Why Don't You Get a Job?

"Why Don't You Get a Job?"
Single by The Offspring
from the album Americana
B-side	"Beheaded" (1999)
Released	March 30, 1999
Format	CD, 12"
Recorded	1998
Genre	Ska punk
Length	2:49
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Dexter Holland
Producer	Dave Jerden
Certification	2x Platinum (ARIA) Gold (RIANZ) Gold (IFPI Swe) Gold (BPI)
The Offspring singles chronology
"Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" (1998) "Why Don't You Get a Job?" (1999) "The Kids Aren't Alright" (1999)

"Why Don't You Get a Job?" is a ska punk song by The Offspring. The song is featured as the 11th track on The Offspring's fifth studio album Americana (1998) and was released as the second single from the album. The song also appears as the eighth track on the band's Greatest Hits album (2005). The main tune of the song is inspired by The Beatles' song "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", but also borrows heavily from Simon and Garfunkels' song "Cecilia."

Track listings

Part 1

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Why Don't You Get a Job?"	2:49
2.	"Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) - Lowriders Remix"	3:01
3.	"Beheaded"	2:38
4.	"CD ROM Track Containing "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" Video"	3:07

Part 2

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Why Don't You Get a Job?"	2:49
2.	"Why Don't You Get a Job? (The Baka Boyz Remix)"	4:22
3.	"Beheaded (1999)"	2:38
4.	"I Wanna Be Sedated (Ramones Cover)"	2:19

Later version

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Why Don't You Get a Job?"	2:49
2.	"Beheaded (1999)"	2:38
3.	"I Wanna Be Sedated (Ramones Cover)"	2:19

Music video

The music video, directed by McG, was shot on the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood, and as such many notable TV and movie scenes can be seen throughout the video, including Colonial Street (currently famous as Wisteria Lane in Desperate Housewives) and Courthouse Square from the Back to the Future trilogy. The video features the four members of the band walking through these locations while a steadily growing crowd follows them.

Dexter Holland opens the video by flying into a serene suburban setting on a hang glider (McG explains this sequence by stating he wanted to start off the video with "something bizarre"). Self-destruction is a frequent theme throughout, with a man (playing a frustrated boyfriend referenced in the lyrics) throwing himself through a window early in the video, and a BMX biker falling off a roof shortly thereafter (for which the actor suffered a concussion, as revealed by Dexter and Noodles in an interview). Toward the end, Holland creates an explosion (triggered by a red button sitting inexplicably in the middle of the street), scattering his followers so that only his fellow band members remain. Interestingly enough, Ron Welty has already exited the scene by this point, eerily foreshadowing his departure from the band several years later.

In the Newlywed Game parody sequence, Bob Eubanks, the host of the real Newlywed Game, makes a cameo appearance.

Also near the end of the video the character from "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)", played by Guy Cohen, makes a short appearance (although there is an edit of the video where he doesn't appear). Chris "X-13" Higgins also appears shortly in the video as a lazy boyfriend. Wearing a Wifebeater, he pours mustard on his chest, a homage to John Belushi, who does the same thing in Animal House. Dancer and original Pussycat Dolls member Carmit Bachar plays his girlfriend.

DVD appearances

The music video also appears on the Complete Music Video Collection DVD. It was released in 2005.

Chart performance

Chart	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100	74
US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks	10
US Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks	4
Australian Singles Chart	2
Austrian Charts	16
Canadian RPM Top Singles	19
Canadian RPM Rock Chart	4
Mega Single Top 100	6
Switzerland Charts	24
Sverigetopplistan	2
New Zealand	4
UK Singles Chart	2

Certifications

Region	Certification
Australia (ARIA)	2× Platinum
Sweden (GLF)	Gold