01 November 2023
Newsdesk
Legacy Recordings, the catalogue division of Sony Music Entertainment, puts a seasonal spin on one of the catchiest rock songs of the early ‘00s with Just a Dirtbag Christmas, the new EP from Wheatus.
The five-track EP is available on all DSPs starting today.
Just a Dirtbag Christmas kicks off with “Christmas Dirtbag,” a new Santa-themed version of Wheatus’ mega-hit signature song “Teenage Dirtbag.” It’s backed with three further festive-based tunes (“You Made Me Believe in Christmas,” “Feels Like Christmas,” “Mean Christmas”), as well as a yule log-ready string quartet version of “Teenage Dirtbag.”
Just a Dirtbag Christmas EP tracklisting;
1. Christmas Dirtbag
2. You Made Me Believe in Christmas
3. Feels Like Christmas
4. Mean Christmas
5. Teenage Dirtbag (String Quartet Version)
“We’ve talked about doing a Christmas song for many years, and this seemed like the perfect year to make it happen,” Wheatus founder, frontman and songwriter Brendan B. Brown says. “But after much discussion we couldn’t settle on just one idea, and we wound up with five! So, we figured - why not make it an EP? There’s a big pop rock song, a vintage 1950s number, a dark & heavy one, a classy instrumental, and of course we couldn’t resist a Christmas Dirtbag…we wanted there to be something for everyone!”
Additionally, Wheatus is calling all Christmas Dirtbags out there to help put together a special video with the band! Whether you’re on the naughty or nice list, throw on your Santa hats, sip on some eggnog (ingredients depending on age), and show us what being a Christmas Dirtbag means to you.
More than two decades after its release, the original “Teenage Dirtbag” endures as a relatable high school misfit story and an irresistible singalong wherever karaoke bars are found. With a memorable video featuring the cast of the 2000 teen cult film Loser, “Teenage Dirtbag” became a worldwide smash, reaching the Top 10 of Billboard’s modern rock chart as well as eight Top 10 charts around the world. (It was a particularly sizable hit in Australia, not only reaching No. 1 but becoming the country’s second biggest single of 2000.)
The song has enjoyed renewed popularity in recent years via TikTok, where users set montages of their throwback photos to the song. Brown recently went viral on TikTok duetting with a video of himself singing the song’s falsetto chorus toward the end of the track.
