Outkast - Hey Ya

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I just saw the video. I didn't bother to read the Oukast thread, it would probably only dishearten me. But this song was brilliant. I literally gasped in amazement. It would take me such a long time to explain all the reasons why I love this song -- hell, just to name all of the different styles of music (some of them non-existent) the song employs. I love humanity.

― David Allen, Friday, 19 September 2003 06:52 (twenty years ago) link

sigh

― JasonD (JasonD), Friday, 19 September 2003 06:53 (twenty years ago) link

that's cause jess ain't here yet

― JasonD (JasonD), Friday, 19 September 2003 06:54 (twenty years ago) link

Why the sigh? Because I liked the song?

Also, die.

― David Allen, Friday, 19 September 2003 06:58 (twenty years ago) link

outkast have become the flaming lips for the 'i have black friends' set

― trife (simon_tr), Friday, 19 September 2003 06:59 (twenty years ago) link

i just realized this is the worst song ive ever heard

― trife (simon_tr), Friday, 19 September 2003 07:00 (twenty years ago) link

sorry dude, not trying to start shit, plz go on

― trife (simon_tr), Friday, 19 September 2003 07:02 (twenty years ago) link

And again to the issue at hand, may I please just enjoy the music? Or must there be something else to it?

Or, I don't know, maybe you could give your reasoning.

― David Allen, Friday, 19 September 2003 07:02 (twenty years ago) link

how do you breathe in that cultural vacuum

― trife (simon_tr), Friday, 19 September 2003 07:02 (twenty years ago) link

Dot Dash

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Friday, 19 September 2003 07:05 (twenty years ago) link

I get the feeling that the only type of music that's not okay to like around here is music that, in any way shape or form, could be embrassed by indies.

My feelings could best be expressed with this emoticon:

:-P

― David Allen, Friday, 19 September 2003 07:05 (twenty years ago) link

the unification of embraced/embarrassed will actually serve us well in all future ilm indie discussions (cant wait for those). unless that means 'made like brass'.

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Friday, 19 September 2003 07:17 (twenty years ago) link

i sighed because
1) there are four thousand outkast threads right now, many of them specifcally addressing this song.
2) i personally don' t like it. i think it's a chumpy i'm-a-rapper-but-i'm-trying-to-make-a-wacky-indie-rock-type-song. actually i don't hate it. i think the verses suck. it has nice production. the way it goes from being just an upbeat acoustic guitar song to having all sorts of synths is nice. the hand claps are fun (i think any song w/hand claps gets a little love from me). the video is pretty funny. but i just really hate the verses.

now you die

― JasonD (JasonD), Friday, 19 September 2003 07:20 (twenty years ago) link

I still really like it and I like it because it sounds like Frank Black, too. But then I like lots of things.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 19 September 2003 09:50 (twenty years ago) link

i like it 'coz when listening to it at my desk i start bouncing up and down in my chair like Tigger. and because, as mentioned on the other thread, that 'shake it like a polaroid picture' line is wonderful.

― H (Heruy), Friday, 19 September 2003 11:26 (twenty years ago) link

Can this be the thread where we discuss how the "I have black friends" set is the real enemy? I mean, seriously, I think they could do worse. Is this a case of boring/annoying being worse than evil?

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 19 September 2003 13:18 (twenty years ago) link

I'll answer that: NO. Because we still got terrorists here livin'in the USA, like the CIA, The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK!!

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 19 September 2003 13:20 (twenty years ago) link

http://www.aje.org.uk/daf/graphics/question-mark.gif

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 19 September 2003 13:20 (twenty years ago) link

Oh so whites who like blacks are the new enemy? SWEET!

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Friday, 19 September 2003 13:26 (twenty years ago) link

sigh

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 19 September 2003 13:35 (twenty years ago) link

I like this song cuz it sounds like white people music, and as a white people myself I like white people music exclusively.

― nickalicious ;-) (nickalicious), Friday, 19 September 2003 14:01 (twenty years ago) link

Look out for the tribe of Nickalicious.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 19 September 2003 14:06 (twenty years ago) link

I'm a little tired of being given advice by idiots, Sonny.

