White Light, White Heat, White Trash

Music and lyrics

Stylistically, the album signifies a shift back to Social Distortion's hardcore and punk roots. When this album was released, Social Distortion had been playing for 18 years. In that time, the music went from a hardcore Ramones-sounding punk to a more melodic Elvis/Johnny Cash rockabilly punk sound. With this album, Social Distortion came full circle to a harder sound which some consider their strongest album thus far. It was named #41 on Kerrang!'s 50 Greatest Punk Albums Ever. Some old-school fans were upset when the first single, "I Was Wrong", was widely played on the radio as record sales equals selling out to some of the elitists; however, Social Distortion is something of a legend in the punk genre and continues to receive respect and support.

The lyrics on this album are as socially conscious as most of their previous albums with "Don't Drag Me Down" and "Down Here (w/the Rest Of Us)". There are also reflective songs such as "I Was Wrong", "Crown of Thorns" and "Pleasure Seeker". There are a couple of more personal songs for Ness on the album like "Dear Lover" and "When The Angels Sing" which is said to be a tribute to Ness's grandmother.

"Don't Drag Me Down" featured on the soundtrack for the 2000 Acclaim computer game Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX.

"I Was Wrong" is a playable song in the 2008 game Rock Band 2.

Cover and liner art

The cover of White Light, White Heat, White Trash features a photograph of a ventriloquist dummy/puppet taken by Leonard Myszynski. On the back cover is another photograph by Myszynski of religious statues. The inner liner is covered with small icons of religious and Americana nature, illustrating the album's fusion of faith and punk rock with a 1950s influence. The iconography includes dice, a 1950s-style automobile in front of a motel, a pin-up girl with angel wings and a halo, a burning cross and a Sacred Heart.

Reception

Reviews for White Light, White Heat, White Trash have generally been favorable. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine awards the album two-and-a-half stars out of five and claims that "Social Distortion made a conscious attempt to cash in on the alternative 'revolution" of the early '90s.'" For the musical direction, Erlewine states, "Underneath the layers of glossy hard rock production, the band still hold fast to some of their punk roots, but too often they sound like a heavy hard rock band. Of course, that commercial sheen is intentional – it's the only way they could appeal to the legions of post-grunge alternative fans who appeared since Social Distortion released Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell in 1992."

Track listing

All songs written by Mike Ness unless otherwise noted.

1. "Dear Lover" – 4:43
2. "Don't Drag Me Down" – 3:51
3. "Untitled" – 4:45
4. "I Was Wrong" – 3:58
5. "Through These Eyes" – 3:15
6. "Down on the World Again" – 3:22
7. "When the Angels Sing" – 4:15
8. "Gotta Know the Rules" – 3:28
9. "Crown of Thorns" – 4:15
10. "Pleasure Seeker" – 3:33
11. "Down Here (With the Rest of Us)" – 4:19
12. "Under My Thumb" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) – 2:49 *

'*' indicates a hidden track.

Personnel

Album chart positions

All chart positions from Billboard magazine (North America).

Singles chart positions

All chart positions from Billboard magazine (North America).

Singles information

Singles information gathered from SocialDistortion.com

Accolades

The information regarding accolades attributed to White Light, White Heat, White Trash is adapted from Acclaimed Music.

(*) designates unordered lists.