Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Song #2 On My MP3 Player: (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!) by the Beastie Boys

Due to the parentheses, '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)' is the second song listed alphabetically on my MP3 player. It was supposed to be a goof on party music, but '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)' became a 1987 top ten single on the Billboard 100 for the Beastie Boys. If you are a member of Generation X or Y in denial about your age then you'll be pleased to know that Licensed to Ill was released 26 years ago.

I have had the opportunity to teach classes on the history of rock and roll at a local community college. My students would have weekly assignments where I would ask them to review ten songs. One week I asked students to review '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)' and one student stated in his review that this was the perfect song to play on a day when you are stressed out and pissed off at the world.

The Beastie Boys have a great catalog full of music to get you movin' and groovin'. Their music is a must on my MP3 player because songs like '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)'  help me out when I'm stressed and/or pissed off at the world. This song is timeless and even though it was meant as a goof on party music it still is one of the best teen angst party anthems. Don't act too cool for school with this song because you still shout "BUSTED" after they say "Now your mom threw away your best porno mag."

The video is embedded below for your viewing and listening pleasure. I recently read an oral history of MTV titled I Want My MTV: An Uncensored History of the Music Video Revolution and there's a funny story about the making of this video. There's a young Tabitha Soren in this video, plus all of the whipped cream used for the pies were taken from containers found in a waste bin outside of a supermarket. In the book Tabitha Soren said that there was no money for the video and that's why they had to get them out of a waste bin. She also added that the whipped cream had turned rancid and the room where they shot the video reeked of rotten eggs. Lovely.




TonyDoug Wright is the Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. He is also the author of two webcomics titled The Red Devil and Day 165. Be a pal and check them out.

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