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Friday, 19 September 2003 14:10 (twenty years ago) link

i have black friends who like Frank Black

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 19 September 2003 14:54 (twenty years ago) link

It is really astonishing how ILM can do this pathetic black-white thread over and over and over and over and over again.

― kill me now, Friday, 19 September 2003 14:57 (twenty years ago) link

Outkast they are like a 50's or 60's beat group except are they borrowing from white sources instead of black. Cool!

― Vious, Friday, 19 September 2003 15:01 (twenty years ago) link

"kill me now", that's exactly why on the black music vs. white music thread I was so happy to see it derail into talk about the early days of the electric guitar...like OH MY GOD TALKING ABOUT MUSIC ON ILM WHODATHUNKIT?

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 19 September 2003 15:37 (twenty years ago) link

I'm a little tired of being given advice by idiots, Sonny.

When I give you advice you'll know it! Besides, I think we agree anyway. I'm sorry if I offended you.

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 19 September 2003 15:55 (twenty years ago) link

i don't really have much of an opinion this song! it's actually probably one of the better realized tracks on the andre disc. it was kind of a "nice" shock the first time i downloaded it and heard it, and then it got progressively more annoying each time (hey, just like solo frank black.) i think it would be worlds better if andre didn't sound so...harsh.

― gabbo giftington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 19 September 2003 15:59 (twenty years ago) link

I just watched a bit of the video and oh my god Andre is one goofy motherfucker.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 19 September 2003 16:17 (twenty years ago) link

Although I tried liking the song completely independent of the sociological of me liking it; if I should stop liking it and listen to music that's more "black" (I think there's already a thread on that one too) so I can meet other people's standards for "cultured" I guess I'll go off and do that then!

Really though, it's not like I said, "And I prefer this song to other rap music! Jay-Z/The Neptunes/Timbaland/Anybody else who is well-respected around here is just too... oh you know, negro!"

I really don't care who recorded it, at what time, or of what race. It's just a good song.

― David Allen, Friday, 19 September 2003 16:21 (twenty years ago) link

*sociological impact

― David Allen, Friday, 19 September 2003 16:22 (twenty years ago) link

ha ha in this video Andre looks like he's ripped on E

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 19 September 2003 17:19 (twenty years ago) link

Saw both video's (Andre's and Big Boi's) the other night on MTV2's hip-hop countdown. (Andre was one notch below Big Boi.) I like BB's video better, because the bikini'ed girl has the best ass in all of pop culture right now (80 times better than the girl in the Neptunes "Ass On Fire" video), but both songs are pretty bad. If the little keyboard part in Andre's song was a whole lot louder, like if it was the foundation of the whole song, it might improve things substantially. But the drum sound is crap, as are the vocals. But I've never liked Outkast anyway, so whatever.

Agree with trife on the idea of Outkast's fanbase being folks who not only make a point of telling you they have black friends, but can count/list those friends if asked.* When Stankonia came out, Alternative Press put Outkast on the cover. I predicted to the editor that it would be their lowest-selling issue of the year. It was. I've never again been as confident about the collective good taste of the AP readership, but that one time they were right on the money.

*I don't have any friends, and I like it that way.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Friday, 19 September 2003 17:27 (twenty years ago) link

yeah sorry ilm for casting doubt on anyones motivations for liking this truly shitty, shitty song, though i am still irked by all the 'outkast are the most important group in hiphop' and 'omg it sounds like indie rock...so innovative...' etc etc on the other thread, theres been like four or five threads specifically about this song that actively repulses me while so many great recent singles (and occasionally threads i start about them!!) are being ignored totally

― trife (simon_tr), Friday, 19 September 2003 17:32 (twenty years ago) link

Who said they're the most important group in hip-hop? I don't think they even ARE hip-hop anymore.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 19 September 2003 17:35 (twenty years ago) link

(note: I don't ignore your singles threads trife I just don't like most of those songs for shit, save the E-40/Busta one, which I k-like)

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 19 September 2003 17:36 (twenty years ago) link

Agree with trife on the idea of Outkast's fanbase being folks who not only make a point of telling you they have black friends, but can count/list those friends if asked

Okay, these people exist, and they might be annoying to you, but what is the point of criticizing them? They have a lot to learn about race. We all do.

