Main Offender (song)

"Main Offender"
"Main Offender"
Single by The Hives
from the album Veni Vidi Vicious
Released	2001
Genre	Garage punk
Length	2:33
Label	Burning Heart; Sweet Nothing; Poptones; Hard-On;
Songwriter(s)	Randy Fitzsimmons
Producer(s)	Pelle Gunderfelt
The Hives singles chronology

"Main Offender" is a song from The Hives' second album, Veni Vidi Vicious, as the fourth track. It was released again on the compilation Your New Favourite Band. Nicholaus Arson notes the song as a favorite.^[2]

The song reached number 24 in the UK Singles Chart in May 2002.^[3] This was a re-release, the single having failed to chart when it was originally released in 2000.

Track listing

"Main Offender"
"Lost and Found"
"Howlin' Pelle Talks to the Kids"

Video

The music video is shot in black and white, in harmony with their recurring theme. It is made up of several image cut-outs, and video of the band for each shot, like an animated comic book, and involves them making their way through a town called "Punkrock city" to defeat some evil clones of them named: "The Negatives" . The video opens with newspapers praising The Negatives and mysterious manager Randy Fitzsimmons' hand is seen signing some sort of contract. He is then briefly seen giving an interview where he is quoted as saying: "Punkrock city is not big enough for both! The Hives are law, Negatives are crime, Capisce?" The members of the Hives are then seen on several phone calls to each other across the city, which lead to the band meeting up, getting into a car, and racing out of the city, towards a mansion where The Negatives are going to play a gig. They storm into the Mansion, jumping over cracks in the floor while the songs lyrics go overhead, and getting off an elevator. They then proceed to punch up The Negatives and walk out onto the balcony where The Negatives had been scheduled to play, where they are greeted by a large crowd of cheering people. A poster with "The Hives" written on it drops down and a drum count in starts before the video is cut off, ending.

References

^ Wiederhorn, Jon (29 August 2002). "Guns N' Roses Cap Night of Spectacles from Diddy, Eminem, Timberlake". MTV. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2013. Swedish darlings the Hives began by performing "Main Offender." As they played their Stooges-meets-Sonics garage punk, the words "You are crime, the Hives are law" scrolled across the stage screen.
^ "The Hives buzz about their favourite songs". The Guardian. London. 1 October 2007. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 12 May 2002 – 18 May 2002". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 July 2013.

[1] Wiederhorn, Jon (29 August 2002). "Guns N' Roses Cap Night of Spectacles from Diddy, Eminem, Timberlake". MTV. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2013. Swedish darlings the Hives began by performing "Main Offender." As they played their Stooges-meets-Sonics garage punk, the words "You are crime, the Hives are law" scrolled across the stage screen.

[2] "The Hives buzz about their favourite songs". The Guardian. London. 1 October 2007. Retrieved 7 May 2015.

[3] "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 12 May 2002 – 18 May 2002". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 July 2013.

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