Going Out in Style
Encyclopedia
Going Out in Style is the seventh studio album by the Dropkick Murphys
and was released on March 1, 2011. It was the band's second studio release on their Born & Bred Records label, and marks the longest gap between two Dropkick Murphys albums, as it was released almost four years after 2007's The Meanest of Times
.
and takes the band's own personal experiences and family folklore and roll them into the story of a fictional character named Cornelius Larkin. Going Out in Style traces the journey of Larkin, whether it's the Irish immigrant's first person account of his own wake or the band's in depth interpretation of his life and lineage throughout the album's lyrics. According to bassist/vocalist, Ken Casey
, "Cornelius has passed on to the other side, and the album becomes a retrospective of his life". The liner notes for the album will feature an obituary for Larkin written by author Michael Patrick MacDonald
. The band says that the story of Larkin evolved into a saga which will eventually be told through their website and could eventually become a book someday. Going Out In Style signals the beginning of another chapter in Dropkick Murphys’ own story. Vocalist Al Barr leaves off. “I hope fans can listen to Going Out In Style with the same excitement we have. It’s all about family and friends for us. No bullshit here….we don’t like to convolute things.”
The album also features guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen
, NOFX
vocalist Fat Mike, Chris Cheney
from The Living End
and actor/comedian Lenny Clarke
. Guitarist James Lynch's father, Pat Lynch makes an appearance on "The Irish Rover". On January 18, 2011, Rolling Stone
began streaming the song "Memorial Day" on their website. On February 2, 2011, Alternative Press released an exclusive stream of the song, "Hang 'Em High".
page along with a video discussing the song. On February 22, 2011, the band released their song, "Take 'Em Down" through their website and dedicated it to the thousands of Wisconsin
union workers who have been protesting the current budget plan of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker
. The band also plan to release limited edition t-shirts to raise money for the Worker's Right Emergency Fund. The music video for the first single, "Going Out in Style" was released on March 1, 2011 (the same day the album was released) and features cameos by Fat Mike, Chris Cheney
, Lenny Clarke
, Bobby Orr
, Mickey Ward, Kevin Youkilis
, Shawn Thornton
, Milan Lucic
, Heidi Watney
among many others.
A bonus track, "Walk Don't Run", is included on some versions of the album, including the Japanese CD and the iTunes
version. Going Out In Style debuted on the Billboard 200
Chart at #6, making it the highest charting album in the band's history, selling 43,259 copies in its first week.
On March 17, 2011, the music video for the second single, "Memorial Day" was released. On March 17, ESPN
featured a segment on band's music video for "Going Out In Style" and how the video featured cameos by some of Boston's sports stars from the past and present.
Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys are an Irish-American punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and making a name for themselves locally through constant playing and yearly St....
and was released on March 1, 2011. It was the band's second studio release on their Born & Bred Records label, and marks the longest gap between two Dropkick Murphys albums, as it was released almost four years after 2007's The Meanest of Times
The Meanest of Times
The Meanest of Times is the sixth album by the Dropkick Murphys. It was released on September 18, 2007 by their new vanity label, Born & Bred Records, a division of Cooking Vinyl Records...
.
Musical style
Going Out in Style is a concept albumConcept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
and takes the band's own personal experiences and family folklore and roll them into the story of a fictional character named Cornelius Larkin. Going Out in Style traces the journey of Larkin, whether it's the Irish immigrant's first person account of his own wake or the band's in depth interpretation of his life and lineage throughout the album's lyrics. According to bassist/vocalist, Ken Casey
Ken Casey
Ken Casey is the bass guitarist and a vocalist of the Boston Celtic punk group Dropkick Murphys. Casey was one of the original members, starting it in 1996 with Rick Barton and Mike McColgan. He is the only original member of the Dropkick Murphys left in the band, though drummer Matt Kelly joined...
, "Cornelius has passed on to the other side, and the album becomes a retrospective of his life". The liner notes for the album will feature an obituary for Larkin written by author Michael Patrick MacDonald
Michael Patrick MacDonald
Michael Patrick MacDonald is an Irish-American activist against crime and violence and author of his memoir, All Souls: A Family Story From Southie. Since being involved in activism, he helped to start Boston's gun-buyback program, founded the South Boston Vigil Group, which works with survivor...
. The band says that the story of Larkin evolved into a saga which will eventually be told through their website and could eventually become a book someday. Going Out In Style signals the beginning of another chapter in Dropkick Murphys’ own story. Vocalist Al Barr leaves off. “I hope fans can listen to Going Out In Style with the same excitement we have. It’s all about family and friends for us. No bullshit here….we don’t like to convolute things.”
The album also features guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, NOFX
NOFX
NOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...
vocalist Fat Mike, Chris Cheney
Chris Cheney
Christopher John Cheney is the guitarist, main songwriter and lead vocalist in the Australian rock band, The Living End. His trademark guitar is a Gretsch White Falcon and he uses mainly distortion and modulation effects...
from The Living End
The Living End
The Living End are an Australian rock band from Melbourne, Victoria, formed in 1994. The current lineup consists of Chris Cheney , Scott Owen and Andy Strachan...
and actor/comedian Lenny Clarke
Lenny Clarke
Lenny Clarke is an American comedian and actor, famous for his thick Boston accent and role as Uncle Teddy on the series Rescue Me. During the 1970s, as related in the Comedy Central roast of Clarke's friend Denis Leary, Clarke ran for mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts. When asked by Leary what...