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 19 September 2003 17:40 (twenty years ago) link

Trife I would post to your threads if I still had a radio or I could still download music. Keep it up.

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 19 September 2003 17:41 (twenty years ago) link

yeah whats the point of criticizing any racist mindset or attitude?? we've all got a lot to learn!! yo kkk, keep on pimpin!!

― trife (simon_tr), Friday, 19 September 2003 17:45 (twenty years ago) link

I think there are actually two different parts of this supposed "I have black friends" set: there's the racist-but-doesn't-want-it-to-get-out folks, and then there's the not-racist-but-constantly-worried-about-being-called-racist folks. At least.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 19 September 2003 17:50 (twenty years ago) link

but these people are TRYING. If you want to give them some pointers to their face, by all means, let them know they're "wrong". But it seems like you're just using them as an excuse to dis the Flaming Lips.

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 19 September 2003 17:50 (twenty years ago) link

KKK in "I have lots of black friends" shockah!

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Friday, 19 September 2003 17:55 (twenty years ago) link

nick what do you think makes an innocent person, as you said, 'constantly worried about being racist'?

― trife (simon_tr), Friday, 19 September 2003 17:56 (twenty years ago) link

curtis just yesterday in your state of georgia right here some local kkk branch 'reached out' to black churches while organizing a protest against the ten commandments removal, and yea i think they probably care as much abt black churches as the 'i have black friends' set do

― trife (simon_tr), Friday, 19 September 2003 17:57 (twenty years ago) link

oh of course i always forget that on ilm liking a black person means you cant ever be a racist!!

― trife (simon_tr), Friday, 19 September 2003 17:59 (twenty years ago) link

what do you think makes an innocent person, as you said, 'constantly worried about being racist'?

Lack of exposure to black culture?
And I think Curtis was just pointing out what was either an inconsistency in your argument or some semantic trouble... whatever, you're just being faux-naif anyway, you strawman

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 19 September 2003 18:01 (twenty years ago) link

what do you think makes an innocent person, as you said, 'constantly worried about being racist'?

Worried about ending up with a tarnished reputation. Some people care about what others think of them. (fwiw I'm not one of those people)

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 19 September 2003 18:01 (twenty years ago) link

and no i dont think anyone on ilm who likes this song is a racist!!! my 'flaming lips for the 'i have black friends' set' post was just saying that outkast (ok, andre) have provided a really easy get-out card to anyone wants to like a 'rap' single but finds most of it distateful or lacking in earnest acoustic guitar, im not entire equating that with out-and-out racism but if i am its more a personal flaw of mine than any proclamation from on high

― trife (simon_tr), Friday, 19 September 2003 18:02 (twenty years ago) link

I know people who like the P. Diddy/Nelly song for the same reason, trife

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 19 September 2003 18:04 (twenty years ago) link

Skipping 314 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Clearly Jamie Cullum missed a trick here.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:04 (nineteen years ago) link

Nooo the Will Young version is great.

Milkshake is BETTER than Hey Ya, Crazy In Love and Toxic, that's why.

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:04 (nineteen years ago) link

Because Milkshake never quite reached the same level of utter ubiquity as HY and CIL. Also, it came out a little later. And what The Lex says as well, obv.

― RickyT (RickyT), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:05 (nineteen years ago) link

Why has Milkshake not joined this particular club yet, incidentally?

Because the public prefers 'All This Time', obviously.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:08 (nineteen years ago) link

Just so you know, I will be spending the rest of the week listening to nothing BUT "Hey Ya" to make up for all of you haters/fatigue victims.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:17 (nineteen years ago) link

Well, it's still better than anything else off The Love Below. (Apart from "Dracula's Wedding".)

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:19 (nineteen years ago) link

"I Like The Way You Move" is on Tiger Woods 2005!

