Def. Con. One

"Def. Con. One"
Single by Pop Will Eat Itself
from the album This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This!
B-side	Inside You (Live)
Released	1988
Format	7-inch single 12-inch single CD single
Genre	Grebo, industrial, hip hop
Label	Chapter 22
Writer(s)	Vestan Pance
Producer(s)	Flood
Pop Will Eat Itself singles chronology
"There Is No Love Between Us Anymore" (1988) "Def. Con. One" (1988) "Can U Dig It?" (1989)

"Def. Con. One" is a single by Pop Will Eat Itself released in 1988 from the album This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This!, which reached no. 63, in the UK Singles chart.

An innovative song that mashes several musical genres, 'Def. Con. One' features elements of alternative rock, hip-hop, pop and punk, but was proclaimed by the band to be grebo rock. It was a forerunner (along with the Beastie Boys with the Dust Bros.) for heavily sampling other songs and musical scores, including big hits and/or popular classics "I Wanna Be Your Dog" by The Stooges, "Funkytown" by disco band Lipps Inc, "Crazy Horses" the 1972 hit by The Osmonds, and the Twilight Zone theme tune. The title comes from the United States' Defense Readiness Condition DEFCON 1, meaning "war is imminent".

Several versions of the song are found on the single, none being the version that would appear on the This Is The Day... album in the following year. The live tracks that appear on the 12" and CD editions are recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden, during a tour in March, 1988.

A music video was recorded for the song, and it appears on the 1991 VHS Unspoilt By Progress. It features the band performing the song in front of a large image of the This Is The Day... album cover. During the entire video, an effect is used that freezes and blurs the image several times a second. The album version of the song is used in the video.

Track listing

7" version

Side One

1. "Def.Con.One (7" Version)" 3:44

Side Two

1. "Inside You (Live In Gothenburg)" 2:33

12" version

Side One

1. "Def.Con.One (12" Version)" 4:40

Side Two

1. "Inside You (Live In Gothenburg)" 2:38
2. "She's Surreal (Live In Gothenburg)" 4:20
3. "Hit The Hi-Tech Groove (Live In Gothenburg)" 5:01

CD version

1. "Def.Con.One (7" Version)" 3:44
2. "Inside You (Live In Gothenburg)" 2:38
3. "She's Surreal (Live In Gothenburg)" 4:20
4. "Hit The Hi-Tech Groove (Live In Gothenburg)" 5:01

Remix 12" version

Side One

1. "Def.Con.One (The Doomsday Powermix)" 5:58

Side Two

1. "Def.Con.One (7" Version)" 3:44
2. "Inside You (Live In Gothenburg)" 2:38
3. "She's Surreal (Live In Gothenburg)" 4:20.

References

• http://www.popwilleatitself.co.uk/def-con-one/#.VbiONvmqqko
• http://pweination.com/pwei/