The Damned / Machine Gun Etiquette / 1979
Smash It Up (Pts. 1 & 2)
gleeful, sneering, destructive energy with a comic edge
A two-part punk anthem that moves from a generic chant of destructive release into a pointed roll call of the targets worth destroying. Part 1 is pure catharsis-as-slogan; Part 2 turns the slogan into a satirical inventory of late-'70s British lifestyle tribes the band wants no part of.
catharsis through destruction anti-conformity mockery of counterculture trends alienation/outsider identity punk nihilism as performance
Who's speaking
A first-person punk narrator addressing a general audience or scene, railing against being misjudged while simultaneously reveling in that judgment; the voice is deliberately unreliable/theatrical rather than sincere confession.
What happens
The song opens with a declaration of exhaustion and a vow to replace passivity with noise and destruction. The narrator defends himself against accusations of being a villain, attributing judgment to appearance rather than substance, and refuses to conform. The chant of destruction repeats and escalates until Part 2 names specific cultural targets, turning abstract rebellion into concrete satire, before ending on a communal chorus suggesting the destructive urge has spread to everyone.
How it's built
Built in two distinct halves fused into one track: Part 1 is a conventional verse-chorus punk song with a simple narrative of grievance and release; Part 2 drops verses almost entirely in favor of a chant-list structure, each line beginning with the same command before naming a target, culminating in a final communal refrain that functions as a coda rather than a traditional outro.
Craft
- anaphora
- The repeated command structure in Part 2 hammers each target with the same instruction, turning the song into a litany of rejection rather than a developed argument.
- synecdoche
- Specific consumer and lifestyle items stand in for entire subcultures and attitudes the narrator despises, letting small details do the work of broader social commentary.
- persona/self-mockery
- The narrator adopts the 'villain' label thrown at him and wears it almost proudly, using self-deprecation about his appearance to deflate the seriousness of the accusation.
- repetition as structure
- The title phrase repeated dozens of times functions less as lyric content than as rhythmic chant, mimicking crowd participation and ritual destruction.
Reading it
About The Damned
The Damned are an English rock band formed in London in 1976 by lead vocalist Dave Vanian, guitarist Brian James, bassist Captain Sensible and drummer Rat Scabies. They were the first punk band from the United Kingdom to release a single, "New Rose" (1976), release a studio album, Damned Damned Damned (1977) and tour the United States.
1976 - present / United Kingdom
Full biography and catalogue