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:28 (nineteen years ago) link

Songs on The Love Below that are better than "Hey Ya":

Dracula's Wedding
Prototype (possibly the best song on the album)
Spread
She Lives In My Lap
A Day In The Life Of Andre Benjamin

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:35 (nineteen years ago) link

"Prototype" is BORING, "She Lives In My Lap" is icky, "A Day In The Life..." is nice enough but not so much that I'd dig it out to listen to again, and I can't even remember "Spread".

"Dracula's Wedding" is super-funky-awesome though.

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:38 (nineteen years ago) link

"She Lives In My Lap" is icky

Hahaha okay we are just not going to agree here!

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:45 (nineteen years ago) link

Also, I forgot "Vibrate".

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:45 (nineteen years ago) link

So did I, though I suspect for different reasons!

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:48 (nineteen years ago) link

(btw, did you ever see my response to you on the thread about DC's new single?)

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:49 (nineteen years ago) link

(because, you know, I like rubbing things in? Christ, moderators please delete me.)

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:49 (nineteen years ago) link

(what, about Kelly having sung like five verses in the history of DC songs? yes!)

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:51 (nineteen years ago) link

(It's more like 35% but yeah.)

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:55 (nineteen years ago) link

(oh well! But Beyoncé's definitely mellowed this time round - I think Kelly's the one in the middle in all group shots now. Incidentally, there was a very funny moment on... some TV interview or other where they were asked whether they'd all be going their separate ways again after this album. Michelle giggled nervously, and Kelly was about to say something, but Beyoncé leapt in with: "Yes, it'll definitely be Beyoncé, Kelly and Michelle time afterwards.")

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:59 (nineteen years ago) link

(Haha! Poor Beyonce needs to get married while Jay-Z is still going through his "despite my money and fame I am still far too ugly for this woman" phase.)

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 15:15 (nineteen years ago) link

Also known as his "closeted phase".

'Toxic'>>>>>every other overplay victim.

― Be sure to Moebius Loop! Moebius Loop! Moebius Loop! Moebius Loop! (Barima), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 15:21 (nineteen years ago) link

(or before Beyoncé dumps his retired ass for a man with a job!)

(xpost)

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 15:21 (nineteen years ago) link

"FACT!
OUTKAST MAY WELL BE AMONG VERY FEW TRUE INNOVATORS
IN AN OTHERWISE STAGNANT FIELD."

Oh get over yourselves you limey twerps

― MC Transmaniacon (natepatrin), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 15:34 (nineteen years ago) link

you know what's better than 'Hey Ya'? 'Gasoline Dreams'! man i must've listened to that track.....twice!

― Freelance Hiveminder (blueski), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 15:45 (nineteen years ago) link

Nate I'm fairly sure that was a joke.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 15:47 (nineteen years ago) link

Popjustice have rarely said nice things about hip hop, M (did you get my e-mail last week, dammit?).

― B.A.R.M.S. (Barima), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 15:57 (nineteen years ago) link

I still think "Hey Ya" is a classic. I've never grown sick of it. That said I don't really dance to it. I walk to work hearing it on the radio. Admittedly they don't play it on the half-hour anymore.

― miccio (miccio), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 17:21 (nineteen years ago) link

yeah i haven't heard it in quite awhile

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 11 November 2004 05:37 (nineteen years ago) link

I think it's due a rerelease.

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 11 November 2004 09:35 (nineteen years ago) link

Perhaps they could do a Christmas version of it like Las Ketchup did with "Aserje".

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 11 November 2004 09:36 (nineteen years ago) link

"Hey Yule!"

― Alba (Alba), Thursday, 11 November 2004 09:46 (nineteen years ago) link

She Lives in My Lap totally kills Hey Ya.

― Hi, I am a genius. a big one. (AaronHz), Thursday, 11 November 2004 09:54 (nineteen years ago) link

haha they played Hey Ya last night and I totally danced to it!

― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 11 November 2004 10:49 (nineteen years ago) link

Barima - yes, I got email the other day. Thanks for the MP3 - sadly as I am an absent-minded fule I forgot to actually listen to it. Will do so in the next couple of days.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 11 November 2004 10:54 (nineteen years ago) link

Part of the endless appeal for "Hey Ya" for me (aside from musical elements) is that if I'm down I can focus on the lyrics during the first two minutes, and if I'm happy I can focus on the last two.

― miccio (miccio), Thursday, 11 November 2004 15:29 (nineteen years ago) link

five months pass...

Man shoots roommate for singing 'Hey Ya' in shower.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Sunday, 17 April 2005 16:56 (nineteen years ago) link

I was hoping that'd be a news article!

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 17 April 2005 17:00 (nineteen years ago) link

Why does Jess hate OutKast so much?

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Sunday, 17 April 2005 17:01 (nineteen years ago) link

Jess ain't the man you go to for rapturous reactions to hyped follow-ups. Never invite him to a "listening party."

― miccio (miccio), Sunday, 17 April 2005 17:04 (nineteen years ago) link

plus he ain't gonna hand out cookies for sloppy Sign O' The Times demos when all he wants is more Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. I will though!

― miccio (miccio), Sunday, 17 April 2005 17:10 (nineteen years ago) link

does he give a high-five to the camera at the end? why don't more people do that?

― irrigation can save your people (irrigation can save your peopl), Monday, 18 April 2005 03:08 (nineteen years ago) link

two years pass...

Overrated thread

― Dom Passantino, Monday, 17 March 2008 15:24 (sixteen years ago) link

i like to think that this is still ILM's favourite single of the 00s

― blueski, Monday, 17 March 2008 15:29 (sixteen years ago) link

wow, people really had their heads way up their asses here

― The Reverend, Monday, 17 March 2008 15:31 (sixteen years ago) link

five months pass...

I've actually ADDED this into my rotation of iPod tracks as of a few months ago. Why the hell was I so down on this song???

― Tantrum The Cat, Friday, 12 September 2008 05:42 (fifteen years ago) link

Not enough flanged guitars in this track

― Fer Ark, Friday, 12 September 2008 19:27 (fifteen years ago) link

one year passes...

The two big influences on this song according to Andre 3000? The Ramones and the Buzzcocks' Singles Going Steady album.

I remember that piece of trivia from an EW interview with the band around the time the song was blowing up.

― Cunga, Monday, 11 January 2010 06:50 (fourteen years ago) link

No wonder it was so beloved by college radio types.

― viborg, Monday, 11 January 2010 07:06 (fourteen years ago) link

one year passes...

The definitive version of Hey Ya can be found at 1'43'' here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItMJtA8vfpw&feature=player_embedded

― Alba, Tuesday, 11 January 2011 00:07 (thirteen years ago) link

Wow, that would be excruciating enough if they could sing.

― A brownish area with points (chap), Tuesday, 11 January 2011 00:39 (thirteen years ago) link

i dont like the song very much. i agree with trife regarding the flaming lips comment. but i also think it has initiated some really interesting discussions regarding tokenism etc, and the people who like the record have said interesting stuff as well
the song also seems kind of mid-late 090s, that genre-hopping thing, 'eclecticism' etc (the bane of the 90s sadly, making everything a muddy nothing, the excreble Beck etc), so in a way this record seems kind of quaint now, a throwback to that time, and, of course, also a throwback to 1970s sitcom music, which is what this sounds like to me.

1970s sitcom music can be a good thing, but i would say not in the case of this record, which feels too much like a spoof of some unknown american comedy show which never travelled across the Atlantic

― gareth (gareth), Thursday, January 1, 2004 6:36 AM (7 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

this is kinda otm.

first time i heard this song i pictured it getting MTV2 rotation for a few weeks and zero radio play before they came with some bigger better follow-up hit, still kind of bitter that that didn't happen.

― some dude, Tuesday, 11 January 2011 00:47 (thirteen years ago) link

this song's time signature is soooo visionary

― teledyldonix, Tuesday, 11 January 2011 01:12 (thirteen years ago) link

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