Flaming Lips Song Rules In Oklahoma

03/03/09 3:44pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

The Flaming Lips' "Do You Realize??" has been named Oklahoma's official rock song after the Oklahoma State Legislature unanimously approved it on Monday.

Ten songs written by Oklahomans were selected by a panel of experts from an original list of more than 400 last year. The songs were pitted against each other in an online poll that began in September.

"Do You Realize??" beat out songs by J.J. Cale, The All-American Rejects, Wanda Jackson, The Ventures, Leon Russell, Hoyt Axon and others to become the "Official Oklahoma Rock Song."

Singer/guitarist Wayne Coyne told The Associated Press he "never gave [the competition] that much thought" after he found out his band had picked up more than half the votes.

"We're in this just to have fun and we wind up winning," Coyne said.

"Do You Realize??" appears on The Flaming Lips' 2002 Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots album, the first Flaming Lips release to be certified gold in the U.S. for selling 500,000 units.

The Flaming Lips will perform at and curate this year's All Tomorrow's Parties festival from Sept. 11 to 13 at Kutsher's Country Club in Monticello, N.Y. The event will feature performances by Suicide, Animal Collective, Panda Bear, Antipop Consortium, Atlas Sound, Dirty Three, Autolux, Black Dice and comedian David Cross, among others.