This list of songs is inspired by lists published by radio station KEXP-FM from Seattle in 2010, as well as the latest poll taken in 2021 by Rolling Stone Magazine. For the most part I will faithfully countdown from their lists, starting at Song #500 and going until I reach Song #1. When you see the song title listed as something like: Song #XXX (KEXP)….it means that I am working off of the official KEXP list. Song XXX (RS) means the song is coming from the Rolling Stone list. If I post the song title as being: Song #xxx (KTOM), it means I have gone rogue and am inserting a song choice from my own personal list of tunes I really like. In any case, you are going to get to hear a great song and learn the story behind it. Finally, just so everyone is aware, I am not a music critic nor a musician. I am a music fan and an armchair storyteller. Here is the story behind today’s song. Enjoy.
KEXP: The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History.
Song #341: “You’ve Gotta Fight for Your Right To Party” by The Beastie Boys.
“You’ve Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party” by “The Beastie Boys” was originally meant as satire. It was written as a spoof on the keg-draining antics of Frat boys and local louts made famous in such songs as “Louie, Louie” and/or “Shout Pts 1 & 2” from Animal House. The Beastie Boys were a Rap group from NYC that formed in 1981. They were comprised of Adam Horowitz (Ad-Rock), Adam Yauch (MCA) and Michael Diamond (Mike D.) Originally, their rhymes were comedic, in nature. Although their skills were clearly evident, they weren’t always taken seriously as Hip Hop artists. This is why the reaction was what it was when they released “You’ve Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party”. Most people thought the group was endorsing out-of-control house parties when, in fact, they were attempting to spoof them. As their career progressed, audiences began to get who The Beastie Boys were and what they were trying to do. Respect for the group increased exponentially. Over the course of their career the group had numerous hit songs such as “Hey Ladies!”, “So Whatcha Want?”, “Sabotage” and many more. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide and were inducted to The Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 (only the third Hip Hop group so honoured at the time).
In 2012, Adam Yauch passed away due to cancer causing the remaining members to retire the name Beastie Boys going forward. But, while he was alive and the group was writing and performing, The Beastie Boys were among the top Hip-Hop groups in the world. Here is “You’ve Gotta Fight for Your Right to Parrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrty!” Enjoy.
The link to the video for the song “You’ve Gotta Fight For Your Right To Party” by The Beastie Boys can be found here. ***The lyrics version can be found here.
The link to the official website for The Beastie Boys can be found here.
Thanks to KEXP for always supporting good music in all genres. The link to their official website can be found here.
***All original content contained within this post remains the sole property of the author. No portion of this post shall be reblogged, copied or shared in any manner without the express written consent of the author. ©2021 http://www.tommacinneswriter.com
