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

it's a good question!

Okay so seriously, what would win in a fight, a silverback gorilla or a grizzly bear?

So who to ask "What song would you listen to whilst taking stage at a high school dance in the fifties, a la Marty McFly, in order to blow people's minds?" to, since I'm guessing the other people who get to ask are all going to jump on 'cardo, richie, and kevin right away.

No, no, you're not at a dance in the 50s, it's in the late seventies now...that's really the beauty of the whole thing.

anyway though the 1978 options that wouldn't really break for another three years: kraftwerk, speed metal and grandmaster flash

― El Tomboto, Tuesday, August 5, 2008 9:08 PM (6 months ago) Bookmark

Pocket Calculator was the first thing that came to mind.

Great Scott! Doc!/We need to go back in time to when motherfuckers could rock!/88 miles per hour, bring it back to the block!/
Peel the fuck out before the lightning hit the clock!

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Friday, March 24, 2006 10:11 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark

i am fucking dying here

omg

Those bastards didn't print my question, Argh!

I think we need to remember that what freaked out the crowd was not Marty playing 'Johhny B. Goode.' After all, he told the band to play a simple blues riff and they kept up just fine. When he started to shred, that's when he lost the crowd and the band. Based on this, the song we're looking for has to include the instruments and sound familiar from the time period but used in a completely foreign style.

Synthesizers would have been familiar to a high school crowd in 1979, what with Bad Girls being the #2 song of that year. Just like the electric guitar; a bit novel but still accepted.

Taking all this into account, my answer is Crank That (Soulja Boy). It's made using cheap synths and drum machines, but used in a way totally foreign to a 1979 crowd. All that technology and what he produced was Crank That? Awesome

For '79, I'd say "Fuck wit' Dre Day."

Or "Groove is in the Heart."

"Gimme a blues riff in B, yeah, you know what you wanna do with that, you wanna put a bangin' donk on it"

hahaha

OV by Orthrelm would be pretty sweet.

At a dance in 1979? Bombs Over Baghdad - Outkast

In 2020, the answer to this question will be Firestarter by Prodigy or Block Rockin' Beats.

Torn between Blue Monday, Upside Down, and Walk This Way (Run-DMC ft. Aerosmith).

So it's 1980 now.

At a dance in 1979? Bombs Over Baghdad - Outkast

I think this would still fit the bill.

Naw more like Wu Tang - C.R.E.A.M

real estate - fake blues

and they all get kinda misty-eyed in unison

he plays "Biko" by Peter Gabriel

I'd just like to point out that Craig Robinson's character in Hot Tub Time Machine has the chance to do just this and chooses fucking "Let's Get It Started" by the fucking Black Eyed Peas.

Skrillex.

"Gimme a blues riff in B, yeah, you know what you wanna do with that, you wanna put a bangin' donk on it"
--Hreidarsson The Storm (Matt DC)

Oh man

xp skrilla would be what he plays via walkman (now a droid) when he tells george mcfly he's darth vader from planet vulcan

Or that he's Donnie Darko from Planet Matrix.

He'd have to start out with some mid-80s-ish shit before moving onto Skrillex: "King of Rock"? "Fight for Your Right"? "Music Is the Key"?

Someone in Hollywood is going to realize this is a good idea and remake the movie with just this premise.

There was already some talk of a remake, but it's apparently been halted. Justin Bieber was the name floating around for the Marty role.

"Fight for Your Right"

came here to post that. marty plays what's about to break. in the backbround, there's some A&R dude on the telephone saying, "mr. rubin? i think i just found that new sound you've been looking for." then he goes all skrillix at the end and looses the band/audience.

I seriously would wanna write this reboot treatment with you guys.

Someone in Hollywood is going to realize this is a good idea and remake the movie with just this premise.

The "Let's Get It Started" bit in Hot Tub Time Machine comes to mind.

It's your cousin, MARVIN SKRILLEX.

What would play during the Mr. Sandman sequence? I can't think of anything that makes the era sound so sweet and innocent. They could play Power of Love, I guess.

Or that he's Donnie Darko from Planet Matrix.

― pplains, Sunday, July 1, 2012 1:44 AM Bookmark

hahahaha!

I really like the earnest tack '06 whiney took to this thread

what's changed?

'06 ILX generally held a nice balance of earnestness and zingy wit, IMO - though I know this is perhaps a challops to some!

oh guys no

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtzxhJFxC9M

thats p great

i'll admit i lol'd

What song blares out of Al Czervik's golf bag to irritate Judge Smalls in 2012?

My first answer was going to still be "Any Way You Want It", but hell, George W. Bush probably has that on his iPod these days.

"Gangam Style"

http://i.imgur.com/MY6SJ.jpg

xp skrilla would be what he plays via walkman (now a droid) when he tells george mcfly he's darth vader from planet vulcan

YES

It's your cousin, MARVIN PSY.

For some reason I can't see audiences in 1982 being blown away by a cover of "gangam style," that it could be processed as new wave.

Probably go with something like "Let's Go Crazy."

They did this in Hot Tub Time Machine, set in 1986, and the song was "Let's Get It Started".