Volume 19, Track 11
Posted on | August 17, 2010 | No Comments
“I Don’t Know” by Beastie Boys (1998)
If I didn’t include a picture of the Hello Nasty album cover or didn’t explicitly reference the title of this song and the artist name, you would probably never know that “I Don’t Know” is a Beastie Boys song. Even if I gave you 50 guesses you probably would never guess Beastie Boys. Not only is “I Don’t Know” an über mellow track which features Cibo Matto’s Miho Hatori singing background vocals, it is, more importantly, a really pretty and listenable song. All too often artists who do not write mellow music attempt to slum it in this genre as a means of looking multi-faceted[1] but this track (and the Beasties’ motivation) comes across as pure and not trying to wink at you. “I’m walking through time/Deluded as the next guy/Pretending and hoping to find/That distant peace of mind,” sings MCA with a feel that seemingly mirrors his Buddhist outlook and point of view. Musically, between the easygoing drums, the thick (but never overpowering) bass guitar, and the summery notes from the quasi-flamenco guitar, “I Don’t Know” stands out for obvious reasons when compared to other Beastie tracks. But it’s not just a matter of different structure that sets this song apart—it really is a beautiful song to listen to. Even if you are predisposed to not liking the Beastie Boys.
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[1] I’m looking at you, Green Day, with your God for-fucking-saken “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life).”
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