The album Smash is considered to be The Offsprings break-out record. It was what really
catapulted the band to fame. The said album was released in 1994 by Epitaph Records and has
sold eight million copies which also made it the highest-selling record ever produced by an independent label.

Incidentally Epitaph Records is also owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. He initially had his misgivings about the band but when he heard their single Baghdad produced in 1991, he changed his mind and signed them up. The following year, they released the album Ignition
and its success has put them on tour together with No Doubt, Pennywise and Voodoo Glow Skulls.

By 1993, they returned to the studio to record Smash and released it the following year with little knowledge that this was going to create a niche for them. The album was catapulted to fame by the singles Self-Esteem, Gotta Get Away and Come Out And Play.

The band is composed of Bryan Dexter Holland on vocals, Greg Kriesel or Greg K on bass guitar, Kevin Wasserman , also alled Noodle on lead guitar and Atom Willard on drums. Prior to joining the band, Kevin Wasserman was the school janitor recruited by Dexter Holland and Greg Krieser reportedly because he was old enough to procure alcohol for them.

The Offsprings Self Esteem is the second single released from Smash and speaks of being
trapped in an emotionally abusive relationship and having full knowledge that one is not getting what one deserves, but is too weak to get out of it because of a very low self-esteem.

The lyrics of the song are as follows:


SELF-ESTEEM

(The Offspring)
I wrote her off for the tenth time today . . . .