Roots Radicals

Not to be confused with Roots Radics.

"Roots Radicals" is a song by the American punk rock band Rancid. It was first released as a single in 1994. The song was re-recorded and released as the first single from its third album, ...And Out Come the Wolves. The song reached number 27 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks. The b-side, "I Wanna Riot" was originally featured on the Epitaph Records compilation Punk-O-Rama Vol. 1 (1994), and a slightly different and longer version of "I Wanna Riot" with the Stubborn All-Stars was later featured on the Beavis and Butt-head Do America Soundtrack (1996).

"Roots Radicals"
Single by Rancid
from the album ...And Out Come the Wolves
Released	August 7, 1995 (1995-08-07)
Recorded	February–May, 1995 at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California; Electric Lady Studios, New York City
Genre	Punk rock
Length	2:47
Label	Epitaph
Songwriter(s)	Tim Armstrong / Lars Frederiksen / Matt Freeman
Producer(s)	Jerry Finn, Rancid
Rancid singles chronology
"Salvation" (1995) "Roots Radicals" (1995) "Time Bomb" (1995)

Track listing

1. "Roots Radicals" – 2:47
2. "I Wanna Riot" – 3:06

Song information

The song is a tribute to Roots reggae, a subgenre of reggae music known for political radicalism. Specifically, the band is acknowledging that "the roots, the reggae on my stereo" to which the band listened during their teenage years influenced their later work. The title lyric and the line "you know I'm a radical," refer to the Jimmy Cliff song "Roots Radical", which features the chorus, "I'm a radical, I'm a roots radical". One of the repeated verses references Desmond Dekker, one of the most successful roots musicians. The song also draws inspiration from Bunny Wailer's "Roots, Radics, Rockers and Reggae" and Stiff Little Fingers version of that song, "Roots, Radicals, Rockers and Reggae". The "60 bus", which is mentioned in the beginning of the song, refers to a transit route that runs north from downtown Campbell, California along Winchester Boulevard to Santa Clara. The "43 bus," referenced in the song, is the defunct AC Transit 43 line which ran from El Cerrito Plaza, through Albany, Berkeley and Oakland to the Eastmont section of Oakland.

The lines "All the punk rockers/And the moonstompers" references the Symarip track Skinhead Moonstomp, and alludes obliquely to the band's extensive skinhead fanbase.

Another line from "Roots Radicals" provided the name for Give 'Em the Boot, a series of Hellcat Records compilations albums.