The legislative effort to make “Do You Realize??” Oklahoma’s official state rock ’n’ roll song is dead for the next two years, according to state Rep. Joe Dorman, D-Rush Springs.
The measure failed on a tally of 48-39 because it needed 51 votes for a majority. If the full body had been in the chamber, it would have passed, Dorman said.
Today was the last day to pass bills that had been moved over from one chamber to another, according to legislative rules.
During debate, state Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, said he voted against the measure because he did not approve of the foul language the Flaming Lips have used in the past.
State Rep. Corey Holland, R-Marlow, spoke out against the bill, citing a photograph that several House members took with the band on the House floor last March in which a band member wore a shirt that had the communist hammer and sickle on the front.
“This is a black eye for the state,” Dorman said. “Not only was this going to be a part of the celebration for the unveiling of the (‘Another Hot Oklahoma Night’) rock ’n’ roll exhibit at the Oklahoma History Center, but national press had been scheduled to come in for the bill signing next week,” Dorman said.
CERTIFIED
March 2, the tate of Oklahoma announced the song was named the official Oklahoma State Rock and Roll Song. The winning song was certified in the State Senate with the passage of Senate Joint Resolution 24 by Sen. Mike Schulz and Rep. Joe Dorman.
In a career that spans three decades of musical achievement, including three Grammy wins, the Flaming Lips has become one of Oklahoma's most successful groups, while remaining based in Oklahoma City. “Do You Realize??” was composed and written by members Wayne Coyne, Steven Drozd, Michael Ivins and Dave Fridmann.
The Flaming Lips were given a standing ovation by the full Senate after the resolution was formally adopted.
“It’s phenomenal, it really is. People will remark sometimes how much the Flaming Lips have done for Oklahoma, but I really think it’s the other way around," Coyne said in a statement. “I don’t know if we would be perceived the same if we hadn’t been from Oklahoma. What would the Flaming Lips be if they didn’t come from Oklahoma? It’s like Santa Claus coming from the North Pole.”
In 2008, the State Legislature adopted House Joint Resolution 1047, specifying the voting process. The Oklahoma Historical Society conducted a competition to select the official Oklahoma State Rock and Roll Song, with Oklahomans nominating 454 songs. An expert panel then narrowed the list to 10, and the people of the state voted for the top song. Out of the 21,061 votes cast, 10,738, or nearly 51 percent, picked "Do you Realize??" by the Flaming Lips from their 2002 album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.