Up to eleven
Encyclopedia
"Up to eleven" or "these go to eleven" is an idiom
from popular culture
which has come to refer to anything being exploited to its utmost abilities, or apparently exceeding them, such as a sound volume
control. Similarly, the expression "turning it up to eleven" refers to the act of taking something to an extreme. In 2002 the phrase entered the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary
with the definition "up to maximum volume."
/rockumentary
This Is Spinal Tap
by the character Nigel Tufnel
, played by Christopher Guest
. In this scene Nigel gives the rockumentary's director, Marty DiBergi, played by Rob Reiner
, a tour of his stage equipment. While Nigel is showing Marty his Marshall
guitar amplifiers
, he points out one in particular whose control knobs all have the highest setting of eleven, unlike standard amplifiers, whose volume settings are typically numbered from 0 to 10, believing that this numbering actually increases the volume of the amp ("It's one louder"). When Marty asks why the ten setting is not simply set to be louder, Nigel pauses, clearly confused, before responding, "These go to eleven".
Idiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
from popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
which has come to refer to anything being exploited to its utmost abilities, or apparently exceeding them, such as a sound volume
Loudness
Loudness is the quality of a sound that is primarily a psychological correlate of physical strength . More formally, it is defined as "that attribute of auditory sensation in terms of which sounds can be ordered on a scale extending from quiet to loud."Loudness, a subjective measure, is often...
control. Similarly, the expression "turning it up to eleven" refers to the act of taking something to an extreme. In 2002 the phrase entered the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary
Shorter Oxford English Dictionary
The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, often abbreviated to SOED, is a scaled-down version of the Oxford English Dictionary . It comprises two volumes rather than the twenty needed for the full second edition of the OED...
with the definition "up to maximum volume."
Original scene from This is Spinal Tap
The phrase was coined in a scene from the 1984 mockumentaryMockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
/rockumentary
Rockumentary
The term rockumentary is a neologism denoting a documentary about rock music or its musicians. The term was used by Bill Drake in the 1969 History of Rock & Roll radio broadcast, and by Rob Reiner in the 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap....
This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap is an American 1984 rock musical mockumentary directed by Rob Reiner about the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap...
by the character Nigel Tufnel
Nigel Tufnel
Nigel Tufnel was the lead guitarist of the rock band Spinal Tap featured in the 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap. He was played by actor Christopher Guest.-Character biography:...
, played by Christopher Guest
Christopher Guest
Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest , better known as Christopher Guest, is an American screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor and comedian. He is most widely known in Hollywood for having written, directed and starred in several improvisational "mockumentary" films that...
. In this scene Nigel gives the rockumentary's director, Marty DiBergi, played by Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner
Robert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...
, a tour of his stage equipment. While Nigel is showing Marty his Marshall
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
guitar amplifiers
Instrument amplifier
An instrument amplifier is an electronic amplifier that converts the often barely audible or purely electronic signal from musical instruments such as an electric guitar, an electric bass, or an electric keyboard into an electronic signal capable of driving a loudspeaker that can be heard by the...
, he points out one in particular whose control knobs all have the highest setting of eleven, unlike standard amplifiers, whose volume settings are typically numbered from 0 to 10, believing that this numbering actually increases the volume of the amp ("It's one louder"). When Marty asks why the ten setting is not simply set to be louder, Nigel pauses, clearly confused, before responding, "These go to eleven".
Other references in popular culture
- Red vs. Blue has an episode in season 8 entitled "This One Goes to Eleven", which shows one of the characters fighting with extreme prowess and strength.
- Michelle BranchMichelle BranchMichelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actress. During the early 2000s, she released two top-selling albums, The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper, and was subsequently nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2003...
uses the lyric "What we got feels so good / Like I'm climbing a stairway to heaven / And it turns me on / When we dial it up all the way to eleven" in the song "Loud MusicLoud Music (song)"Loud Music" is the first single off Michelle Branch's upcoming studio album, West Coast Time. It was officially released to iTunes on June 10, 2011. It was co-written and produced by British team Jim Irvin and Julian Emery.-Reception:Katherine St...
" from her album West Coast Time (2011).
- Audio AdrenalineAudio AdrenalineAudio Adrenaline was a Christian rock band that formed in the late 1980s at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. During the band's 17-year existence, they were awarded two Grammy awards, multiple Dove Awards and they released 17 number one singles. They were regular performers at the...
uses the lyric "Crank to eleven" in "The Houseplant Song" on their 1999 album UnderdogUnderdog (Audio Adrenaline album)Underdog is the fifth full-length album released by Audio Adrenaline. The album's lyrics are a slight departure from Some Kind of Zombie, as they focus more on missions and the word of God being spread, as shown in "Hands and Feet" and "Jesus Movement"; a theme that would reappear in Worldwide...
.
- Citizen KingCitizen KingCitizen King was an American music group from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, whose style was a mix of hip-hop, soul and punk. They are best known for their top 40 hit "Better Days ", which peaked at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1999....
uses the lyrics "One foot in the hole/One foot gettin’ deeper/crank it to eleven/And blow another speaker" in their 1999 song "Better Days (And the Bottom Drops Out)Better Days (And the Bottom Drops Out)"Better Days " is a 1999 single by the American music group Citizen King, and featured on their album Mobile Estates...
