Come Out and Play ( song ) - wikipedia Come Out and Play ( song ) `` Come Out and Play '' Single by The Offspring from the album Smash B - side `` Session '' `` Come Out and Play ( acoustic ) '' Released March 10, 1994 Format Vinyl, Cassette and CD Recorded Genre Punk rock Length 3 : 17 Label Epitaph Songwriter ( s ) Dexter Holland Producer ( s ) Thom Wilson The Offspring singles chronology `` I 'll Be Waiting '' ( 1986 ) `` Come Out and Play '' ( 1994 ) `` Self Esteem '' ( 1994 ) `` I 'll Be Waiting '' ( 1986 ) `` Come Out and Play '' ( 1994 ) `` Self Esteem '' ( 1994 ) `` Come Out and Play '' ( Sometimes stylized with an added ' Keep ' em Separated ' ) is a song by the Californian punk rock group The Offspring. It is the seventh track on their third album Smash ( 1994 ) and was released as the first single from that album. Written by frontman Dexter Holland, the song was the second single to be released by the band, after `` I 'll Be Waiting '' ( 1986 ). It is considered to be The Offspring 's breakthrough song, as it received widespread radio play, with first attention brought by Jed the Fish of KROQ - FM, and reached number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, bringing both the band and the punk rock genre to widespread attention. Contents 1 Composition 2 Music video 3 Comparison to `` Bloodstains '' 4 Alternative versions 5 Alternate appearances 6 Track listings 6.1 Cassette, CD single, 7 '' black vinyl and 10 '' picture disc 7 Chart performances 8 References in Popular Culture 9 References 10 External links Composition Dexter Holland said most songs on Smash `` were just about whatever was happening in front of me. '' In the case of `` Come Out And Play '', it was about gang and school violence, as `` Back then I was a grad student and I was commuting to school everyday in a shitty car, driving through East L.A. Gangland central. I was there the day of the L.A. riots. So I was very aware of that part of the world, and a lot of that gun stuff came out in songs like `` Come Out and Play. '' Inspiration for the `` keep ' em separated '' lyric came from Dexter Holland 's experience in a laboratory cooling Erlenmeyer flasks full of hot liquids. Music video `` Come Out and Play '' was the first Offspring song for which a music video was created. The music video, directed by Darren Lavett, was shot in May 1994 and debuted on MTV in the summer of that year. The video is almost entirely in black - and - white with sepia tone segments, and features the band performing the song in the garage of a house with tinfoil covering the walls. There is also footage involving dogs fighting over a chew toy with a crowd watching, a horse race, a sword fight and some clips of several snakes and snake charmers, as well as some fencing scenes. The song is a nod to the Twisted Sister 1985 album Come Out and Play. Comparison to `` Bloodstains '' In 1994, Posh Boy Records owner Robbie Fields submitted a written claim to Epitaph Records via the Harry Fox Agency, alleging that the two - bar Arabian guitar phrase repeated throughout `` Come Out and Play '' copied the guitar solo from `` Bloodstains '', a song by the Fullerton, California punk rock band Agent Orange written in 1979 to which Fields, as the song 's publisher, owned the copyright. Offspring lead vocalist and primary songwriter Dexter Holland had cited `` Bloodstains '' as one of the songs that sparked his interest in punk rock, saying it `` really influenced me, especially that Arabian - sounding lead. I 've written a lot of stuff like that '', and The Offspring 's public admiration had brought Agent Orange increased attention. Fields contended that the similarity between the two guitar parts amounted to The Offspring sampling Agent Orange, and requested that Epitaph pay a licensing fee of US $0.01 for each copy of Smash sold -- equating to $60,000 or more at the time -- which he would split evenly with Agent Orange frontman and `` Bloodstains '' writer Mike Palm. A lawsuit was not filed, as Fields said `` Nobody wants to pillory anybody. But I feel I have a fiduciary duty to represent Mike Palm 's interests. '' Palm declined to give an opinion on the matter, later noting that he was not involved in filing the claim but did not disagree with it, and invited listeners to compare the two songs, saying `` Anyone who listens will know what the issue is. '' The Offspring 's manager Jim Guerinot called Fields ' claim baseless, saying the two guitar parts were `` not even close to identical. They 're both in the same scale, ( and ) there 's no doubt there 's an influence, ( but ) it does n't mean that it 's stolen. If he feels he has something, he 'll sue, and if we 've done something that is proven wrong ( by technical analysis of the two songs ) we should be sued. But we do n't feel there 's any merit to it. '' Randall Wixen, the Offspring 's music publisher, stated that a musicologist hired by Epitaph determined the two guitar parts were not identical, despite being based in the same Middle Eastern scale. `` We 've told ( Fields ) a hundred times he 's not getting paid. He 's not getting a cent '', Wixen said in 1996, stating that Fields and Palm would have to sue if they wished to pursue the claim. Although no lawsuit was ever filed, Palm maintained that he still deserved credit for the guitar riff : `` I could show you