Everything About You (Ugly Kid Joe song)

"Everything About You" is the debut single of American heavy metal band Ugly Kid Joe, originally from their 1991 EP, As Ugly as They Wanna Be. The song gained popularity after being featured in the 1992 hit film Wayne's World and was later included on the band's full-length debut album, America's Least Wanted, which was also released in 1992.

"Everything About You"
Single by Ugly Kid Joe
from the album As Ugly as They Wanna Be and America's Least Wanted
B-side	"Whiplash Liquor"
Released	March 19, 1992
Genre	Pop-metal[1]
Length	4:06 (radio edit) 4:20 (album version)
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Whitfield Crane Klaus Eichstadt
Producer(s)	Ryan Dorn Ugly Kid Joe
Ugly Kid Joe singles chronology
"Everything About You" (1992) "Neighbor" (1993)

The pop-metal song was a commercial success around the world, peaking at number three on the UK Singles Chart, number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number five in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Norway. In Australia, the song was released as part of the As Ugly as They Wanna Be EP, reaching number four on the ARIA Singles Chart.

The song has been seen as "[signifying] the intersection of fading hair metal and rising grunge by combining the former’s optimistic sound with the latter’s pessimistic lyrics".^[2]

Song information

Singer Whitfield Crane said the song is about a cynical childhood friend of the band's. "He's not mean-spirited by any means, but he can sure pick apart any situation. And he always had that charm about him," said Crane.^[3]

The song describes, with an uptempo beat, a list of things the lead singer hates or doesn't care about: the weather, "your" family, and "everything about you." In the bridge, the singer admits that he has a bad attitude, but that he enjoys hating everything and refuses to change. The song closes with the well-known couplet "Shave and a Haircut".

The re-recorded version includes a spoken intro by actress Julia Sweeney, in the role of Pat, the overweight androgynous character that appeared on Saturday Night Live, saying "Are you the guys on the beach that hate everything? Eww! Is this some sort of hip music that I don't understand?"

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Thomas Mignone and features the band playing on a beach in Isla Vista, CA. Mignone spent the entirety of the video's budget on an assortment of inflatable love dolls purchased on the morning of the video shoot from a Hollywood Boulevard adult shop en route to the beach location. A large tank of helium was "borrowed" from a nearby dentist's office and used to inflate the love dolls so that vocalist Whitfield Crane could fly them like kites at the beach. Filming was halted for several hours when the Federal Aviation Administration authorities arrived at the location and informed Mignone that aircraft arriving and departing from nearby Santa Barbara Airport were complaining of nude love dolls in their flight paths. A sheepdog appears in multiple scenes, although filming had to be cut on repeated occasions as the dog would not refrain from urinating on Mark Davis’ drum kit.

Reception

The song found its greatest success in the United Kingdom,^{[citation needed]} where it reached number three in May 1992, and it also reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. It additionally reached the top 10 in Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway and peaked within the top 20 in Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. The single also charted in Australia as part of the As Ugly as They Wanna Be EP, reaching number four and earning a Platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipments exceeding 70,000. Rolling Stone Magazine placed this song and its follow up "Cats in the Cradle" on their list of the "20 Greatest Two-Hit Wonders of All Time", saying for "Everything About You", "this California group straddled the line between the hard-rock hookiness that was waning in popularity in Nirvana's Nineties and more au courant alt-rock surliness on their debut single".^[4] AllMusic reviewer Heather Phares, reacted to the song negatively, and called it a "hair metal snark-fest".^[5]

Track listings

7-inch single^[6]

A. "Everything About You" (clean edit) — 4:06

B. "Whiplash Liquor" — 3:40

UK and European CD single^[7]

1. "Everything About You" (clean edit) — 4:06
2. "Whiplash Liquor" — 3:40
3. "Sin City" (AC/DC cover recorded live at the Carnaval, Santa Barbara) — 5:05
4. "Everything about You" (dirty version) — 4:14

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1992) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[8] As Ugly as They Wanna Be EP 4 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 8 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] 37 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[11] 9 France (SNEP)[12] 25 Germany (GfK)[13] 11 Ireland (IRMA)[14] 5 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] 5 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 6 Norway (VG-lista)[17] 5 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[18] 15 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 14 UK Singles (OCC)[20] 3 US Billboard Hot 100[21] 9 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[22] 6

Year-end charts Chart (1992) Position Australia (ARIA)[23] 13 Belgium (Ultratop)[24] 96 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[25] 63 Germany (Official German Charts)[26] 59 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[27] 47 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[28] 50 US Billboard Hot 100[29] 72 UK Singles (OCC)[30] 39

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23]	Platinum	70,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	March 19, 1992	7-inch vinyl cassette	Mercury	[citation needed]
United Kingdom	May 4, 1992	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD cassette		[31]
Japan	August 31, 1992	Mini-CD		[32]

References

1. Drever, Andrew (November 29, 2017). "Ugly Kid Joe get last laugh on haters after all these years". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
2. Rivadavia, Eduardo (October 27, 2016). "Ugly Kid Joe Came Out of Nowhere With 'As Ugly as They Wanna Be'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
3. Prato, Greg (October 21, 2015). "Whitfield Crane of Ugly Kid Joe : Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
4. Harris, Keith; Johnston, Maura (March 31, 2014). "Love Me Two Times: 20 Greatest Two-Hit Wonders of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
5. Radio Waves of the '90s: Alternative Rock Hits - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved April 2, 2021
6. Everything About You (European 7-inch single sleeve). Mercury Records. 1992. 866 770-7.
7. Everything About You (UK & European CD single liner notes). Mercury Records. 1992. MERCD 367, 866 771-2.
8. "Ugly Kid Joe – As Ugly as They Wanna Be". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
9. "Ugly Kid Joe – Everything About You" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
10. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2144." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
11. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 24. June 13, 1992. p. 19. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
12. "Ugly Kid Joe – Everything About You" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
13. "Ugly Kid Joe – Everything About You" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
14. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Everything About You". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
15. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 26, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
16. "Ugly Kid Joe – Everything About You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
17. "Ugly Kid Joe – Everything About You". VG-lista. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
18. "Ugly Kid Joe – Everything About You". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
19. "Ugly Kid Joe – Everything About You". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
20. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
21. "Ugly Kid Joe Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
22. "Ugly Kid Joe Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
23. "1992 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
24. "Jaaroverzichten 1992" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
25. "1992 Year-End Sales Charts" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 51/52. December 19, 1992. p. 17. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
26. "Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1992" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
27. "Single top 100 over 1992" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
28. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1992" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
29. "Billboard Top 100 – 1992". Archived from the original on July 8, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
30. "Year End Charts: Top Singles". Music Week. January 16, 1993. p. 8.
31. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. May 2, 1992. p. 25.
32. "エヴリシング・アバウト・ユー | アグリー・キッド・ジョー" [Everything About You | Ugly Kid Joe] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 13, 2023.