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Add It Up

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"Add It Up"
Song by Violent Femmes
from the album Violent Femmes
ReleasedApril 1983 (1983-April)
GenreAlternative rock, folk punk, post-punk
Length4:44
LabelSlash Records
Songwriter(s)Gordon Gano[1]

"Add It Up" is a song by American rock band Violent Femmes, released on their 1983 debut album Violent Femmes.

It contains the lyrics:

Why can't I get just one screw
Believe me I'd know what to do
But something won't let me make love to you
Why can't I get just one fuck
Why can't I get just one fuck
I guess it's got something to do with luck
But I waited my whole life for just one

Band member Gordon Gano commented:

I was in my bedroom—that's where I wrote it—feeling frustrated. I had nowhere to go and nothing to do. It just happened to feel good lyrically ... and it still does.[1]

The song title was used as the name for the compilation album by the group, Add It Up (1981–1993).

Some radio stations substitute a guitar note for the swear word for airplay.

Used in other media

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  • Ethan Hawke's character in the 1994 film Reality Bites plays a cover of "Add It Up" with his band Hey That's My Bike.
  • The song is featured in the soundtrack of the 2004 skateboarding video game Tony Hawk's Underground 2.[2]
  • The song was covered on a cello and piano, as are several other Violent Femmes songs, in the 2007 film Rocket Science.
  • Canadian singer Shawn Mendes performed a cover of the song during the season 3 premiere of The 100.[3][4][5] A music video for the cover was released by The CW.[5] Violent Femmes bassist Brian Ritchie responded positively to the rendition through the band's official Facebook page, saying "It’s a testament to the universality expressed in [the song] that it can be resurrected with a different result even after 35 years and still sound current."[6]

Notes and references

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  1. ^ a b "Behind the lines", Rolling Stone, 14 November 2005. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
  2. ^ Altizer, Roger (November 12, 2019). "Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Soundtrack". Lifewire. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  3. ^ Murphy, Shaunna (January 8, 2016). "Watch Shawn Mendes Bring Sweet, Beautiful Music to 'The 100'". MTV. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  4. ^ Highfill, Samantha (January 8, 2016). "The 100: Shawn Mendes sings for the Sky People". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Frederick, Brittany (January 24, 2016). "Shawn Mendes releases 'Add It Up' music video from 'The 100'". AXS. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  6. ^ Ritchie, Brian (February 1, 2016). "Violent Femmes - 'Add It Up' by Shawn Mendes". Facebook. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
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