The New Radicals broke out in 1999, just a few months after their song “You Get What You Give” became a worldwide hit. For the past 22 years, they have turned down all offers to reunite. But about a week ago, Gregg Alexander, frontman of New Radicals, finally got an offer he could not turn down: the Biden-Harris government wanted him to play ‘You Get What You Give’ on their virtual ‘Parade Across America’.
‘We promised as Joe [Biden] won, we would come together and play our little song in memory and in honor of our new president’s patriot son Beau, ”Alexander said in an introduction to the song. “And also with the prayer that Joe can bring our country back with compassion, honesty and justice for a change.”
Only part of the song was broadcast on TV, but Rolling clip is the premiere of the complete performance. We also talked to Alexander about preparing for the big day, the infamous “Marilyn Manson” verse and what it could lead to in the future.
When did you hear that the Biden family was a fan of ‘You get what you give?’
A friend reads in a [Washington] DC paper that the lyrics of “You Get What You Give” were read during Beau Biden’s funeral. But I did not understand why I heard Ashley [Biden] speaks of the song in Beau’s praise. And later it was in Joe [Biden’s] book.
The song was also used in presidential and Georgia videos to make ‘voice-out-of-the-vote’ videos, so perhaps it catalyzed the invitation for us to perform between these two events. It is such an unexpected honor, especially after the tragic year of 2020, and the hope that there is some positivity in our song that can bring it to the beginning of 2021 and the Biden / Harris government.
Who called about the possibility of a reunion and what was your first reaction?
Another friend whose team ‘brought the videos’ out of the mood’ asks me, ‘Gregg, the song has such a personal meaning for the Biden and Harris family (it’s also Kamala Harris’ husband’s walk -out’-tune). Would you consider performing the song as New Radicals during the inauguration if they asked? It sounded so far-fetched that I half joked: “Only if you play guitar!”. But a month later, I received an official request, and I said, ‘Let’s do it!’
But seriously, my reaction was that I was deeply honored but muted because it’s a gloomy time in America.
How many reunion offers have you refused in the past? Why was this one different?
Countless – and of course, it’s always flattering. Label Heads offers small fortunes for a second New Radicals album, but honestly, I’m relatively happy with my life. I get a laugh when I see that we are sometimes called a ‘one-hit wonder’, as some people may not realize that New Radicals ended by choice before our second single was released. But I consider it a cute term of intake.
I’m sure if I had just sung my song “Game of Love” with Santana on the label or my Euro hits I wrote for others, things would have been different. But again, maybe my life would not be my own.
“It is such an unexpected honor especially after the tragic year of 2020.”
In my iPhone intro piece for the Inauguration performance – for TV viewers who may have no idea who I am – I joke about the fact that I’m the man on Rolling clip‘s most amazing album for one album … with the Sex Pistols, Lauryn Hill and Jeff Buckley. You have to laugh about this stuff.
But a presidential inauguration is completely different from other potential reunions, especially when our democracy is at stake. Or if you learn that one in four Americans under the age of 25 has thought of suicide in the past month. So you hope that when someone hears you sing, “If you feel your tree breaking … just bend” on TV, you can give them the slightest reminder to hang on in the face of the negativity we unfortunately do not have online or in the news every day.
Which previous members of the group did you invite back? What were their answers?
It literally came together in two days, so unfortunately there was no Covid-safe way for my old tour group to get from California to a Philly soundtrack. Luckily some of the best musicians live in Philly and it happened to be available. And even though we’ve never played together before and had no time to practice, these guys are so bad that they got together quickly after being stuck for a while. On top of that, we had to perform at a social distance from the musicians and crew, but [my New Radicals bandmate] Danielle [Brisebois] our housewife was constantly reminding us to be safe and not get so close!
Read me through the preparation process for this performance.
My main preparation was mostly just me dancing around. At this point, I know the song pretty well! We filmed a full performance of the song edited by the inauguration [organizers] in a way they needed to work for the parade. But we are now releasing the full version so people can see it too.
Stephanie Cutter, the amazing executive producer of the inauguration, was adamant when I humbly suggested that they perform the visual version of our entire performance without any other footage to not disappoint anyone who expects to see just the performance. She humorously reminded me, “Gregg, this is Biden’s inauguration, not a video from New Radicals!” It was quite funny, because little did she know that we had not shot a music video for over 20 years!
When was the last time you sang the song in any capacity?
Here’s something scary … if someone puts you on YouTube and sings for an audience while having equipment issues … it’s a reminder when you sing on a public stage that you have to assume someone is recording it!
Five years ago, my tune, “Lost Stars” (Adam Levine), was nominated for an Oscar and during an LA Italia awards ceremony, a guitarist and I were invited to perform it acoustically. But they also asked if I would do a New Radicals song, and I naively agreed.
The microphone on the guitar was not turned on and I realized that I was just listening to my audience. So I did a headache to make the audience beat and distract from the lack of guitar, while breaking into a relentless acapellla ‘You Get What You Give’. The show has to go on!
But the horror of that experience is still etched in my memory. If you’ve bored enough in quarantine and want to hear – and see someone panicking singing acapella to a room full of Italians, then this is it!
Will you change any lyrics, especially the infamous “Marilyn Manson” verse?
I actually had no meat with the artists I mentioned in the rap in the song. My main problem was with the corrupt bankers, FDA and medical insurance types, which in retrospect was a sad exact lyric. But in the late nineties, no one wanted to metaphorically “spoil the party” artists with such political lyrics during the CD boom!
To write that “health insurance is raping the lying FDA” rap when I got to the part to rhyme the words “mansion” and “ass-in” were just words like Hanson, who is very talented VAT, one of the options I had the time! But for the inauguration and just four minutes to play, I couldn’t get to the rap part anyway.
“I’m pretty sure [“You Get What You Give”] will survive me. ”
What is your current anxiety when playing in front of the whole country?
I’m not so worried anymore after playing TV shows and multi-book radio shows with some 50,000 people in the late 1990’s. I had to let go of that anxiety for a long time. We were more concerned about being on a soundtrack during Covid – especially with Danielle’s constant memories!
Is it one-off or are you open to future orchestral activities?
I have albums that have not been released yet, with a lot of songs – maybe as good as my best. So if I could just figure out how to clone myself and send the person into the world for me to lead that crazy life, maybe I could still be a contender !?
But seriously, over the future, I often have a rabbit or two up my sleeve. And looking back, I’m very grateful that music was a passport to a life I never imagined at 16, when I was just trying to quit school, so I could save my energy to run home to my bedroom’s studio-studio to finish- the wall demos.
I would play it for classmates without saying it was me so I could discover their favorites and why; that elusive search for the songs that make people happy, sad or even better at the same time.
I have probably written a thousand songs, walked in a dozen Euro hits or my album “Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too”‘s little cult of public or criticism. But if only one thing in my life were to be my “ambassador” to the world, I would be foolish to choose anything but “You get what you give.” I’m pretty sure it will survive me.