If Marty McFly went back in time thirty years ago today, what song does he play at the dance to blow everyone's mind?

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Better: Gwen Stefani, "Hollaback Girl." All he needs is to get the school's drumline on board. "Don't bother watching me for the changes."

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Saturday, 25 March 2006 02:07 (eighteen years ago) link

"White Lines"

― Erick Dampier is better than Shaq (miloaukerman), Saturday, 25 March 2006 02:20 (eighteen years ago) link

That's why he started off with the Chuck Berry song, which would become pretty common, but when he went into the Van Halen stuff the whole audience just stopped dancing and was all like "what the heck?" So I can't really think of anything else besides "Confusion is Sex" type of stuff that would just make the audience stop and think "what?" The thing is he's going to START OFF with something that would be so common in the future, but then just end up alienating the whole crowd. Even the band stopped playing and started staring at him like he's some kind of weirdo.

So he should start off with a lite-funk proto disco thing and start doing some light MC-ing over it. Everyone would be all "hey, this is pretty cool" until he ran out of "hip-hop don't stop" stuff and started doing lines from "Like A Pimp" or "Freek-A-Leek"

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Saturday, 25 March 2006 03:06 (eighteen years ago) link

CYHSY, obvs

― Col Tom Blue (Col Tom Blue), Saturday, 25 March 2006 03:10 (eighteen years ago) link

whiney's description sounds pretty plausible!

― dave k, Saturday, 25 March 2006 03:53 (eighteen years ago) link

Still, Marty McFly rapping?? How dorky is that gonna look?? He goes better with a guitar, I'd say.

― xgurggleglgllg (xgurggleglgllg), Saturday, 25 March 2006 04:51 (eighteen years ago) link

POING POING POING won halfway up the thread.

― John Justen (johnjusten), Saturday, 25 March 2006 04:57 (eighteen years ago) link

Still, Marty McFly rapping?? How dorky is that gonna look?? He goes better with a guitar, I'd say

You don't think they would have cast Nick Cannon if they were making this today?

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Saturday, 25 March 2006 05:08 (eighteen years ago) link

play in double time and watch me for the changes.

"one, two, three, four...............ma baby don't mess around because she loves me so, and this I know for shuuuuure.........."

play till minds are blown.

― Danny boy, Saturday, 25 March 2006 05:40 (eighteen years ago) link

No, really. I hope you all clicked on Mike Dixon's link...

"Roll Over Beethoven"
Clara and Calpurnia travel to 1965 to watch the Beatles perform at Shea Stadium. And then, they wind up having the Fab Four as passengers as they accidentally wind up in 1824 Vienna, Austria where they meet Beethoven.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Saturday, 25 March 2006 06:27 (eighteen years ago) link

Yeah, I did click on the link, but I'm just gonna have to go through all that when I have a lot more time on my hands. I had no clue those stories existed!

Well it might be different if somebody else played Marty. I just had Michael J. Fox in mind all the while. But don't tell me there's gonna be a better replacement for Doc Brown!

― xgurggleglgllg (xgurggleglgllg), Saturday, 25 March 2006 06:45 (eighteen years ago) link

"Man in the Mirror"

― Mervin Heinz, Saturday, 25 March 2006 07:56 (eighteen years ago) link

closer to god by nine inch nails
or
bombs over baghdad by outcast

― JB Young (JB Young), Saturday, 25 March 2006 08:34 (eighteen years ago) link

LOSING MY EDGE by The Liquid Crystal Display Soundsystem

― nancyboy (nancyboy), Saturday, 25 March 2006 11:09 (eighteen years ago) link

To really blow their minds, he could do one of the countless songs where a rapper threatens to "leave you shaking worse than Michael J. Fox."

― ramon fernandez (ramon fernandez), Saturday, 25 March 2006 11:14 (eighteen years ago) link

"Wuthering Heights" gets my vote for best answer upthread. Especially if he sings it in the original key and octave.

― Myke. (Myke Weiskopf), Saturday, 25 March 2006 12:07 (eighteen years ago) link

No ne is gonna say "Light of Day"?

― EZ Snappin (EZSnappin), Saturday, 25 March 2006 13:41 (eighteen years ago) link

Something like "Whip It" would work well.

― Patrick South (Patrick South), Saturday, 25 March 2006 16:03 (eighteen years ago) link

[b]Killing in the name of[/b]. obv.

― rchinn (rchinn), Saturday, 25 March 2006 16:14 (eighteen years ago) link

I vote for the NIN - Closer is OK but March of the Pigs would work even better--traditional riff but weird arrangement and screaming. Or else some Nirvana, actually. I think after 1976 the only really new thing is screaming--the only thing I can really see stopping people in their tracks is the lead singer for Pantera screaming out lyrics. Most of the things suggested upthread like techno and hip-hop are new but crowds would just react positively and cheer.

― richardk (Richard K), Saturday, 25 March 2006 16:15 (eighteen years ago) link

Right about now, the funk soul brother.

― Eazy (Eazy), Saturday, 25 March 2006 16:17 (eighteen years ago) link

Actually if it's 3 years ahead of time..The Wall comes out in 79...Another Brick in the Wall would blow minds, man!!!!!

