Harvey Danger was an American alternative rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1992. After being founded by bassist Aaron Huffman and guitarist Jeff J.
Lin, who were both journalism students at the University of Washington, drummer Evan Sult and singer Sean Nelson were brought into the band in 1993, solidifying its lineup for the remainder of their initial existence.
members: Sean Nelson
formed in: Seattle
labels: Arena Rock Recording Company, Kill Rock Stars
genres: alternative rock
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Harvey Danger began in 1992 with University of Washington classmates Jeff Lin and Aaron Huffman deciding "it might be fun to start a band." Huffman and Lin, who were both student journalists on the staff of The Daily of the University of Washington student newspaper, took the name "Harvey Danger" from a phrase graffitied onto the wall of the newspaper's office. Lin and Huffman played house parties and bars as a duo under the Harvey Danger name until 1993, when they invited Evan Sult to be their drummer. Despite his complete lack of drumming experience, Sult agreed, bringing along his own similarly inexperienced classmate Sean Nelson. Nelson was also a colleague of Lin and Huffman at The Daily's arts and entertainment section The Glass...
Harvey Danger's musical style has been described as alternative rock, indie rock, power pop, pop-punk and geek rock.
"Flagpole Sitta" is a song by American rock band Harvey Danger from their 1997 debut album, Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? It was released as the band's debut single in April 1998 and was met with critical and commercial success, peaking at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, number three on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, and number nine on the Canadian RPM Alternative 30.
A music video was produced to promote the single.
"Flagpole Sitta" was recorded in June 1996 at John and Stu's Place in Seattle, Washington, during the Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? recording sessions. According to drummer Evan Sult, the song was written as a response to the Seattle music scene of the 1990s and its effect on mainstream culture.
"Flagpole Sitta" gained popularity after Seattle radio station KNDD put the song into rotation. Afterwards, London Records sent a copy of Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? to KROQ-FM in Los Angeles, who began to air "Flagpole Sitta" and received a positive response from listeners. On April 27, 1998, the song was officially serviced to US rock radio, and a release to contemporary hit radio followed on June 9 of the same year. The song gained further exposure when it was used as the music in theatrical trailers and TV spots for the 1998 film Disturbing Behavior. The track subsequently charted at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart.
"Flagpole Sitta" was used as the theme song for the British sitcom Peep Show for the second series through the ninth. In 2008, Harvey Danger singer Sean Nelson stated that Peep Show is "...the only pop culture item the song has been associated with that feels like a kindred spirit to the original attitude of the lyric." In 2016, he said: "It's a joy to be affiliated with something that's so smart and so funny and so kind of rude and weird." It was also included on the soundtrack to Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed and was featured in a 2024 Taco Bell television commercial advertising the $7 Luxe Cravings Box's inclusion of 1990s menu item the Gordita Supreme. "Weird Al" Yankovic included the song in his "Polka Power!" medley on the 1999...