"Buzzbomb" is a song by the Dead Kennedys

Dead Kennedys

Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....

 which appeared on their 1982 album Plastic Surgery Disasters

Plastic Surgery Disasters

Plastic Surgery Disasters is the second album released by the Dead Kennedys. It has been reissued with the EP In God We Trust, Inc., which are the last eight tracks on the CD. The cover photo is "Hands" by photographer Michael Wells. The same photo was used by other San Francisco based punk band...

. A second version of the song, titled "Buzzbomb From Pasadena", was released on the 1987 compilation Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death

Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death

-Personnel:* Jello Biafra - vocals, producer, artwork, compiler* East Bay Ray - guitar, echoplex, producer, mixer* Klaus Fluoride - bass, backing vocals * D.H...

.

The song was written by East Bay Ray

East Bay Ray

Raymond John Pepperell , better known by his stage name East Bay Ray is a guitarist best-known for his membership in the San Francisco Bay area-based punk band Dead Kennedys...

 and Jello Biafra

Jello Biafra

Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...

.

Basis

The original "Buzzbomb" is about a restless young man who is yearning to break free and does so by driving his car, which he loves more than life itself, at high speeds. He's nicknamed his car "buzzbomb" for reasons unclear. He also apparently still lives at home, as evidenced by the lyric "I'd rather cruise around all day than save up for a move."

He escapes California driving 110 miles per hour (49.2 m/s) on U.S. Route 50

U.S. Route 50

U.S. Route 50 is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California. Until 1972, when it was replaced by Interstate Highways west of the Sacramento area, it extended to San Francisco, near...

 and heads into Nevada continuing to gain speed, crashing through rest areas and running over people in toilets, including a "lonely salesman wanking in the men's room." He fantasizes about having a woman love him strictly for his car, pretending she's there as he goes on.

Eventually he reaches Ely, Nevada

Ely, Nevada

Ely is the largest city and county seat of White Pine County, Nevada, United States. Ely was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route. Ely's mining boom came later than the other towns along US 50, with the discovery of copper in 1906...

, the birthplace of Pat Nixon

Pat Nixon

Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan Nixon was the wife of Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, and was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974. She was commonly known as Patricia or Pat Nixon.Born in Nevada, Pat Ryan grew up in Los Angeles, California...

, and finally gains the attention of police, who work to try to take him out. They succeed, and he is apprehended at a 7-Eleven

7-Eleven

7-Eleven is part of an international chain of convenience stores, operating under Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd, which in turn is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co...

 by the police who shoot out his tires and scuff up the side of his car to take him in.

Sequel

The sequel involves an old lady who, like the young man in the first song, is restless and has a car she likes to drive fast. The title is inspired by "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena

The Little Old Lady from Pasadena

"The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" is a song written by Don Altfeld, Jan Berry and Roger Christian, and recorded by 1960s American pop singers, Jan and Dean. The song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1964...

" by Jan and Dean

Jan and Dean

Jan and Dean were a rock and roll duo, popular from the late 1950s through the mid 1960s, consisting of William Jan Berry and Dean Ormsby Torrence...

.

As the song is centered around a different person, several of the lyrics have been changed. The woman is looking to avoid moving into a retirement home and is caught in Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...

after crashing through a golf course. She fantasizes about being with a young man who will love her for her car and runs through the same rest area that appeared in the original song, where the lonely salesman apparently still is.