-Self Esteem-
Single by The Offspring from the album Smash
Released	1994
Format	Vinyl, Cassette, CD
Recorded	1994
Genre	Punk rock Alternative rock
Length	4:17
Label	Epitaph
Writer(s)	Dexter Holland
Producer	Thom Wilson
The Offspring singles chronology
"Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated)" (1994) "Self Esteem" (1994) "Gotta Get Away" (1995)

"Self Esteem" is a song by punk rock group The Offspring, the second single of their third album Smash which was released in 1994. The song was a worldwide hit, although frontman Dexter Holland mentioned in the Complete Music Video Collection that this song is not very popular in Japan.

Track listing

1. "Self Esteem" - 4:17
2. "Burn It Up" - 2:43
3. "Jennifer Lost the War" - 2:35

Compositon and meaning

The song begins with the members of the band singing along to the tune of the song's main riff (In a purposely crude form). Originally, Dexter and Noodles had planned for the intro to be played on acoustic guitar before the electric guitars come in. However, when it came time to record, the band decided to go for a more abstract approach.

After the intro, Greg Kriesel plays a bass riff that plays prominently throughout the song. During the chorus, the song's main riff is played on electric guitars.

The lyrics tell about a relationship in which the girl takes advantage of her boyfriend, as he has "no self-esteem." A popular misconception is that the song is autobiographical. This is not the case, however. In an interview Dexter revealed it's about one of his friends at the time and that she may or may not know it's about her.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Darren Lavett (who directed the previous video "Come Out and Play") and was shot in August 1994, after the Offspring had just gone both gold and platinum with Smash.^[1] In the music video, several people are doing things like stunts, with flashes with the band playing. In the music video, it can be clearly seen that the band is performing on stage. It is also clear that Dexter is only singing to the microphone at the start of the song, but later plays guitar.

In the video, Dexter wears three different band t-shirts. In the beginning, he was wearing a Sex Pistols t-shirt. Later he wears a t-shirt of The Germs, and then a Vandals t-shirt when he briefly appears as a human skeleton.

According to The Offspring's Greatest Hits DVD, Noodles claimed that he gave his Fender Stratocaster (which he played in the video) to one of the characters that appeared in the video.

"Self Esteem" remains one of the Offspring's popular videos. It was extremely successful on MTV, and helped launch the song to success on mainstream radio.

Covers and other uses

• The song was also featured on the game SingStar Rocks!.
• The song was also transcribed in the June 1997 issue of Guitar World.
• During Trivium's early days, guitarist Matt Heafy performed a cover version of this song at his middle school talent show at Lake Brantley High School.
• The song was covered by the Cuban Boys on their album Eastwood.
• The song was made available as downloadable content in the Rock Band series on October 7, 2008.

Chart positions

References

1. ^ Spoken commentary on the "Self Esteem" video from Complete Music Video Collection, released 2005