Many Democrats would probably like to go back to the late 1990s to change a few things (namely, spending just a little more time in Florida, making sure people know how to fully punch the 2000 ballot). But there seems to be another reason why Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, wants to party like we’re in 1998: the New Radicals. Our nation’s first first gentleman handpicked New Radical’s “You Get What You Give” as his song during the rallies before the 2020 presidential election. Now the band is meeting for the first time in more than 20 years to close the Biden-Harris administration virtual event “Parade Across America” on Wednesday, Rolling Stone reports.
“If there is anything on Earth that would possibly make us join the band, even if only for a day, it is the hope that our music can be the tiniest beacon of light in such a dark time,” New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander , who dismantled his band in 1999, when the pressures of fame became very stressful, said in a statement. “America knows in its heart that things will be bright again with a new administration and a real vaccine plan on the way. That’s the message of the song … this world will survive. “
The performance – which will take place after the inauguration ceremony – is the first time the band has been reunited on stage since breaking up a few months after finding success with their single hit “You Get What You Give” (although their second single has been released Maybe you have also been brainwashed, “Someday we’ll know” is also worth checking out).
In 2015, Annie Zaleski wrote an ode to “You Get What You Give” for The AV Club, examining how the deeper meaning behind apparently sparkling pop music gave the wonder of a successful staying power.
On one level, “You Get What You Give” almost seems [frontman Gregg] Alexander’s stimulating conversation with himself to continue on his creative path. The lyrics of the song remind dreamers who feel discouraged that they are special and capable, even if they are broke and desperate (“Don’t give up / You have the music in you”), and encourage them to persist despite the difficult times. Yet another disposable phrase even seems to portend his disappearance: “Don’t give up / Just don’t be afraid to leave”. In fact, “You Get What You Give” has many subtle layers. The beginning suggests stifling religious forces and youth abandonment; later, there is an appeal to seek substance, as well as an indirect reference to romantic solidarity. Even the recurring phrase, “We only get what we give”, is deceptively simple: it suggests deeper philosophical and spiritual conversations about the impact that a person’s life has on the world.
But that optimism was tempered at the end of the song, which turned into a deliberate and very specific critique of the oppressive forces. “As an experiment on the song ‘You Get What You Give’, I had what at the time was one of the most political lyrics in a very, very, very long time, to the point that some of the people I was working with were horrified,” Alexander said The Hollywood Reporter in 2014, during his first interview in 15 years. “In a pop song, I was chasing health insurance companies and corruption – ‘Fraudulent health insurance lying’; the FDA, the Food And Drug Administration and the drug war hypocrisy, which was not real; ‘big bankers’ and Wall Street. Alluding to all these things in pop music was, in retrospect, a naively crazy proposition. But not only did this political statement hidden from everyone give weight to music, but it also kept it relevant 15 years later, because the issues Alexander spoke of are still urgent concerns.
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The song also has a deeper meaning for President-elect Joe Biden. In his 2017 autobiography, Promise me dad, Biden wrote that “You Get What You Give” became an important anthem for son Beau Biden during his battle with cancer: “During breakfast, Beau used to make me hear what I thought was his theme song, ‘ You Get What You Give ‘by the New Radicals ”, says an excerpt annotated by Rolling Stone. “Although Beau never stopped fighting and his will to live was stronger than most – I think he knew that day could come. The lyrics of the song are: This damn world can fall apart. You’ll be fine, follow your heart. “
Alexander’s statement also recognizes the impact that his band’s success has had on the heads of new management: “Playing music again after so long is a great honor, because we all have deep respect for Beau’s military service and high hopes for the unity and normalcy that Joe and Kamala will bring our country back to in this time of crisis.”
Us too, Gregg. So do we.