― King Kobra (King Kobra), Thursday, 20 January 2005 18:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Thursday, 20 January 2005 18:27 (nineteen years ago) link
I didn't know that "According to Jim" had started having bon mots! I'm going to have to start tuning in.
― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 20 January 2005 18:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 20 January 2005 18:34 (nineteen years ago) link
― Jams Murphy (ystrickler), Thursday, 20 January 2005 18:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― Haibun (Begs2Differ), Thursday, 20 January 2005 18:39 (nineteen years ago) link
― King Kobra (King Kobra), Thursday, 20 January 2005 18:41 (nineteen years ago) link
― King Kobra (King Kobra), Thursday, 20 January 2005 18:42 (nineteen years ago) link
― polyphonic (polyphonic), Thursday, 20 January 2005 18:42 (nineteen years ago) link
― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 20 January 2005 18:43 (nineteen years ago) link
Surely there's something offensive about this?
― Chuckling at the Tomkat's Marquee (Ben Boyer), Thursday, 20 January 2005 18:46 (nineteen years ago) link
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 20 January 2005 18:48 (nineteen years ago) link
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 20 January 2005 18:49 (nineteen years ago) link
Normally, I'd agree, but go back and listen to the original right now, and you'll hear that Cube's phrasing is more annoying and faux-confrontational than pleasing to the ears. Yeah, yeah, I know it's supposed to be some sort of canonical moment, but Cube always got on my nerves with his cloying bravado, and honestly, his delivery on that song probably could have been done better by someone else.
― King Kobra (King Kobra), Thursday, 20 January 2005 18:57 (nineteen years ago) link
― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 20 January 2005 18:58 (nineteen years ago) link
― King Kobra (King Kobra), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:00 (nineteen years ago) link
Obviously I meant another rapper circa 1988, Mr. Smarty-pants. ;Þ
― King Kobra (King Kobra), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:01 (nineteen years ago) link
Also, does this thread count as an additional vote in the Stereogum: C or D thread?
― Eppy (Eppy), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:06 (nineteen years ago) link
― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:07 (nineteen years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:12 (nineteen years ago) link
― Chuckling at the Tomkat's Marquee (Ben Boyer), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:14 (nineteen years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:19 (nineteen years ago) link
these are bad things how?
over-reverence to source material is not to be encouraged, and is probably a bit rockist.
This rendition takes any and all power and meaning out of the song. It's a huge insult.
This bit reminds me of Pfork frothing at the mouth re: Northern State not knowing about hip-hop history, and is equally silly.
― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― noodle vague (noodle vague), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:27 (nineteen years ago) link
Either way, this song SUXX0R U ALL R GAY
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:28 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:28 (nineteen years ago) link
― sibsi (sibsi), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:31 (nineteen years ago) link
I was just going to post about how lots of people on this thread seem to think that pretty folksiness and anger are mutually exclusive, which they're not. I think she's more intent on conveying sadness rather than anger though, at the same time as strength, and she does that very well.
― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― noodle vague (noodle vague), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:37 (nineteen years ago) link
― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:40 (nineteen years ago) link
― dave q (listerine), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:43 (nineteen years ago) link
― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:46 (nineteen years ago) link
Because she's treading dangerously close to minstrelsy. I didn't mean uncomfortable and inappropriate in a "wow, she's really pushing the envelope" type way, because she's not. This kind of cover song is ancient news by this point. It's hacky, really.
The notion that "only black people should cover black people's songs" is obviously absurd. I'm speaking about context.When Nina Gordon plays this song, what's telegraphed is "revel in the disparity between a white, female, folky singer singing lyrics written by young black men from an at-the-time unheard of city where violence is prevelant, police brutality is common, misogyny is the norm, etc. etc. etc." You have to assume that you are meant to respond to this contrast. Because you CAN'T respond to the song itself as it's performed here: It's completely stripped of the context that made it so powerful. She hasn't made the song hers, she's exploited it for something resembling a laugh or a raised eyebrow. And she didn't do it with any panache or originality, either (seriously, that "Boyz N the Hood" cover that's been referenced, by Dynamite Hack or whatever, is the exact same thing as this, and also clumsy and thoughtless).
