Dee Snider Says One Twisted Sister Song ‘Transcended the Genre’
Twisted Sister are legends within the rock and metal community, having spawned some of the biggest hits we all know and love. There is one song in particular, though, that Dee Snider says "transcended the genre," and it's their biggest song of all of them.
Stay Hungry was Twisted Sister's third album, but it spawned two of their most well-known tracks, "I Wanna Rock" and "We're Not Gonna Take It." The latter peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and thus is the group's only Top 40 single. It's become an anthem of rebellion since its release, and has been used regularly in pop culture such as TV commercials and even political rallies.
"That's the part I didn't expect," Snider told New York's Q104.3. "So yes, of course I was writing an anthem very deliberately. I wanted something people would rally — use as a rallying cry. And I deliberately was very vague about the 'what are you not taking.'"
Snider recalled that because of the song's lack of specificity, one publication's review of it said, "What from whom," and had a blank space underneath.
"And I'm screaming, 'That's the point!' The point was, 'This isn't 'Smoke on the Water,' man," the vocalist continued. "But I said, 'I want to be general,' so people can put their situation. Now, mind you, I was thinking about my dad, my bosses, my teachers, ex-girlfriends – things like that."
"And because it's so general, it has become a battle cry for every cause and every side. So, I've got all the way on the left singing it and all the way on the right, they're singing it. And now, it's almost a folk song at this point – where it's just transcended the genre, the band. And that's incredible. I never expected that."
Listen to the full interview below.
READ MORE: Dee Snider Comments on 'We're Not Gonna Take It' As Anti-Gun Anthem
You can expect to see Twisted Sister reunite in 2024 to play the song, according to Snider. Back in April, the singer said that the band will make appearances at various political rallies throughout the year so that people don't lose sight of what its message was in the first place.
"The band has a concern that the song is being co-opted by the extreme right... and we want to make sure that people still know it's a song for everybody and it does not represent that selfish micro group," he asserted.
