Neighbor

Album: America's Least Wanted (1992)
Charted: 28
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In this song, Ugly Kid Joe frontman Whitfield Crane sings from the perspective of a white-trash drunk who moves into an idyllic suburban community, ruining the neighborhood. The song was written by the band's guitarist, Klaus Eichstadt, who after the song was released told Crane that the song was really about him.

    Connecting Crane to the character isn't much of a stretch: He and Eichstadt grew up in upper-class Palo Alto, California, where they were rather disruptive in their youth.
  • Ugly Kid Joe was having a moment when this song was released; their hit "Everything About You" earned them airplay on radio and MTV. In our interview with Whitfield Crane, he said: "I think about that as that's 1992, we were blowing up. Lyrically, it's this family that moves into the suburbs - somewhere like Palo Alto where Klaus and I grew up - and torture their neighbors through wine, women, and song. It reminds me of good times."
  • The music video for this song shows these neighbors from hell while the band plays on their front lawn. Julia Sweeney shows up in the clip as Pat, her androgynous character from Saturday Night Live. Sweeney also did Pat for a spoken intro to "Everything About You."

    The video made an episode of MTV's Beavis and Butt-head, a show about two morons who watch MTV. Here's the dialogue:

    Beavis: "How come he calls himself Ugly Kid? He's not even that ugly."

    Butt-head: "Do you find him attractive, Beavis?"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.

Grunge Bands Quiz

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Songs Discussed in Movies

Songs Discussed in MoviesSong Writing

Bridesmaids, Reservoir Dogs, Willy Wonka - just a few of the flicks where characters discuss specific songs, sometimes as a prelude to murder.