― Chuckling at the Tomkat's Marquee (Ben Boyer), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:48 (nineteen years ago) link
― chris andrews (fraew), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:52 (nineteen years ago) link
― Haibun (Begs2Differ), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:56 (nineteen years ago) link
But it's not such a contrast. White women experiencing violence, police brutality and misogyny? Check, check, check. The contrast is less in the context and emotion conveyed in this version than in the musical style.
― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:58 (nineteen years ago) link
Hey, you and stanley crouch agree on something! Oh wait, you were talking about nina, not gangsta rap.
― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 20 January 2005 19:59 (nineteen years ago) link
Nina Gordon can't be betraying "Straight Outta Compton"'s original meaning because it never had 1 fixed original meaning. This undermines the irony arguments too, because the song was ironic when it was written. Some people seem to forget that, amongst other qualities, most Hip Hop is funny as fuck.
― noodle vague (noodle vague), Thursday, 20 January 2005 20:01 (nineteen years ago) link
Geez, Mark. (And Ben!) This isn't the end times. What the hell is wrong w/ Nina Gordon interpreting this song and finding another way to spin it (thank you Lex!), as is common throughout the history of popular music? And don't give me nonsense about the song's original power or "re-interpreting black anger" or lord knows what other culture shock y'all are going through - a song is a song is a song. The fact that you're unable to divorce the song from its point of origin and its originator isn't the song's fault, so stop trying to make it sound like that.
(Somewhere in Bizarro World, folks are posting to Me Love Music about this song, saying stuff like, "Me happy someone rescue rap music from evil man and make rap pretty with melody and guitar.")
― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 20 January 2005 20:02 (nineteen years ago) link
― polyphonic (polyphonic), Thursday, 20 January 2005 20:06 (nineteen years ago) link
it kinda sounds like something that would be on a National Lampoon record in the early 90s had they existed then, though more straight faced.
― donut christ (donut), Thursday, 20 January 2005 20:07 (nineteen years ago) link
What is clever about it? Every high school talent show Ive ever been to had an act of some kid doing rap covers accoustically.
― David Allen (David Allen), Thursday, 20 January 2005 20:14 (nineteen years ago) link
― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 20 January 2005 20:21 (nineteen years ago) link
― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 20 January 2005 20:23 (nineteen years ago) link
I'm off to check out the Cinderella cover with not-so-high hopes. "Fallin' Apart at the Seams" would have been a wicked choice.
― Will (will), Thursday, 20 January 2005 20:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 20 January 2005 20:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― noodle vague (noodle vague), Thursday, 20 January 2005 20:25 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 20 January 2005 20:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― Leon the Fatboy (Ex Leon), Saturday, 22 January 2005 19:45 (nineteen years ago) link
― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 12 February 2005 19:59 (nineteen years ago) link
― Jim Fertile, Thursday, 17 February 2005 19:05 (nineteen years ago) link
This video just reinforces how ridiculous and over-the-top the lyrics are:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6D5xpCgETk
― Lazarus Niles-Burnham (res), Sunday, 12 December 2010 05:22 (thirteen years ago) link
That's actually pretty funny.
― A brownish area with points (chap), Monday, 13 December 2010 17:15 (thirteen years ago) link
The police in the video are more YMCA than LAPD.
― Les centimètres énigmatiques (snoball), Monday, 13 December 2010 17:22 (thirteen years ago) link
Weird, this song spontaneously got stuck in my head when this thread got bumped.
― penis with a man hanging from it (Leee), Monday, 13 December 2010 17:43 (thirteen years ago) link
90s West Coast rappers seem to have all gotten their video white people from the same low-grade casting agency.
― mandatorily joined parties (Hurting 2), Monday, 13 December 2010 17:47 (thirteen years ago) link
haha, classic thread
― buzza, Monday, 13 December 2010 17:48 (thirteen years ago) link
more like "straight into used bin" amirite?
― pomp la familia (Hurting 2), Monday, 3 January 2011 21:23 (thirteen years ago) link
I was kinda shocked the original post was 5 years old...some of this read v. much like in the wake of the whole post-CocoRosie N-word discussion--I'm surprised it was not mentioned at all in there, though by all accounts I guess that just measures how forgettable it was...
