Guilty Pleasures: Harvey Danger: Where Did All the Merrymakers Go?

I have over 1,200 DVDs, 3,000 CDs and a couple hundred books; over half of them the average person would be completely embarrassed to own. I, however, defend my purchases.

EPISODE 4: HARVEY DANGER – WHERE DID ALL THE MERRYMAKERS GO?

In 1998 I was resting in my bed listening to the local radio station y100. Suddenly they debuted a new single by a “new band” named Harvey Danger. That song was the massive hit Flagpole Sitta. The title of the song came from the lyric ‘I run it up the flagpole and see who salutes but no one ever does’, however most people than (and even today) just refer to the song as “Paranoia, Paranoia” after its undeniably catchy bridge. However except for their poorly charting follow-up single Private Helicopter the band basically disappeared into one hit wonder obscurity.

What’s a shame is that the band was extremely talented and their major label debut Where Did All the Merrymakers Go? is a shining example of quality late 90’s indie punk. The bands formed back in 1992 (six years before their hit single) and in true punk fashion began with 4 inexperienced musicians forming a band before learning to play their instruments.

Specifically nailing down a genre for Harvey Danger is tough, there’s definitely punk attitude in songs like Old Hat and Flagpole Sitta but then songs like Jack the Lion come off as much more indie rock based fare (specifically a group like Modest Mouse) but when you’ve got songs tackling such things as Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo and publishing your own zines, I tend to file them safely in the Geek Rock genre with bands like They Might Be Giants, Weezer and Weston (the latter two I will likely be defending albums of one day).

Harvey Danger has managed to keep a decent cult following which is why the band broke up only two years ago. Their debut however is a masterpiece and should have blown this band up into the legendary status of other great debut albums like Weezer’s Blue Album and mewithoutyou: A–> B Life.

The Album kicks off Carlotta Valdez which is both the shortest song on the album as well as one of the best opening tracks someone could ask for. Exploding with a heavy bass-line and lyrics detailing the plot of Jimmy Stewart/Alfred Hitchcock classic Vertigo we get a story of obsession that is delightful. Obsession is an ongoing theme throughout the album appearing in songs Wooly Muffler, Private Helicopter and Terminal Annex. Lead Vocalist Sean Nelson is clearly dealing with an unwanted break-up and isn’t ready to let go just yet.

Carlotta Valdez is followed by Flagpole Sitta which I already explained was/is a massive hit. The song’s narrator (who I think it is safe to assume is Nelson) is frustrated with society in general (“Been around the world and found the only stupid people are breeding” “If You’re bored than you’re boring”) and wants to be part of the underground publishing zines and piercing his tongue. But let’s be honest, this song is definitely cut form the post-grunge clothe where it’s as ambiguous as fuck and thus really difficult to follow a coherent “story”.

The biggest mistake this album made was releasing Private Helicopter as it’s second single. While I adore the song and it’s mildly catchy, they should have released Jack the Lion or Old Hat instead, both being catchy songs that like Flagpole Sitta weren’t specifically about a broken heart.

Harvey Danger’s debut mixes all the things good about Punk (the attitude) and Indie Rock (the sound) and results in a prefect blend of the two. Bands could learn a lot from Harvey Danger, specifically when they conclude “If you’ve got greatness in you, would you do us all a favor and keep it to yourself?”. Good advice that thankfully Harvey Danger ignored.