The Breakdown: Violent Femmes' 'Blister in the Sun' 

Brian Ritchie is Such an underrated bassist

I hitch hiked to Alaska in spring 87 with a Walkman and one tape: violent femmes 1. I listened to it and shared it all summer in the Yukon where I eventually met my wife. Grandpa now and my grandchildren love listening to it with me when we get pancake happy meals together.

Just saw these guys Saturday in Detroit. What a great time to finally get to see them live

The most underrated group of all time !!!

One of the bands from my youth that I still rock to and plan to pass to my grandkids!

As a woman with big hands, I always thought it was a shout out to how awesome I am.

As fan of this band for almost 35 yrs now, i can testify to the absolute joy that myself, and the whole crowd, feels seeing them play live. Home family. PLEASE keep getting Wild

I was in high school working in a record store when the album came out and all of us there were amazed with it -- but i bet it took 2 years for the album to get really popular.

I got to see you guys back in the early 2000s. One of the best concert experiences. You guy are amazing! Thank you

First time I listened to this song, me and my mates went camping, and we walked up to this place called the chanctonbury ring, my mate made a playlist, we got high and he put it on shuffle and blister in the sun came on, and I absolutely fell in love with it

i couldnt fucking believe it when i found out this song came out in 1983

Incredible people. Incredible band.

Blister in the Sun is the only song (besides Jingle Bells and the Gilligan's Island theme song) to which I know all the lyrics While traveling abroad I would often sing Blister in the Sun for people when they asked me to sing a song from my homeland.

Nice to see these guys still play & like to play this for this fans after all this time

We listened to this on a kid's boombox on the bus every day in back in 1985 or so.

Blister is every inch as great as You really got me, Louie Louie, any Lou Reed or Iggy & Stooges tune.

I would recognize the first three seconds of that song 🎶 anywhere anytime and it automatically makes me smile 😃. 😂 It reminds me of this guy I dated in the 90’s. He introduced me to the song. 😂

i always thought the song was just about being addicted to drugs and ur girlfriend breaking up with you because of it

Love you!!!!!!!! 47 and still in love!!!

Rolling Stone, AWESOME job at 1:48 of, when Brian Ritchie is talking about how Victor DeLorenzo initiated the drum lick spontaneously, showing us a live clip of SECOND DRUMMER Guy Hoffman. Nice job, editors.

My sister introduced me to this group when I was between 7 and 10 years old. I’m actually from their hometown of Milwaukee WI. I’ve seen them a few times at this festival they used to have there back in the 90s called Maritime Days. I’ve seen them there and what used to be the Marcus Amphitheater right by the Summer Fest grounds. I’d definitely see them again if they came through WI!! The 1st album (literally a vinyl album) I had of them was The Blind Leading the Naked. I still probably have not heard all their songs they’ve ever made yet!

1:13 1983: - I wrote the song, initially thinking a women was going to be singing it .. 2021 TrixieMattel: Hold my redbull...

So I remember growing up, I was like 14 years old and I was huge into BMX. I found this BMX video and I believe it was Animal: Can I eat. Atleast one of the Animal Videos anyways and there was Steven Hamilton’s part to Gone Out the Window. I fucking fell in love with that song searched every Graywhale my sister would drag me to high and low for that CD. And I found it. I played that CD right up until nobody had or used CD players anymore and that was the connection I started to make with this band. Blister in the Sun was cousins and Is favorite song all the time but we didn’t know what it was, we were to young it’s our parents that played it and giggled or got drunk and sung along. Now looking back I see what you guys did to influence my life for the better. And I’m stoked to see you guys in SLC this year. I’m sorry and grateful you gotta come to SLC though.

Hallowed Ground was another great album they put out.

surprised to see gano and ritchie sitting together after ritchie sued over this song specifically.

I love Rock and Roll and this is why!

My jam from back in the day. Loved them.

Since the very first time I heard this song it always filled me with joy and energy and still now I love it e it like the first time!!!!

Met these guys at a show, absolutely awesome dudes

I learned to play guitar because of these guys.

I thought it was about shenanigans at a festival, and then going onstage with the Sun in your face, and the bassist has big hands.

FANTASTIC! Thank you RS.

this song is perfect

Eternally awesome

i don't know what it is about this song, but absolutely everyone knows all the words, the whole thing!

I love these guys. ❤️

Legends.

Tellement content de vous redecouvrir

Nice album, too. Thanks.

I adore the Violent Femmes

That album changed my life.

Unique music yet easily absorbed. Awesome band.

No joke. I thought this was from the late 80's. I was blown away finding it's from 1983. They could come out right this second in 2024 and be a hit. 🤯

Everything I rewind the video to see how they play it slowly I have to listen to Gordon Gano say "wet dream"

That part where they say what it means

:13 looks like the Rolling Stone video editor really wanted the song title to have an “A” in it.

I didn’t think acoustic basses were made that long ago

Just saw you in Eugene !! Fun !! Got soaked!

Add it up is one of the greatest albums of all time.

Crazy how unique they were / are. No ome soulds like them to this day.

Dope

I have a hankering for some Wendy’s

1:16 Alex Chen

Always love it when the authorities (mainly teachers) don't understand the material. Unless Billy comes back and explains "Romeo and Juliet", I'm still claiming my interpretation is correct.

❤️🍀♾🌻🙏DANCE

Wood stock 94 after I seen em I picked up greatest hits C.D amazing.

I think I saw these guys at Woodstock 94, they played at like 3am.

Forever I thought these guys were British until I saw this inteview.

I always thought it was a cautionary tale about wearing sun screen.

Back in the day Brian looked like Keef from Righteous Gemstones

It's a great song, but "Kiss Off" is better.

1:51 looks like Ted bundy

loved you in the hovels... love you in your niches..since the Milestone

Can anyone just say what it means

Big hands makes sense now lol

I've only ever had 1 wet dream & it happened a few days after detoxing off heroin.

1:50 ace Ventura be like

L E G E N D S ⚡

I love this band. So angsty

blister in the sun..well having a blister in the sun is painful....a bit like life and nothun is going right and why do i have these bodily functions and what it all about..its like a blister in the sun...thnats what i alwazys thought

Too bad them & Victor could not agree to business and stay as the drummer for “ this era “ of their performances .....

The song is about tweaking, and if not it should be.

Dance motherfuckers dance.

First

That dude has a giant head

i had a copy on cd of their debut album with the lyrics inside the cover...lyrics read "because i know you're the one" lol not big hands i know you're the one. not sure if it were a misprint or gordon just started singing big hands i know you're the one.

I always thought it was about masturbation, too.

I thought it was about premature ejaculation.

I thought it was about sexual feelings for a man.

Who’s here because of Trixie Mattel

I thought this song was about heroin?

What's the crack with the little girl?

NO THIS SONG IS ABOUT SATAN ASKING THE GOD OF ABRAHAM IF HE COULD JUST CONTINUE TO EXIST In the shadow of CHRIST, THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

Hipster junk band