Volume 3, Track 4
Posted on | September 20, 2008 | 1 Comment
“Song For The Man” by Beastie Boys (1998)
If you have never listened to Hello Nasty except for what was played on the radio in the summer of 1998 you would be missing out on what is easily the strangest and trippiest Beastie track. On “Song For The Man,” the Beastie Boys substitute rapping and their trademark sampled beats for slow-motion vocals and an array of organ and keyboard work that at times can feel jazzy, but mostly it may make you feel like you have stepped into a really bizarre dance hall or possibly even a circus where pot smoke is emanating from all of the tents. The song starts out with a little girl saying, “I don’t like your attitude, boy” followed by an exaggerated organ reminiscent of the soap operas of the fifties and sixties. From there it just becomes a hodge-podge of sound that is interrupted by a quick, jagged guitar riff before starting all over again. Throughout their career, the Beasties have built a reputation on fun songs (“Hey Ladies”), an ever-changing comical image (“Sabotage” video), and an ability to craft songs with a myriad of odd choices to sample from (“Ch-Check It Out”) and “Song For The Man” encompasses all of what makes the Beastie Boys enjoyable to listen to while also adding touches to it that could almost be considered flat-out psychedelic.
Best/Funniest Story Associated With This Song:
Hello Nasty was released in July 1998 and in August I moved down to Georgia to work with my brother, save up some money, then ultimately move down there for good with Girl. My brother and I probably listened to this disc thirty times while we drove all over the state washing the windows of all the Blockbuster video stores he had contracts for. (In case you were wondering, yes, every Blockbuster is the same and the night crew consists of the same two people who despise you for renting whatever formulaic drama or comedy you bring home. I was genuinely surprised by the uniformity of the phyches of all of the employees I talked to. Anyway…) Long story short: I never got high around my brother and his family (obviously) so when I returned back to the great state of Illinois I was welcomed back with a party and, I kid you not, the first time I heard this song high was like one of those moments in a movie when time stands still and the camera zooms in on a character in such a way that everything in the background becomes warped-looking. It sounded so completely different that I became convinced that I had never heard it before. There are times when you are smoking and drinking and it is legitimately a bad thing to be unaware of your surroundings or when your brain plays tricks on you but this was one of those times where it was decidedly okay because I had a newfound appreciation for the song. It was like a second chance at hearing a song for the fist time; most of the time it is anti-climactic but every once in awhile it can be as fun as your [insert favorite memory here].
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Comments
One Response to “Volume 3, Track 4”
Leave a Reply
Follow
September 21st, 2010 @ 3:18 pm
[...] a loose and fun song.[1] Hello Nasty has a few terrific gems[2] and “Unite” may very well be the crown jewel of the album in terms of instant [...]