the rawness of their sound.

Alright, I'm going to take another pass at reimagining the track listing for this iconic Violent Femmes album. This time, I'll put my own spin on each individual song description:

1. Add It Up

Kicking things off with a bang, "Add It Up" is the perfect album opener. Gordon Gano's raw, emotive vocals pour out over Brian Ritchie's rumbling bassline, capturing the restless teenage angst at the heart of the Femmes' sound. That a cappella intro is the ideal way to grab the listener's attention and set the stage for the rollercoaster to come.

2. Promise

The tempo picks up with the frenetic, punk-fueled energy of "Promise." Gano's vocals veer from controlled to unhinged as he howls about the desperate need for reassurance and connection. The interplay between the spiky guitar, thumping bass, and primal drumming creates an exhilarating sense of chaos.

3. Gimme the Car

A welcome addition to the tracklist, "Gimme the Car" slows things down with its dark, gritty vibe. The lyrics paint a vivid portrait of a lovestruck teenager scheming to get his hands on his dad's set of wheels. Gano's snarling vocals and the bent guitar notes lend an undercurrent of creeping menace.

4. Kiss Off

The defiant anthem "Kiss Off" is a standout, with its catchy "permanent record" hook and the building intensity of the count-up section. It's Gano at his most bitterly sardonic, railing against the pressures of popularity and conformity. The Femmes' sound has never felt more immediate and confrontational.

5. Blister in the Sun

As the album's biggest hit, "Blister in the Sun" provides a much-needed moment of pop-tinged release. The frenetic guitar riff and Gano's yelping vocal delivery still have an undercurrent of manic energy, but the overall vibe is more careening and joyful - a brief respite from the album's pervasive angst.

6. Please Do Not Go

Slowing things down with a laidback, almost Caribbean-inflected groove, "Please Do Not Go" offers a bittersweet counterpoint. Gano's plaintive pleading belies the ostensibly "warm" and "upbeat" musical backdrop, hinting at the emotional complexities bubbling beneath the surface.

7. To the Kill

The dark, menacing tone of "To the Kill" is accentuated by Ritchie's ominous bassline. Gano's lyrics evoke a sense of grown-up obsession and disconnect, a far cry from the high school dramas that dominate much of the album. It's a mature, unsettling shift in perspective.

8. Ugly

After the brooding intensity of the previous tracks, "Ugly" comes roaring back with a burst of anarchic, punky energy. Gano's sneering vocals and the frenetic instrumental interplay capture the raw, unbridled spirit that made the Femmes so revolutionary.

9. Gone Daddy Gone

The unexpected introduction of the xylophone lends "Gone Daddy Gone" a truly distinctive sound - it's still quintessential Violent Femmes, but with a quirky, left-field twist. The result is a track that's both catchy and disarmingly unconventional.

10. Good Feeling

Closing out the album on a more introspective note, "Good Feeling" is a poignant piano ballad that showcases Gano's growth as a songwriter. The melancholy, world-weary tone suggests these "frustrated man-children" may be starting to mature, even if adulthood hasn't dealt them any better hand.

11. Prove My Love

A more straightforward entry in the Femmes' catalog, "Prove My Love" still manages to be an engaging listen. While it may not reach the heights of the album's standout tracks, the infectious energy and Gano's emotive delivery make it a worthy inclusion.

12. Confessions

Ending on a suitably bleak note, "Confessions" is a crawling, despairing dirge that encapsulates the album's overarching themes of depression and isolation. Gano's vocals are nothing short of gut-wrenching, driving home the sense of hopelessness that hangs over the entire record.