# Kick Out the Jams (song)

"Kick Out the Jams" is a song by MC5, released as a single in March 1969 by Elektra Records. The album of the same name caused some controversy due to inflammatory liner notes by the band's manager, John Sinclair, and the track's rallying cry of "Kick out the jams, motherfuckers!". According to guitarist Wayne Kramer, the band recorded this as "Kick out the jams, brothers and sisters!" for the single released for radio play; lead vocalist Rob Tyner claimed this was done without group consensus. The edited version also appeared in some LP copies, which also withdrew Sinclair's excitable comments. The album was released in January 1969; reviews were mixed, but the album was relatively successful, quickly selling over 100,000 copies and peaking at #30 on the Billboard album chart in May 1969 during a 23-week stay.
When Hudson's, a Detroit-based department store chain, refused to stock the Kick Out the Jams album due to the obscenity, MC5 responded with a full-page advertisement in the local underground magazine Fifth Estate saying "Stick Alive with the MC5, and Fuck Hudson's!", prominently including the logo of MC5's label, Elektra Records, in the ad. Hudson's pulled all Elektra records from their stores, and in the ensuing controversy, Jac Holzman, the head of Elektra, dropped the band from their contract. MC5 then signed with Atlantic Records.

## Formats and track listing
### US 7" single (EK-45648)

* "Kick Out the Jams" (Michael Davis, Wayne Kramer, Fred "Sonic" Smith, Dennis Thompson, Rob Tyner) – 2:37
* "Motor City Is Burning" – 4:30

## Personnel

Adapted from the Kick Out the Jams liner notes.

### Musicians

* Michael Davis – bass guitar, backing vocals
* Wayne Kramer – electric guitar, backing vocals
* Fred "Sonic" Smith – electric guitar, backing vocals
* Dennis Thompson – drums
* Rob Tyner – lead vocals

### Production and additional personnel

* Bruce Botnick – production, engineering
* Jac Holzman – production

## Charts

| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 82 |
| Canada RPM (magazine) | 51 |

## Release history

| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
| United States | 1969 | Elektra | LP | EK-45648 |

## Cover versions

| Band | Year | Release |
| Blue Öyster Cult | 1978 | Some Enchanted Evening |
| Afrika Bambaataa and Family | 1986 | Beware (The Funk Is Everywhere) |
| Volcano Suns | 1989 | Thing of Beauty |
| The Big F | 1990 | Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary |
| Bad Brains with Henry Rollins | 1990 | Pump Up the Volume (Music From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
| Poison Idea | 1992 | Pajama Party |
| The Fluid | 1992 | Spot the Loon |
| Guitar Wolf | 1994 | Kung Fu Ramone |
| The Presidents of the United States of America | 1995 | The Presidents of the United States of America |
| The Mono Men | 1995 | "Kick out the Jams!"/"We Got What It Takes" |
| Michael Monroe | 1996 | Peace of Mind |
| Entombed | 1997 | DCLXVI: To Ride Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth |
| Rich Hopkins & Luminarios | 1997 | The Glorious Sounds of Rich Hopkins & Luminarios |
| Monster Magnet | 1998 | Powertrip |
| Wayne Kramer | 1998 | LLMF (Live Like a Mutherfucker) |
| The Rob Tyner Band | 1999 | Rock and Roll People |
| Silverchair | 1999 | Live at Melbourne Park |
| Rage Against the Machine | 2000 | Renegades |
| Joseph LoDuca | 2000 | Xena: Warrior Princess episode "Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire" |
| Jeff Buckley | 2001 | Jeff Buckley Live À L'Olympia |
| Agitated | 2002 | Go Blue, Go Die |
| The Nomads | 2002 | Showdown 2-The 90's |
| Give Up the Ghost | 2003 | Year One |
| Europa | 2003 | Wake Up - A Tribute to Rage Against the Machine |
| Pearl Jam | 2005 | 12/9/05, Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City, Mexico |
| Disoscillators featuring You the Rock | 2009 | Last Rockers |
| Frankenstein 3000 | 2010 | They'll Be Waking Up Soon |
| The Strypes | 2014 | Flat Out |
| Black Hay | 2015 | Imitating the Jams |
| U.K. Subs | 2018 | Subversions |