interviews in which Dexter Holland outright admits that he took that riff from my song and used it in his song, '' he asserted in 2000, `` In the rap world, when something like that is taken as a sample, they pay for it the same way I pay for guitar strings and picks. '' The claim became national news when The Offspring discussed it on MTV, leading to a backlash against Palm : `` Some punk kid 's perception of that is to think that I 'm the bad guy, '' he said, `` but they do n't understand that the Offspring are millionaires and I 'm just trying to retain whatever little tiny thing is mine. '' Some fellow Californian punk rock musicians criticized the allegation. Frank Agnew, guitarist of fellow Fullerton band the Adolescents, remarked `` I do n't see how you can call that plagiarism ; all it is an Arabic scale. It just reeks to me ( as if ) people are after a piece of the pie. If the Offspring did a guitar solo that was reminiscent of one of my guitar solos, I 'd be honored, not ( antagonized ). I think it 's real petty. '' The Vandals, who were signed to Holland 's label Nitro Records, released the song `` Aging Orange '' on their 1996 album The Quickening, with lyrics by bassist Joe Escalante mocking Palm 's claim to ownership of a style rooted in ancient Middle Eastern music : Back in ancient Egypt many pharaohs went to jail For misappropriation of my Phrygian scale I said `` Listen, Tutankhamun, you 're driving me insane It 's obvious those bellies are all dancing to ' Bloodstains ' I figured out you owe me, and please try not to laugh But every time I hear it, I get one more golden calf '' Palm called the song `` nothing but Joe 's desperate attempt to brown - nose The Offspring '', characterizing it as `` lame and out of line. You think there was some ass - licking going on there ? '', sentiments echoed by Fields. Palm noted `` Aging Orange '' incorrectly implied he had sued The Offspring. Escalante, also an entertainment lawyer, said that Fields ' and Palm 's attempt to get money from Epitaph and The Offspring represented `` the kind of crap I hate '' in both the legal system and entertainment business, and that The Vandals -- with their long tradition of satirizing things they perceived foolish within the punk scene -- would have ridiculed the situation regardless of the parties involved. The Offspring later covered `` Bloodstains '' for the soundtrack of the 2000 film Ready to Rumble. `` It 's great that they recorded ' Bloodstains ' '', said Palm, `` but it does n't help me personally. Sometimes I feel like an old black bluesman who got ripped off. '' Alternative versions The Offspring themselves made a middle - eastern styled instrumental version of the song. It can be heard as a hidden track at the end of Smash as well as on the `` Come Out and Play '' single. The UCLA Bruin Marching Band is known to play a marching band version of `` Come Out and Play ''. This song was covered by Richard Cheese on his 2000 album, Lounge Against the Machine and again released on the 2006 album, The Sunny Side of the Moon. The song is also played on wind instruments in the movie Click. `` Weird Al '' Yankovic wrote a parody version entitled `` Laundry Day '' which was played live on his Bad Hair Day tour in 1996, but was never officially recorded for any of his albums. There are conflicting stories as to why his parody was never recorded ; either Yankovic never approached The Offspring about releasing the parody, or the band denied permission. Aside from Yankovic, five other parody versions of the song were recorded and released : `` Put the Cheese Away ( Keep It Refrigerated ) '' by Joe and the Chicken Heads ( 1995 ), `` Come Out and Pray '' by ApologetiX ( 1997 ), `` Wrong Foot Amputated '' by Bob Rivers `` Get Them Immigrated '' by Manic Hispanic ( 2001 ) and `` Keep Her Penetrated '' by Blowfly ( 2006 ). A master track of this song is featured in the video games Rock Band 2 and Rock Band Unplugged. The Dollyrots covered the song in 2015, with guest vocals by Bowling For Soup 's Jaret Reddick. Alternate appearances As well as appearing on Smash, the song also appears as the second track on their 2005 Greatest Hits album. The music video also appears on the Complete Music Video Collection DVD, which was also released in 2005. Track listings Cassette, CD single, 7 '' black vinyl and 10 '' picture disc No. Title Length 1. `` Come Out and Play '' ( Keep ' Em Separated ) 3 : 17 2. `` Session '' 2 : 33 3. `` Come Out and Play '' ( Acoustic Reprise ) 1 : 31 Chart performances Chart ( 1994 / 95 ) Peak position Australia ( ARIA ) 8 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) 43 France ( SNEP ) 14 Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) 32 Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan ) 23 UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 98 US Mainstream Top 40 ( Billboard ) 39 US Radio Songs ( Billboard ) 38 US Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) 10 End of year chart ( 1995 ) Position France ( SNEP ) 69 Preceded by `` Fall Down '' by Toad the Wet Sprocket Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number - one single July 30, 1994 -- August 6, 1994 Succeeded by `` Einstein on the Beach ( For an Eggman ) '' by Counting Crows References in popular culture The 15th episode of season 2 of Fresh Off the Boat is named `` Keep ' Em Separated '' after a line from this song, and the song is referenced during the episode. Professional wrestler Raven used the song as his entrance music during his ECW run, then various knockoffs and sound - alikes in companies afterward. References Jump up ^ `` The Offspring `` Smash '' ``. Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 08. Jump up ^ `` The Offspring - Smash ( 1994 ) ''. Entertainmentopia.com. 2002 - 03 - 12. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 08. ^ Jump up to : ( 1 ) Jump up ^ ( 2 ) Jump up ^ Spoken commentary on the `` Self Esteem '' video from Complete Music Video Collection, released 2005 ^ Jump up to : Boehm, Mike ( 1995 - 04 - 04 ). `` Offspring Lifted Key Guitar Riff, Publisher Says ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 07. ^ Jump up to : Kane, Rich ( 2000 - 08 - 31 ). `` It 's All a Blur ''. OC Weekly. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 07. Jump up ^ Prato, Greg. `` Review : Living in Darkness ''. Allmusic. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 07. ^ Jump up to : Boehm, Mike ( 1996 - 11 - 29 ). `` Vandals Lyric Takes a Shot at Agent Orange 's Riff Wrath ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 07. Jump up ^ Rabin, Nathan ( June 29, 2011 ). `` Set List `` Weird Al '' Yankovic ``. The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved July 2, 2011. Jump up ^ Khanna, Vish. `` ' Weird Al ' Yankovic Alpocalypse Now... and Then ''. Exclaim !. Retrieved July 1, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Australian-charts.com -- Offspring -- Come Out and Play ''. ARIA Top 50 Singles. Jump up ^ `` Top Singles - Volume 60, No. 12, October 10, 1994 ''. RPM. Retrieved 2012 - 05 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Lescharts.com -- Offspring -- Come Out and Play '' ( in French ). Les classement single. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Offspring -- Come Out and Play '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Jump up ^ `` Swedishcharts.com -- Offspring -- Come Out and Play ''. Singles Top 100. Jump up ^ `` Official Singles Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Jump up ^ `` The Offspring Chart History ( Pop Songs ) ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` The Offspring Chart History ( Radio Songs ) ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` The Offspring Chart History ( Alternative Songs ) ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` The Offspring Chart History ( Mainstream Rock ) ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ 1995 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com Archived March 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. ( Retrieved January 30, 2009 ) External links Song review, Allmusic Come Out and Play official video on YouTube The Offspring Dexter Holland Greg K. Noodles Pete Parada Jim Benton Doug Thompson Marcus Parrish James Lilja Ron Welty Atom Willard Studio albums The Offspring Ignition Smash Ixnay on the Hombre Americana Conspiracy of One Splinter Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace Days Go By Compilations Collection Greatest Hits Happy Hour ! EPs Baghdad They Were Born to Kill Club Me A Piece of Americana Summer Nationals Demos 6 songs cassette Tehran Singles `` I 'll Be Waiting '' `` Come Out and Play '' `` Self Esteem '' `` Gotta Get Away '' `` Smash It Up '' `` All I Want '' `` Gone Away '' `` The Meaning of Life '' `` I Choose '' `` Pretty Fly ( for a White Guy ) '' `` Why Do n't You Get a Job ? '' `` The Kids Are n't Alright '' `` She 's Got Issues '' `` Original Prankster '' `` Want You Bad '' `` Million Miles Away '' `` Defy You '' `` Hit That '' `` ( Ca n't Get My ) Head Around You '' `` Spare Me the Details '' `` Ca n't Repeat '' `` Hammerhead '' `` You 're Gonna Go Far, Kid '' `` Kristy, Are You Doing Okay ? '' `` Half - Truism '' `` Days Go By '' `` Cruising California ( Bumpin ' in My Trunk ) '' `` Turning Into You '' `` Coming for You '' Video albums Americana Huck It Complete Music Video Collection Tours Warped Tour 2005 Days Go By Tour Smash : 20th Anniversary Tour World Tour 2016 World Tour 2017 World Tour 2018 Related articles Discography List of songs Awards List of the Offspring band members Nitro Records Related bands Angels & Airwaves Face to Face Saves the Day Steady Ground Book Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Come_Out_and_Play_(song)&oldid=819218308 '' Categories : 1994 singles The Offspring songs Billboard Alternative Songs number - one singles Songs written by Dexter Holland Songs about prison Protest songs 1994 songs Epitaph Records singles Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Australia Singlechart usages for France Singlechart usages for Dutch100 Singlechart usages for Sweden Singlechart usages for UK Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Billboardpopsongs Singlechart usages for Billboardradiosongs Singlechart usages for Billboardalternativesongs Singlechart usages for Billboardmainstreamrock Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Español Français Italiano Polski Português Русский Simple English Slovenčina Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 8 January 2018, at 03 : 51. 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Question: who sings you gotta keep them separated
Answer: The Offspring