United States of Whatever
| "United States of Whatever" | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Single by Liam Lynch | |
| from the album Fake Songs | |
| B-side | "Sir Track" |
| Released | November 25, 2002 |
| Format | CD, 7" |
| Recorded | 1999 |
| Genre | Comedy rock, punk rock |
| Length |
1:26 (original version) 2:04 (extended version) |
| Label | Global Warming |
| Songwriter(s) | Liam Lynch |
"United States of Whatever" is a song by American musician Liam Lynch. The song was released as the first single from his album Fake Songs (2003) in 2002. The improvised song was written by Lynch himself. "United States of Whatever" is a comedy rock song that revolves around Lynch dismissively shouting "Whatever!" to various people.
The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics who praised its humor and its take on American youth. It reached number ten on the UK Singles Chart, and until 2007 was the shortest song to appear on the chart. The song has spawned various parodies, and Lynch has performed the song with artists like Tony Kanal, Adrian Young and Foo Fighters.
"United States of Whatever" was solely written by Liam Lynch. Lynch has stated that the song was improvised and recorded in a single take. The song is performed in a punk rock and surf rock style. Its basic structure consists of two power-chord riffs played by an overdriven distorted bass guitar. The song begins with a dismissive "whatever", and each verse describes a short encounter with a person which abruptly ends with Lynch dismissing the person with the word. The chorus proclaims: "This is my United States of whatever!" He also dismisses people he should not ignore for his own well-being, such as a street thug and a police officer. The final verse describes an encounter with the character Zafo, a character from the TV series The Sifl and Olly Show, created by Lynch. Breaking the lyrical structure of the song, Zafo is spared the disparaging remark.
The song debuted on a 1999 episode of The Sifl and Olly Show, where it is shown being performed by Olly, a character on the show voiced by Lynch.
While reviewing Fake Songs MacKenzie Wilson of the website Allmusic specifically praised "United States of Whatever", describing it as a "sock-puppet favorite" and "an absolute standout that crassly makes fun of American youth in its own self-deprecating kind of way." The review also noted that the British music publication NME named it as a "Single of the Week" in 2002. English disc jockey Steve Lamacq named it "the greatest single of 2002".
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