The Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun
| "The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Julie Brown | |
| Released | November 9, 1983 |
| A-side | "I Like 'Em Big And Stupid" |
| Recorded | 1983 |
| Label | Bulletz Records |
| Writer(s) | Julie Brown, Charlie Coffey, Ray Colcord, Terrence E. McNally |
| Producer(s) | Julie Brown |
"The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun" is a song by American singer–comedian Julie Brown. Released on her debut single in 1983, Brown's satire of Valley girl culture also parodies 1950s'-1960s' "teen tragedy" songs.
The song and its music video begins as a satire of a 1950s' doo-wop song, recounting the homecoming dance in which her best friend, Debby, is crowned queen. Once that happens, the tone changes to 1980s synthpop as Debby unexpectedly pulls out a weapon and begins indiscriminately killing classmates and teachers at the parade (the singer, in keeping with the Valley Girl stereotype of being oblivious and self-absorbed, shows remarkable lack of sympathy for the deaths of the entire glee club and the math teacher). In the end, the police fire a warning shot at Debby, which proves unexpectedly fatal; the singer runs to Debby's side and asks her why she went on the killing spree. As her last words, Debby confesses that she "did it for Johnny", leaving her friend to ponder who she meant, as the only person named Johnny in the class was a nerdy classmate who always had food stuck in his braces. The friend compares the mystery of "Johnny" to one in classic cinema: "It's like that movie Citizen Kane, you know, where you later find out that 'Rosebud' is his sled? / But we'll never know who Johnny was, 'cause, like, she's dead!"
A censored version of the song changes the line "I almost wet my jeans" to "I almost ripped my seam", "It's like the whole school was totally coked or something" became the non-rhyming "I mean, like, it made me really proud to be a teenager!" and "Are you having a really bad period?" became "You'll get suspended if you don't quit it".
The song first appeared as a B-side to Brown's 1983 self-released single "I Like 'em Big and Stupid", and took off after frequent play on The Dr. Demento Show led to radio airplay around the US. It would become what music critic Jonathan Taylor called "one of the most delightfully silly singles and videos of the past few years."
"The Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun" was re-released (along with its A-side) on Brown's 1984 EP Goddess in Progress on Rhino Records (RNEP610). It also appears on the novelty label's subsequent release – the compilation Teenage Tragedies (RNEP611) – packaged with nine other songs, original '50s and '60s "death discs" of the type her song parodies. It also appears on the 1991 Rhino compilation Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection. A re-recorded dance version appeared as a B-side to Brown's 2005 single "I Want to Be Gay".
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