― Ned Rag & the Evil Olive Gardens (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 3 January 2011 21:28 (thirteen years ago) link
For future reference:
The Canonical List of Overheated ILM Race Relation Threads
― /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\||||||( *__* )||||||/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ (res), Monday, 3 January 2011 21:56 (thirteen years ago) link
White musicians and "artistic" use of the N-word: A Discussion and Social History
^the thread I wz referring to
― the Sonic Youths of suck (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 3 January 2011 22:07 (thirteen years ago) link
but yeah I prolley should read entire thread...
― the Sonic Youths of suck (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 3 January 2011 22:08 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6Oej7K469I
― buzza, Friday, 20 May 2011 16:28 (twelve years ago) link
lol, straight outta compton was 80s!
― it's a meme i made and i like (Steve Shasta), Friday, 20 May 2011 16:54 (twelve years ago) link
I was in a coffee shop that was playing what seemed to be an entire compilation of this stuff, mostly acoustic covers of 80s hits -- time after time, I wanna dance with somebody, I forget what else, wide variety of styles all collapsed into that same sort of weepy, sort of sultry but not actually sexy zone, and it occurred to me that this genre is basically the modern equivalent of muzak -- taking a bunch of disparate songs, flattening them, sucking out any specific emotional content and re-constituting them as a consistent musical paste.
― IF (Terrorist) Yes, Explain (man alive), Sunday, 28 January 2018 21:09 (six years ago) link
Like, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" is all about getting energized and chasing your blues away, doing it as a melancholy song is so point missing and dull, and doing Time After Time, a legitimately heartbreaking song, at that same emotional level is equally point-missing.
― IF (Terrorist) Yes, Explain (man alive), Sunday, 28 January 2018 21:12 (six years ago) link
well put
― the late great, Sunday, 28 January 2018 21:14 (six years ago) link
pretty strange to read this thread in 2018
― ? (seandalai), Sunday, 28 January 2018 22:31 (six years ago) link
Not exactly the same thing, but there’s this really dreary Sia-esque cover of “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” that I keep hearing snippets of on TV (maybe it’s the theme to some show?). Perhaps this doesn’t miss the point nearly as much as that Whitney cover you’re talking about, but at least the Tears For Fears song had an actual pulse.
― iCloudius (cryptosicko), Monday, 29 January 2018 05:46 (six years ago) link
― ? (seandalai), Sunday, January 28, 2018 5:31 PM
Agreed. Shakey with pretty much the only right take way back when.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 29 January 2018 05:56 (six years ago) link
Welp, up to a point: "I couldn't care less about the language/cultural baggage issues people are harping on."
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 29 January 2018 06:01 (six years ago) link
this is a thing that's happening now (4 years old but they're a lot more popular now)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibceUSL0lPU
― fuck you, your hat is horrible (Neanderthal), Monday, 29 January 2018 06:35 (six years ago) link
Wow this thread. I would like to hear from the 2005 posters, have you changed your minds in the last 13 years or are you still willing to defend this?
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 29 January 2018 14:11 (six years ago) link
I enjoyed two listens to the Nina Gordon 13 years ago, but Neanderthal's link there is an absolute warcrime
― Haribo Hancock (sic), Monday, 29 January 2018 21:09 (six years ago) link
Holy shit this thread is insane
― the man from P.O.R.L.O.C.K. (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 29 January 2018 21:42 (six years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY3jOkM3JFY
― sleepingbag, Monday, 29 January 2018 21:44 (six years ago) link
i saw the Skivvies live. they're Broadway performers with pretty great pedigree, Lauren Molina played Ms Lovett in Sweeney Todd on Broadway. when the set was just them doing pop/cabaret-type numbers it was fun. the shit like Kelis's "Milkshake" and other "lol yuk yuk we're doing hip hop in hoedown style" numbers made me seek the nearest exit.
― fuck you, your hat is horrible (Neanderthal), Monday, 29 January 2018 21:59 (six years ago) link
ooooh here we go, this is what this thread needs for 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlSmsKJq3CI
― sleepingbag, Saturday, 3 February 2018 02:41 (six years ago) link
still otm about the ignition cover though
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Saturday, 3 February 2018 02:46 (six years ago) link
taking a bunch of disparate songs, flattening them, sucking out any specific emotional content and re-constituting them as a consistent musical paste
the generic condensation of the experience of a streaming playlist, designed for tastefully inoffensive coffeeshop audio
― j., Saturday, 3 February 2018 03:01 (six years ago) link