― richardk (Richard K), Saturday, 25 March 2006 16:22 (eighteen years ago) link

I think this nails it - the timeline is right, the progression of the scene is right, the idea of the hip band being able to play it is right...this is exactly what it should be. Not sure about Freek-A-Leek, mind you. How about "Wait"? Love to hear that over a Kurtis Blow beat...

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Saturday, 25 March 2006 16:30 (eighteen years ago) link

Hongroe

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 25 March 2006 16:35 (eighteen years ago) link

March of the Pigs would work even better--traditional riff but weird arrangement and screaming.

"Ok guys, play some double-time in 7/8 with every fourth bar in 4/4, watch me for the changes."

― Jordan (Jordan), Saturday, 25 March 2006 17:33 (eighteen years ago) link

Husker Du : "First of the Last Calls"

― kingfish ubermensch dishwasher sundae (kingfish 2.0), Saturday, 25 March 2006 17:43 (eighteen years ago) link

The Knack - My Sharona

He's playing to a bunch of square middle-class high-school kids so anything too alien e.g. hip-hop is just gonna get him kicked off the stage and beaten up by the football team. My Sharona works in that it feeds off (or in the context of this discussion, anticipates) punk and disco, and condenses them into a safe pop song for cheerleaders everywhere. Also, it's simple and repetitive so would have been easy to pick up by the band.

― Ben Dot (1977), Saturday, 25 March 2006 17:55 (eighteen years ago) link

Happy Hardcore

Or Squarepusher's "My Red Hot Car"

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Saturday, 25 March 2006 18:31 (eighteen years ago) link

More importantly, what would he have to say to the band instead of "this is a blues riff in B, watch me for the changes"?

For hip-hop - "play the drum intro to Bowie's "Five Years."

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Saturday, 25 March 2006 18:44 (eighteen years ago) link

I'll second "My Sharona" and destroy everyone who suggested a track that came out after '85.

― Jessie the Monster (scarymonsterrr), Saturday, 25 March 2006 20:13 (eighteen years ago) link

"Suicidal Sacrifice" by Deicide, er ... Amon.

― Cameron Octigan (Cameron Octigan), Sunday, 26 March 2006 01:27 (eighteen years ago) link

Dunkelheit.

― jimnaseum (jimnaseum), Sunday, 26 March 2006 01:31 (eighteen years ago) link

Any Cryptopsy song.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Sunday, 26 March 2006 12:42 (eighteen years ago) link

Rammstein

― Col Tom Blue (Col Tom Blue), Sunday, 26 March 2006 13:32 (eighteen years ago) link

Whoever shouted out the Rockefeller Skank upthread wins, not because it would sound totally alien but because it would actually WORK. All that surf guitar stuff would totally get people dancing.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Sunday, 26 March 2006 13:55 (eighteen years ago) link

"suck my ass it smells" by G.G. Allin…

― veronica moser (veronica moser), Sunday, 26 March 2006 14:46 (eighteen years ago) link

drill'n'bass

― charltonlido (gareth), Sunday, 26 March 2006 14:48 (eighteen years ago) link

I guess the answer is "Are Friends Electric" anyway.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 26 March 2006 17:17 (eighteen years ago) link

Anything from Rage Against the Machines or Nine Inch Nails, Marty singing "I want to fuck you like an animal" on prom night...too sick. "Hurt" would be all too fitting as well.

― bah, Friday, 7 April 2006 23:11 (eighteen years ago) link

booty booty booty booty everywhere!

― charlie bucket (charlie bucket), Saturday, 8 April 2006 02:56 (eighteen years ago) link

whoomp there it iss

― latebloomer: someone's been drinking my youth! (latebloomer), Saturday, 8 April 2006 03:22 (eighteen years ago) link

who let the dogs oyut

― latebloomer: someone's been drinking my youth! (latebloomer), Saturday, 8 April 2006 03:22 (eighteen years ago) link

music sounds better with you by stardust

it would blow everybody's mind to the moon

― lf (lfam), Saturday, 8 April 2006 05:58 (eighteen years ago) link

Alternately, "hey guys, this is a blues in B flat, watch me for the changes" --> plays Prince's "Kiss".

"And you, the bass player. Take a lap."

― Gilbert O'Sullivan (kenan), Saturday, 8 April 2006 06:24 (eighteen years ago) link

"Pay to Cum"

― Mike McG, Saturday, 8 April 2006 06:29 (eighteen years ago) link

McG wins!

― latebloomer: someone's been drinking my youth! (latebloomer), Saturday, 8 April 2006 08:43 (eighteen years ago) link

i never thought i'd say that in my life

― latebloomer: someone's been drinking my youth! (latebloomer), Saturday, 8 April 2006 08:44 (eighteen years ago) link

Pixies - Something Against You

― zeus (zeus), Saturday, 8 April 2006 08:58 (eighteen years ago) link

An Orthrelm song.

― Brian Turner (btwfmu), Saturday, 8 April 2006 13:27 (eighteen years ago) link

Alice Cooper - "Feed My Frankenstein"

― PB, Saturday, 8 April 2006 19:37 (eighteen years ago) link

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