Original Prankster

"Original Prankster"
Single by The Offspring
from the album Conspiracy of One
B-side	"Come Out Swinging"
Released	October 24, 2000
Format	CD[1] 12"[1] digital download
Recorded	2000
Genre	Pop punk[2]
Length	3:40
Label	Columbia[3]
Writer(s)	Dexter Holland
Producer(s)	Brendan O'Brien
Certification	Platinum (ARIA)[4] Silver (BPI)[5]
The Offspring singles chronology
"She's Got Issues" (1999) "Original Prankster" (2000) "Want You Bad" (2000)

"Original Prankster" is a song by American rock band The Offspring, released from their sixth studio album Conspiracy of One and was released as the first single from the album in October 2000. The song features additional vocals by Redman^[6] and is included on the band's 2005 Greatest Hits album.

Prior to the release of Conspiracy of One, The Offspring distributed the track for free as a downloadable MP3 file on their official website.^[7] A competition was held, featuring a prize of $1 million (USD) which was awarded to a randomly selected participant who downloaded the song.

"Original Prankster" reached the top 10 in some countries including Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, and went top 10 on US Rock radio.

Track listing

Version 1

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Original Prankster"	3:40
2.	"Come Out Swinging"	2:47
3.	"Staring at the Sun" (Live)	2:26

Australia CD Maxi

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Original Prankster"	3:40
2.	"Dammit, I Changed Again"	2:49
3.	"Come Out Swinging"	2:47
4.	"Gone Away" (Live)	4:19
5.	"Staring at the Sun" (Live)	2:26

Promo CD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Original Prankster" (Album version)	3:40

Music video

The song follows the prankster, the subject of the song, through his life, pulling various pranks on his superiors, being motivated by Redman.^[6] As a child, he slips his dog's feces into his father's sandwich. In his teen years, he uses a bunsen burner on a perverted science teacher. When sent to the principal's office, he sets up the principal to be photographed in a compromising position with two students. Throughout the video, the band is shown to be playing at their hometown Huntington Beach, California.

Finally, in the present, he switches off the whole city's power supply, though the band still manages to play in the dark and the crowd use flares to light the scene. At the end of the video, lightinig strikes the prankster and disintegrate him.

DVD appearances

The music video appears also appears on the Complete Music Video Collection DVD (2005).

Charts

Chart (2000–01)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[8]	5
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[9]	6
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[10]	40
Canada Canadian Rock/Alternative chart (RPM)	5
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[11]	12
France (SNEP)[12]	34
Germany (Official German Charts)[13]	46
Ireland (IRMA)[14]	24
Italy (FIMI)[15]	11
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16]	44
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[17]	34
Norway (VG-lista)[18]	7
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[19]	5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[20]	20
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[21]	6
US Billboard Hot 100[22]	70
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[23]	7
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[24]	2

Sales

The single went platinum in Australia in 2001.^[25] It was the third single by the Offspring to reach platinum after "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" and "Why Don't You Get a Job?." It was the largest selling single from Conspiracy of One.

Personnel

The band

• Dexter Holland – Vocals, rhythm guitar
• Noodles – Lead guitar
• Greg K. – Bass
• Ron Welty – Drums

Other personnel

• Produced and mixed by: Brendan O'Brien
• Engineered: Nick DiDia
• Mastered by: Eddy Schreyer
• Track 4 and Track 5 Recorded by: Russ Fowler at Wembley Arena

References

1. "Offspring, The – Original Prankster". Discogs. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
2. "22 classic cottage pop-punk songs". AUX.TV. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
3. "Original Prankster". Rate Your Music. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
4. "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2001 Singles" Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved on July 14, 2009.
5. "BPI Database - Statistics - Certified Awards - Search for Offspring" British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved on July 14, 2009.
6. "Redman". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
7. Menta, Robert (September 26, 2000). "Sony Forces The Offspring to Cancel MP3 Giveaway". MP3 Newswire. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
8. "Australian-charts.com – The Offspring – Original Prankster". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
9. "Ultratop.be – The Offspring – Original Prankster" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
10. "Ultratop.be – The Offspring – Original Prankster" (in French). Ultratop 50.
11. "The Offspring: Original Prankster" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
12. "Lescharts.com – The Offspring – Original Prankster" (in French). Les classement single.
13. "Musicline.de – The Offspring Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
14. Search results for "The Offspring". IrishCharts.ie. Retrieved on February 11, 2015. Note: User must define search parameters as "The Offspring".
15. "Italiancharts.com – The Offspring – Original Prankster". Top Digital Download.
16. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Offspring – Original Prankster" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
17. "Charts.org.nz – The Offspring – Original Prankster". Top 40 Singles.
18. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Offspring – Original Prankster". VG-lista.
19. "Swedishcharts.com – The Offspring – Original Prankster". Singles Top 100.
20. "Swisscharts.com – The Offspring – Original Prankster". Swiss Singles Chart.
21. "Offspring: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company.
22. "The Offspring – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for The Offspring.
23. "The Offspring – Chart history" Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs for The Offspring.
24. "The Offspring – Chart history" Billboard Alternative Songs for The Offspring.
25. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-singles-2001.htm

External links

• "Original Prankster" Official music video on YouTube