. Guitarist James Lynch's father, Pat Lynch makes an appearance on "The Irish Rover". On January 18, 2011, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
began streaming the song "Memorial Day" on their website. On February 2, 2011, Alternative Press released an exclusive stream of the song, "Hang 'Em High".
Promotion and release
In the thirteen days leading up to the album's release, the Dropkick Murphys announced that they would preview a song each day through their FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page along with a video discussing the song. On February 22, 2011, the band released their song, "Take 'Em Down" through their website and dedicated it to the thousands of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
union workers who have been protesting the current budget plan of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker
Scott Walker (politician)
Scott Kevin Walker is an American Republican politician who began serving as the 45th Governor of Wisconsin on January 3, 2011, after defeating Democratic candidate Tom Barrett, 52 percent to 47 percent in the November 2010 general election...
. The band also plan to release limited edition t-shirts to raise money for the Worker's Right Emergency Fund. The music video for the first single, "Going Out in Style" was released on March 1, 2011 (the same day the album was released) and features cameos by Fat Mike, Chris Cheney
Chris Cheney
Christopher John Cheney is the guitarist, main songwriter and lead vocalist in the Australian rock band, The Living End. His trademark guitar is a Gretsch White Falcon and he uses mainly distortion and modulation effects...
, Lenny Clarke
Lenny Clarke
Lenny Clarke is an American comedian and actor, famous for his thick Boston accent and role as Uncle Teddy on the series Rescue Me. During the 1970s, as related in the Comedy Central roast of Clarke's friend Denis Leary, Clarke ran for mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts. When asked by Leary what...
, Bobby Orr
Bobby Orr
Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr, OC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Orr played in the National Hockey League for his entire career, the first ten seasons with the Boston Bruins, joining the Chicago Black Hawks for two more. Orr is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest...
, Mickey Ward, Kevin Youkilis
Kevin Youkilis
Kevin Edmund Youkilis , also known as "Youk" , is an American professional baseball player with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball...
, Shawn Thornton
Shawn Thornton
Shawn Thornton is a Canadian professional hockey forward for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. He is known to be an enforcer.-Playing career:...
, Milan Lucic
Milan Lucic
Milan Lucic is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger of Serbian origin currently playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League . He played major junior with the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League for three seasons and captured a Memorial Cup, while being named...
, Heidi Watney
Heidi Watney
Heidi Watney is the Boston Red Sox on-field reporter for NESN. Prior to joining NESN, Watney was a weekend sports anchor for KMPH in Fresno, California...
among many others.
A bonus track, "Walk Don't Run", is included on some versions of the album, including the Japanese CD and the iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
version. Going Out In Style debuted on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
Chart at #6, making it the highest charting album in the band's history, selling 43,259 copies in its first week.
On March 17, 2011, the music video for the second single, "Memorial Day" was released. On March 17, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
featured a segment on band's music video for "Going Out In Style" and how the video featured cameos by some of Boston's sports stars from the past and present.
Reception
Track listing
- "Hang 'Em High" – 3:59
- "Going Out in Style" (feat. Fat Mike, Chris CheneyChris CheneyChristopher John Cheney is the guitarist, main songwriter and lead vocalist in the Australian rock band, The Living End. His trademark guitar is a Gretsch White Falcon and he uses mainly distortion and modulation effects...
and Lenny ClarkeLenny ClarkeLenny Clarke is an American comedian and actor, famous for his thick Boston accent and role as Uncle Teddy on the series Rescue Me. During the 1970s, as related in the Comedy Central roast of Clarke's friend Denis Leary, Clarke ran for mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts. When asked by Leary what...
) – 4:08 - "The Hardest Mile" – 3:26
- "Cruel" – 4:21
- "Memorial Day" – 2:59
- "Climbing a Chair to Bed" – 2:59
- "Broken Hymns" – 5:03
- "Deeds Not Words" – 3:41
- "Take 'Em Down" – 2:11
- "Sunday Hardcore Matinee" – 2:43
- "1953" – 4:14
- "Peg o' My HeartPeg o' My Heart"Peg o' My Heart" is a popular song written by Alfred Bryan and Fred Fisher. It was published on March 15, 1913 and it featured in the 1913 musical Ziegfeld Follies. The song was first performed publicly by Irving Kaufman in 1912 at The College Inn in New York City after he had stumbled across a...
" (Alfred BryanAlfred BryanAlfred Bryan was a United States songwriter and pacifist.-Songs:His hits included*"Peg O' My Heart"*"Come Josephine in My Flying Machine"*"I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier"...
and Fred FisherFred FisherFred Fisher was a German-born American songwriter and Tin Pan Alley music publisher. Fisher founded Fred Fisher Music Publishing Company in 1907. He was born as Albert von Breitenbach in Cologne...
) (feat. Bruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
) – 2:20 - "The Irish RoverThe Irish Rover"The Irish Rover" is a traditional Irish song about a magnificent, though improbable, sailing ship that reaches an unfortunate end. It has been recorded by numerous artists, some of whom have made changes to the lyrics....
" (Traditional) (feat. Pat Lynch) – 3:39
iTunes version
- "Hang 'Em High"
- "Going Out in Style"
- "The Hardest Mile"
- "Cruel"
- "Memorial Day"
- "Climbing a Chair to Bed"
- "Broken Hymns"
- "Deeds Not Words"
- "Take 'Em Down"
- "Sunday Hardcore Matinee"
- "1953"
- "Peg o' My Heart"
- "Walk Don't Run"
- "The Irish Rover"