We’re the Replacements: An Ode to Rock ‘n’ Roll Surrogacy

How a tongue-in-cheek B-side became a reflection on the grind of being a band.

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Before this song, I didn’t know there was a band called The Replacements. This means that I was in middle school, heard this song, and thought “Oh that’s neat, they’re doing a song pretending to be a pretend band.” By the time I learned the truth, I had built up this notion that The Replacements must be a similar-sounding band to They Might Be Giants and never looked any further into the matter.

A B-Side That’s Anything But a Throwaway

“We’re the Replacements” is the penultimate track on Miscellaneous T, the TMBG compendium of B-Sides. For my newsletter purposes, this track rounds out and completes the coverage of this album since the final track is a mix for “Don’t Let’s Start” which I wrote about candidly in a previous post. Like much of this album, I associate this song with Teenage Summer. Camping trips with my best friend and his family, renting movies we shouldn’t have been allowed to rent, and learning TMBG songs on my guitar.

Musically, this is a simple rocking little number that the Johns have said is meant to express “replaceable nature of being on the road.” So many bands would be touring around the same cities and often even the same venues that they begun to feel like they were the replacement band for the band that was just in that city or on that stage the night before.

It’s lyrics sing out a boisterous and enthusiastic introduction to the listener - presumably an audience at the show decrying both the name of their band, The Replacements, while subtly acknowledging that they’re band number x. A replacement band from the previous group to do this same thing on this same stage.

Lyrics That Sing The Grind

The lyrics repeating over and over paint a picture of a band hauling equipment from show to show, setting up and feigning this rock and roll energy to hype the next crowd. It almost becomes exhaustive on the ear but that feeling is intentional.

Hi, we're the Replacements

Hi, we're the Replacements

Hi, we're the Replacements . . .

We're having a good time

We're having a good time

We're having a good time . . .

Then we'll have a party

Then we'll have a party

Then we'll have a party . . .

Eventually a sole voice screams out (in peak rock and roll style) a phrase that sounds like a high energy crowd pleaser but who’s words reveal the true life sapping nature of a life on the road:

I DON’T WANNA!

And then, back to the chorus but with a markedly fading enthusiasm.

Yes, TMBG was aware of the actual band The Replacements when they wrote “We’re The Replacements.” John Linnell shared in an interview that he was living with a friend at this time who listening to that band often which is where he got this idea. Sort of a, “Hey, hey, we’re the Monkees” take with a deeper exploration into this replaceable nature of road gigging.

A Real Band With An Imaginary Connection

Ok fine - you know what? I’m going to go listen to music by the actual band The Replacements for the first time in my life. I feel like I owe it to this piece.

Be right back.

Ok. Hmm.

I read a list that I found after some quick Googling and chose what this expert says are the top 3 songs by The Replacements. The first was called ‘I Will Dare’ which did have some similar sounds as ‘We’re The Replacements’ which made me appreciate the effort of meta put into this TMBG track.

Also, right away, Dare was an obvious song where a rock and roll front man is singing to an underage girl and asking for a meet up. I don’t have any of the background but it put off a To Catch a Predator vibe.

Number 2 and 3 were ‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ and ‘Bastards of Young.’ I recognize the guitar riff in the first but have never heard the Bastards song. I truly don’t think I’ve ever heard this band in my life.

I’m also not immediately hearing an obvious influence of this band on They Might Be Giants. Not they don’t appreciate or listened but it doesn’t seem like it anyway. Other than the overall musical vibe of ‘I Will Dare’ compared ‘We’re The Replacements’ I’d say that I’ve gained nothing by exploring these few songs and don’t expect to return to that well. It’s not for me, I’m sorry!

A Stream to Swim In

Writing this post was an experiment. I didn’t know where it would lead, but listening to “We’re The Replacements” on repeat while typing brought new dimensions to the song.

This is the magic of music. It’s a stream that connects us to something larger, inviting us to swim around and discover deeper currents. With this, we close the chapter on Miscellaneous T.

Next week, we move on to Apollo 18 - my favorite album of all time.

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