"
- The Magnetic FieldsThe Magnetic FieldsThe Magnetic Fields is the principal creative outlet of singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt...
uses the lyric "There'll be time enough for sex and drugs in heaven / When our pheromones are turned up to eleven" in the song "Time Enough for Rocking When We're Old" from their album 69 Love Songs69 Love Songs69 Love Songs is a three-volume concept album by The Magnetic Fields released in 1999. As its title indicates, the album is composed of 69 love songs, all written by Magnetic Fields frontman Stephin Merritt.-Conception and live performance:...
.
- Natasha BedingfieldNatasha BedingfieldNatasha Anne Bedingfield is a British pop singer and songwriter. Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle...
uses the lyric "My heart is like a loudspeaker / That's always on eleven," in the 2010 song "Strip MeStrip MeStrip Me is the third studio album by British singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. Originally due for release on 9 November 2010, the album's release was pushed back to 7 December 2010 on Phonogenic Records...
."
- Frank BlackFrank BlackBlack Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...
uses the lyric "Look up to heaven, yeah / And turn it up to eleven." in the song "Pray a Little Faster."
- PusciferPusciferPuscifer is a side project of Maynard James Keenan from the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. As Keenan is the only permanent member and he considers the project to be his "creative subconscious", Puscifer could also be considered a pseudonym for his solo work....
uses the lyric "'Bout to turn it up to eleven" multiple times in the song "Man Overboard", the first single off the 2011 album, "Conditions of My Parole".
- The volume on BBC iPlayerBBC iPlayerBBC iPlayer, commonly shortened to iPlayer, is an internet television and radio service, developed by the BBC to extend its former RealPlayer-based and other streamed video clip content to include whole TV shows....
goes up to 11.
- In the Guitar HeroGuitar HeroGuitar Hero is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is the first entry in the Guitar Hero series. Guitar Hero was released on November 8, 2005 in North America, April 7, 2006 in Europe and June 15, 2006 in...
series of video games, the in-game volume controls for sound effects and music have a maximum value of 11.
- In the Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episode "The Lazarus ExperimentThe Lazarus Experiment"The Lazarus Experiment" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 5 May 2007 and is the sixth episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series. It stars David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones as his companion, played...
", the Doctor increases a church organ's volume with his sonic screwdriverSonic screwdriverThe sonic screwdriver is a fictional tool in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spinoffs. It is a multifunctional tool used by The Doctor. Its most common function is that of a lockpick, but can be used to perform other operations such as performing medical scans,...
, stating he needs to turn it "up to eleven".
- In the film Toy Story 2Toy Story 2Toy Story 2 is a 1999 American computer animated film directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Lee Unkrich and Ash Brannon. It is the sequel to the 1995 film Toy Story, released by Walt Disney Pictures and the third film to be produced by Pixar...
a closeup of Evil Emperor Zurg's death ray reveals that its maximum power setting is 11.
- This is Spinal Tap - Limited Marshall Amp Edition version of the movie comes with a working Marshall amplifier that goes to 11.
- KMFDM KMFDMKMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
uses the lyric "KRANK! Krank it to eleven!" in the chorus of their song KrankKrank (song)"Krank" is a song by industrial rock group KMFDM, the first single from their seventeenth studio album, WTF?!. It was released in North America on March 8, 2011, on the KMFDM and Metropolis record labels, and in Europe on March 11, 2011 on the Dependent label...
, the first single off their seventeenth studio album WTF?!WTF?!-Band members:* Sascha Konietzko – vocals, synthesizers, programming, drum programming , party balloon solo , bass guitar , guitar , feedback guitar , metal percussion * Lucia Cifarelli – vocals...
.
- The SmithereensThe SmithereensThe Smithereens are a rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio , Jim Babjak , Mike Mesaros , and Dennis Diken...
, in the liner notes to their album 11, proudly claim that this album "goes to 11".
- In the film Role ModelsRole ModelsRole Models is a 2008 American comedy film directed by David Wain about two energy drink salesmen who are ordered to perform 150 hours of community service as punishment for various offenses. For their service, the two men work at a program designed to pair kids with adult role models. The film...
the character Augie Farques is making a motivational speech and says, "So let us raise our swords in victory, crank this sh*t up to 11 and let's rip this realm a new *sshole!"
- Joy ElectricJoy ElectricJoy Electric is the brand label for a series of electropop/synth pop productions by Ronnie Martin. Martin began producing music under the Joy Electric name in 1994, after the demise of Dance House Children, a band Ronnie was in with his brother Jason Martin of Starflyer 59. Starflyer 59 bass player...
's song The Robot Beat (We're Back) contains the lyric "turn the tape machine up to 11, we're back".
- PusciferPusciferPuscifer is a side project of Maynard James Keenan from the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. As Keenan is the only permanent member and he considers the project to be his "creative subconscious", Puscifer could also be considered a pseudonym for his solo work....
's song "Man Over Board" states that Posiden is " 'bout to turn it up to 11".
See also
- Loudest band in the worldLoudest band in the worldThe loudest band in the world is a subject of some dispute in musical circles. Many bands have claimed to be the loudest, measuring this in various ways including with decibel meters at concerts and by engineering analysis of the CDs on which their albums are published.-Parodies:The notion of...
- Loudness warLoudness warThe loudness war or loudness race is a pejorative term for the apparent competition to digitally master and release recordings with increasing loudness.The phenomenon was first reported with respect to mastering practices for 7" singles...
- Spinal TapSpinal Tap (band)Spinal Tap is a parody heavy metal band that first appeared on a failed 1979 ABC TV sketch comedy pilot called "The T.V. Show", starring Rob Reiner...