I’m a big rap/hip-hop fan and among my favourite artists in this genre are the Beastie Boys. From 1986 until last year’s Hot Sauce Committee Part II they released a string of great albums and several awesome tracks.
Coming across like the slightly offbeat, ever-so-nerdy cousin of mainstream rap. They delivered clever, witty rhymes and their anthology album The Sounds of Science remains one of my all time favourite albums, I really dig their tongue-in-cheek and slightly goofy sense of humour.
One of their most famous tracks and their first major hit is this song, intended as a parody of knucklehead party anthems and the macho posturing of the 80s. However, rather ironically it would become a massive party anthem in its own right, and nights out around the world are filled with drunken revelers bellowing along with the chorus, I should know, I’ve been one of those revelers several times.
It does work as a party track, despite the bands’ intentions for it. That’s the thing with music or any form of creative expression, the audience can chose how they interpret it and what it means to them.
I’ve always loved the track, and found it quite a fun, upbeat ode to teenage dramas and swaggering. So, I woke up this morning with it on the random mental jukebox and was happily singing along in the shower when I realized that I’ve outgrown the song.
The line “You wake up late for school and you don’t wanna go/You ask your mom ‘Please?’ and she still says ‘No!'” made me realize that as someone closer to 30 than my teenage years I’m a bit old to be having rap-alongs about porno mags being thrown out, being told to cut my hair and being caught smoking.
Do you outgrow songs? Legendary DJ John Peel maintained until his death at the age of 65 that his favourite song was the Undertones’ punk-pop classic “Teenage Kicks” and it was used at his funeral and a lyric from the track is on his headstone.
So should I feel bad or stupid about still loving a song that’s lyrics don’t apply to me? A lot of my favourite songs don’t fit with my life or who I am- I wasn’t born in the USA, I’m not just a girl, people don’t say I’m the life of the party and I’ve never, ever been pimpin’, big or otherwise.
Yet, its the ones that remind me of my youth that bother me the most, maybe because of the nostalgia factor or the fear that I’m getting older and rushing to my grave, leaving my carefree, partying years behind.. Ah, well, I guess that’s true for us all, so until then, might as well KICK IT!
Any thoughts? You know what to do. BETEO.
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