Gotta Get Away (The Offspring song)

"Gotta Get Away"
Single by The Offspring
from the album Smash
B-side	"Smash - Live Version"
Released	February 2, 1995
Format	Vinyl and CD
Recorded	1994
Genre	Punk rock
Length	3:53
Label	Epitaph
Writer(s)	Dexter Holland
Producer(s)	Thom Wilson
The Offspring singles chronology
"Self Esteem" (1994) "Gotta Get Away" (1995) "Smash It Up" (1995)
Alternative Cover Vinyl Cover

"Gotta Get Away" is a song by American rock band The Offspring. It is the fourth track and third single from their breakthrough album Smash (1994). The song was a modest hit in several countries, but peaked at No. 6 on Billboard's Modern Rock charts. "Gotta Get Away" was inspired by an early track, "Cogs", written while the band was still named Manic Subsidal.^[1] Although the song was a big hit, it did not reach the heights nor achieve the popularity, success, airplay, or sales of the album's previous singles "Come Out and Play" and "Self Esteem".

The song had two single covers. The first, the cover for the CD single,^[2] depicts a skeleton in the same style as the previous singles from Smash - "Come Out And Play" and "Self Esteem". The second, the cover for the 7" vinyl,^[3] shows the actor from the video standing outside the coliseum, his eyes covered by the song title.

The song also appears as the same track on their Greatest Hits (2005).

Content

The lyrics refer to the pressure that lead singer Dexter Holland was under to finish the album on time.^[4]

Track listing

CD single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Gotta Get Away"	3:56
2.	"We Are One"	4:00
3.	"Forever and a Day"	2:37

Sweden CD maxi and U.K. 7" black vinyl

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Gotta Get Away"	3:56
2.	"Smash" (Live version)	3:01

Music video

The video starts with a boy entering a coliseum where a mosh pit breaks out while the band plays. It is predominantly in black and white. The video ends with the same boy lying on the floor alone.

The music video for the song was directed by Samuel Bayer and filmed at the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Salt Lake City, UT on December 17, 1994.^[5]

DVD appearances

The music video also appears on the Complete Music Video Collection DVD. It was released in 2005.

Chart positions

Chart (1994–1995)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[6]	53
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7]	36
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8]	28
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[9]	21
Canada Top Singles (RPM)	32
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[10]	6
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11]	33
Norway (VG-lista)[12]	18
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[13]	26
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[14]	43
US Radio Songs (Billboard)[15]	58
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[16]	6
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[17]	15

References

1. The Offspring's Greatest Hits DVD Extra
2. "Gotta Get Away" CD Single
3. "Gotta Get Away" Vinyl
4. The Offspring's Greatest Hits "Gotta Get Away"
5. The Offspring's official Twitter account, posted and fetched on 17 December 2014.
6. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 09 Jul 1995". ARIA. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
7. "Austriancharts.at – Offspring – Gotta Get Away" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
8. "Ultratop.be – Offspring – Gotta Get Away" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
9. "Ultratop.be – Offspring – Gotta Get Away" (in French). Ultratop 50.
10. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
11. "Dutchcharts.nl – Offspring – Gotta Get Away" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
12. "Norwegiancharts.com – Offspring – Gotta Get Away". VG-lista.
13. "Swedishcharts.com – Offspring – Gotta Get Away". Singles Top 100.
14. "Offspring: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company.
15. "The Offspring – Chart history" Billboard Radio Songs for The Offspring.
16. "The Offspring – Chart history" Billboard Alternative Songs for The Offspring.
17. "The Offspring – Chart history" Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs for The Offspring.

External links

• "Gotta Get Away" Official music video on YouTube
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics