Released September 4, 2008 Length 2:58 | Genre Punk rock Label Columbia | |
Format Digital download, CD single, CD maxi Recorded November 2006–April 2008 in Maui, Hawaii and Orange County, California | ||
"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. 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. This is the band's most successful hit of the 2000s matching the success of their 1990s singles that the band was known for. This song is one of the most popular songs by the Offspring and often appears as their best song. On the album Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, it appears as the third track after Trust in You.
Contents
"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.
Music video
The music video for this single was directed by Chris Hopewell, 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.
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.