You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

"You're Gonna Go Far, Kid"
Single by The Offspring
from the album Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace
Released	September 4, 2008
Format	Digital download, CD single,[1] CD maxi[2]
Recorded	November 2006–April 2008 in Maui, Hawaii and Orange County, California
Genre	Punk rock
Length	2:58
Label	Columbia[3]
Writer(s)	Dexter Holland
Producer(s)	Bob Rock[3]
The Offspring singles chronology
"Hammerhead" (2008) "'You're Gonna Go Far, Kid'" (2008) "Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?" (2008)
Music video "You're Gonna Go Far Kid" (Explicit) on YouTube

"You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" is a song by American punk rock band the Offspring. It is the third track on the band's eighth studio album Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (2008) and was released as the second single from the album on September 4, 2008. The song had previously impacted radio on August 12.^[4] This is the band's 3rd No.1 single on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart after "Come Out and Play" and "Hit That". The song stayed at No. 1 for 11 weeks, making it the longest consecutive run for any Offspring single at No. 1. "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" is certified Gold by the RIAA; despite this, Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace has never been certified at least gold by the RIAA. It also reached No. 1 on KROQ's Top 106.7 songs of 2008 countdown list.^[5] This is the band's most successful hit of the 2000s matching the success of their 1990s singles that the band was known for.

"You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" along with "Hammerhead" was performed live before the release of Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace at X-Fest in San Diego in promotion for the album.

Track listing

Digital download
No.	Title	Length
1.	"You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" (Radio edit)	2:58

CD maxi[2]
No.	Title	Length
1.	"You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" (Explicit album version)	3:00
2.	"You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" (Live)	2:59
3.	"Hammerhead" (Live)	4:36
4.	"You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" (Video)	4:36

Music video

The music video for this single was directed by Chris Hopewell,^[6] who has also directed videos for several other bands. It was the first time that Hopewell and the Offspring had collaborated on a music video. On October 16, 2008, it was announced on the Offspring's official website that the video would debut Friday, October 17 at 3:00 pm Eastern/12 noon Pacific on Myspace.com.^[7]

As in the videos for "Hammerhead" and "Hit That", the video contains largely CGI and does not include any footage of the band performing the song. However, unlike "Hammerhead" and "Hit That", the video also contains live actors recorded by camera mixed in with the CGI effects.

The plot follows a peasant working in a garden in a dystopian future. Suddenly, a plant goddess appears and gives the peasant a magical, golden acoustic guitar and he begins strumming to the song. He enters town and plays for the locals. The magical abilities of the guitar make the peasant a sensation, earning him much needed money and causes various townsfolk to start dancing uncontrollably. The peasant then plays for plague infested townspeople and they are cured by the magic of the guitar. In return, he demands from one of them her expensive necklace while the plant goddess looks upon him disapprovingly. The peasant moves onto a very expensive hotel, but is denied entry based on his appearance. He plays more to earn money for a nice suit. He buys the suit, enters the restaurant and begins to play his guitar for the wealthy socialites, for more money. The plant goddess appears and punishes the peasant for his selfishness by first forcing him to dance alone to the music, then dragging him into the ground through a whirlpool. The guitar lands onto the floor and dissolves into leaves at the end of the song.

Charts

Chart (2008)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[8]	54
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[9]	25
Germany (Official German Charts)[10]	67
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11]	28
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[12]	19
US Billboard Hot 100[13]	63
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[14]	10
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[15]	1

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
United States (RIAA)[16]	Gold	500,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

In popular culture

• The song appears on the "hard" level in the 2008 video game Tap Tap Revenge.^[17]
• The song was featured in the opening credits of Van Wilder: Freshman Year.^[18]
• The song is a playable track on the rhythm game Power Gig: Rise of the SixString.^[19]

References

1. "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid". Rate Your Music. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
2. "The Offspring – You're Gonna Go Far, Kid". Allmusic. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
3. "Offspring, The – You're Gonna Go Far, Kid". Discogs. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
4. "AllAccess.com Alternative eWeekly". AllAccess. August 5, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
5. "KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 2008 Countdown List". Radiohitlist.com. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
6. "The Offspring - You're Gonna Go Far, Kid". MTV. October 16, 2008. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
7. "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid Video Premiere!". Offspring.com. October 16, 2008. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
8. ARIA Report - issue 968 - September 15 2008 pandora.nla.gov.au. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
9. "The Offspring – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for The Offspring.
10. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Offspring – You're Gonna Go Far, Kid". GfK Entertainment Charts.
11. "Charts.org.nz – The Offspring – You're Gonna Go Far, Kid". Top 40 Singles.
12. "Spanishcharts.com – The Offspring – You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" Canciones Top 50.
13. "The Offspring – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for The Offspring.
14. "The Offspring – Chart history" Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs for The Offspring.
15. "The Offspring – Chart history" Billboard Alternative Songs for The Offspring.
16. "American single certifications – Offspring – You're Gonna Go Far, Kid". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 8, 2013. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
17. "Tap Tap Revenge". Giant Bomb. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
18. "Songs from Van Wilder: Freshman Year". Retrieved April 13, 2015.
19. Quillen, Dustin (September 3, 2010). "Full Power Gig: Rise of the SixString Tracklist Announced". 1UP.com. Retrieved July 26, 2013.

External links

• "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" Official music video on YouTube
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics