"I've got two tickets to Iron Maiden baby..."
It's arguably the easiest part to remember in Wheatus' 'Teenage Dirtbag' thanks to the 'female' voice which helps it stand out from the rest of the song - but have you ever wondered how the band actually pulled it off?
Advert
Wheatus is fronted by singer Brendan B Brown, who's previously told The Guardian that the riff to 'Teenage Dirtbag' is one he'd had in his head 'since college'.
He wrote it while 'lying on a futon staring at the ceiling in a rented apartment on Long Island, New York', and was inspired by the traditional American high school experience of the 80s - something he'd 'had ideas' about after spending his own teenage years at an all-male boarding school.
Building on a fantasy of prom dates and John Hughes movies like The Breakfast Club, Brown wrote a male and female part for the song, something which prompted many people to assume there was a female singer who joined him in the studio, or that there was some sort of technology involved to make his voice more high pitched.
In reality, however, Brown decided to sing both parts himself. See for yourself below:
Footage shows the singer taking a deep breath before launching into the verse, with his voice raised taking up a few octaves to give the impression of a female singer.
Advert
Viewers were left stunned to learn there was never a second singer involved, with one TikTok user writing this month: "i was today years old when i learned this."
Another commented: "Its seems obvious NOW but no I had now clue."
While some viewers were left baffled at the fact that some people are only just learning how Wheatus made the song, others said they knew it was Brown, but assumed he'd had some sort of voice manipulation to achieve the higher pitch.
"Tbf I thought they pitched up his voice but I could always tell it was him," one person said.
Advert
Explaining why he decided to sing the 'female part' himself, Brown told The Guardian: "The boyfriend character was based on a nameless conglomeration of the many d**chebag bullies who wanted to show you their father’s gun.
"I sang both the male and female parts because, when I was getting beat up, a lot of bullies were homophobic. I wanted to irritate them by putting on a female voice."
Speaking almost 20 years after the release of 'Teenage Dirtbag', Brown said he feels 'proud' whenever it comes on the radio.
"It’s this weaponised piece of pop culture," he said. "When we play it, if the room is full, the crowd sing so loud we can’t hear ourselves."
All together then - "'Cause I'm just a teenage dirtbag baby..."
Emily Brown