We're Not Gonna Take It (Twisted Sister song)

Infobox Single
Name = We're Not Gonna Take It


Artist = Twisted Sister
from Album = Stay Hungry
A-side =
B-side = "You Can't Stop Rock & Roll"
Released = April 27, 1984
Format = 7" Single
Recorded = 1984
Genre = Glam metal, hard rock
Length = 3:38
Label = Atlantic Records
Writer = Dee Snider
Producer = Tom Werman
Certification =
Last single = "You Can't Stop Rock & Roll" (1983)
This single = "We're Not Gonna Take It" (1984)
Next single = "I Wanna Rock" (1984)
Misc =

"We're Not Gonna Take It" is a 1984 hit song by the American glam metal/heavy metal band Twisted Sister from their album "Stay Hungry". The song was first released as a single (With B-Side song "You Can't Stop Rock & Roll") on April 27, 1984. The "Stay Hungry" album was released two weeks later, on May 10, 1984. The single reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, making it Twisted Sister's only Top 40 single, and the song was ranked #47 on VH1's 100 Greatest 80's Songs.

The song was written by vocalist Dee Snider. As influences for the song, he cites the glam rock band Slade, the punk band Sex Pistols, and the Christmas carol, "O Come, All Ye Faithful".

It is also possible that the concluding words of a [http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Network_(film)#Howard_Beale certain ranting statement] , made by Peter Finch's character Howard Beale in the 1976 American movie "Network", may have been inspirational in Dee Snider's choice of lyrics for the song.

"We're Not Gonna Take It" is also the title of the last song on The Who's "Tommy" album, but there is no connection between the two.

The song is notable for its popular music video directed by Marty Callner, with its emphasis on slapstick comedy, where a parent gets the worst of the band's mischief. Controversy arose when the depiction of family in the video caused a public outcry long before the "explicit lyrics" warning was placed on records, cassettes, and CDs. This led to the formation of the Parents Music Resource Center. Mark Metcalf, the actor portraying the father in the video, had previously played Neidermayer, the ROTC student commander in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978). In a reference to his role in the film, Metcalf says "A Twisted Sister pin? On your uniform?!" in the video. Snider himself can also be heard cursing and swearing the question "A pledge pin? On your uniform?" at the end of the song. The actor (Jeremy Sisto) portraying the teenager went on to act in television shows such as Six Feet Under.

In 1999, the US rock band Lit parodied the opening scene in their video for "Zip Lock". The crazy father was played by Dee Snider.

Cover versions

The song has been covered by various artists including:
* ska-punk band Less Than Jake for the 1997 punk rock/emo compilation "Where's The Beef"
* The Huntingtons for their 1998 album All the Stuff (And More)-Vol 1
* Canadian rock singer Bif Naked for the "Ready to Rumble" soundtrack in 2000
* Joan Jett for a 2001 tribute album "Twisted Forever - A Tribute To The Legendary Twisted Sister"
* Thee Ultra Bimboos
* German punk pop band Donots in 2002 (which became a minor hit in Germany, reaching 33 in the Singles Chart)
* Chilean band Los Mox in Spanish for their album "Con Cover" (the title of the song in Spanish is "No lo aceptaremos")
* Mexican glam rock band Moderatto in Spanish ("No lo Aceptaremos") (which was released in 2007 for the Mexican Consejo de la Comunicación, the organization connected to the Advertising Council) anti-corruption advertising campaign)
* Australian pop duo The Veronicas, which was available for download and also used in a 2008 birth control pill commercial called Yaz
* Swedish Trio Hellsongs on their 2008 Album Hymns In The Key Of 666

Live cover performances

This song was covered by Children of Bodom in a 2006 London concert.

Parodies

* "Weird Al" Yankovic included the song in the "Hooked on Polkas" medley from "Dare to Be Stupid".
* German Comedy Metal Band J.B.O. also did a German version of it, called "Wir wollen's nicht mehr nehmen" as part of their "Drogen?"-Medley on their 1997 "Laut!" album
* Ska/punk band, Reel Big Fish, used the melody to the song as part of their song "Everybody's Drunk" but altered the lyrics to: "We're all gonna get drunk! We're all gonna get drunk! Oh wait we're already drunk!".
* Canadian ska band Whole Lotta Milka also covered the song on their "Got Milka" album under the title "Twisted".

References in popular culture

It remains popular at sporting events, political rallies, and protests and has even been used in television commercials.

*It is one of the main songs in the 1986 movie "Iron Eagle".
*During the 1993 baseball season, the resurgent New York Yankees played the song after every win before the traditional playing of Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York".
*In the recent past, the Baltimore Orioles played this song on occasion including footage of The Bird pretending to box.
* It has been used as the opening bumper music for the Stephanie Miller Show.
*The song was featured in PS2 game "Activision Anthology".
*This song was played in a Sprite commercial when baseball fans in a stadium were given a different drink after ordering Sprite.
*This song is also used in the spots of the Greek libertarian party Liberal Alliance (which erroneously calls it "We're Not Going to Take It").
*The song was used in the first Manwhore Show by Mark Twain Productions.
*The song was featured in an episode of the karaoke game show "The Singing Bee".
*The intro to the full length version uses the words "Is that a pin, on your uniform" quoting the 1978 movie Animal House
*While in WCW, actor David Arquette used the Bif Naked version of the song as his theme.
*In 2000, comedian Dave Chappelle, in his special "Killin' Them Softly", referenced the song, saying "nobody wants to get their ass beat to a soundtrack", while talking about police brutality.
*After the 9/11 attacks, some radio stations in the United States played the song to demonstrate American outrage.
*At the end of the 2001 Disney movie "Max Keeble's Big Move" the song is played by the marching band.
*During the 2003 California recall election, it was used as the anthem for Arnold Schwarzenegger's successful bid for governor.
*When Djurgårdens IF in Allsvenskan 2004 began to play their home games at Råsunda Stadium, some AIK fans used the tune for "We're Not Gonna Take It", but instead they sang their own lyrics: Stick från vår arena ("Leave our arena").
*In 2004, the song was used by professional wrestling tag team Ring Crew Express as their theme in the Ring of Honor promotion. In September 2004 The Stephanie Miller Show used the song as their opening Theme
*In November 2006, "We're Not Gonna Take It" has been used by a Swedish company, "Trygg Hansa" in a television advertisement. Twisted Sister has for many years had a strong fanbase in Sweden.
*It also provided the tune for Rafael Correa's official campaign song in his victorious run for president of Ecuador in 2006. [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/23a5e4fa-5732-11db-9110-
*In 2007 the song was used for one "Bee Movie" commercial.
*This song was featured during a piece on the fall of the Berlin wall on a 2007 episode of History Rocks ("The 80s"), by The History Channel
*The song was included in the 2008 video game "" for the Nintendo DS.
*The song was mentioned in a News Article on the Satirical Site "The Onion" with the headline "Members Of Twisted Sister Now Willing To Take It." Dee Snider called the article both "hilarious" and "flattering" on "The Howard Stern Show" (Stern being both a friend of Snider's and a fan of "The Onion"). [http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/members_of_twisted_sister]

References