No Sleep till Brooklyn
| "No Sleep till Brooklyn" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Beastie Boys | ||||
| from the album Licensed to Ill | ||||
| B-side | "Posse in Effect" | |||
| Released | March 1, 1987 | |||
| Recorded | Spring 1986 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:09 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Rick Rubin, Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch | |||
| Producer(s) | Rick Rubin | |||
| Beastie Boys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"No Sleep till Brooklyn" is a song by the New York hip hop group the Beastie Boys, and the sixth single from their debut studio album Licensed to Ill. Among other references to then-popular metal, the title is a play on the Motörhead album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith.[3]
Production and play
Kerry King, guitarist for Slayer, played the guitar riffs and solo; he had also released an album produced by Rick Rubin in 1986 (Reign in Blood). In a different tuning, the song interprets "TNT" by AC/DC.[4] More metal commentary and adaptation is added by the video, directed by Ric Menello,[5] as a parody of glam metal.[6]
Later in their career, the Beastie Boys continued to perform the song live, although with altered lyrics to reflect their more mature attitude towards women. "M.C.A.'s in the back because he's skeezin' with a whore," was changed to "M.C.A.'s in the back with the mahjong board",[7] and "Autographed pictures and classy hoes" was changed to "Autographed pictures to nobody knows."[7]
The song features one of many homages to New York City's boroughs, and has been described as "joyful ranting."[8]
Music video
The music video for "No Sleep till Brooklyn" was co-directed by Ric Menello and Adam Dubin.[9][10] Menello and Dubin also directed the video for the Beastie Boys' preceding single, "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)".[9][10] Kerry King, who plays guitar on this track, also appears in the video. Ruth Collins known as the "Queen of B Movies" of the 80's is featured as the lead dancer.
In popular culture
- The song is featured on the soundtrack of the Steven Seagal film Out for Justice.
- Rapper Tone Lōc sampled the riff for his song "Ace Is on the House", which was featured in the end credits and soundtrack of the 1994 film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
- The song was used in several films and video games including Cop Out, Guitar Hero: World Tour and The Secret Life of Pets.
- "No Sleep till Brooklyn" appeared in the promos for the 2013 VMA Awards and trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
- The song was played on Family Guy (season 15) episode "Cop and a Half-wit"
Covers and parodies
- British comedian Tony Hawks parodied the song's chorus in "Stutter Rap (No Sleep Til Bedtime)" under the pseudonym of "Morris Minor and the Majors" where they rapped 'No need for shouting!"
- Dutch group Osdorp Posse recorded a cover/adaptation in Dutch, as "Geen slaap tot Osdorp" ("No sleep till Osdorp").[11][12]
- The song is also played as "No Sleep 'til Belfast" by Stiff Little Fingers on their 1988 album No Sleep 'til Belfast
- In 2009, "No Sleep 'till Brooklyn" was covered by Jay-Z at the All Points West Festival (Jay-Z had inherited the Friday headlining slot from the Beastie Boys, who pulled out due to Adam Yauch's early stage battle with cancer.[13])
Charts
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[14] | 28 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] | 22 |
| Netherlands (GfK Dutch Chart)[16] | 23 |
| Germany (Media Control Charts)[17] | 46 |
| Ireland Irish Singles Chart[18] | 17 |
| UK (Official Charts Company)[19] | 14 |
References
- ↑ Tim Grierson. "Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch Has Died". About.com. Retrieved July 2, 2013. "As a member of Beastie Boys, Yauch (who recorded under the name MCA) helped pioneer rap-rock with (...) classic tracks like "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)" and "No Sleep Till Brooklyn,""
- ↑ Ken Tucker. "Rough-rapping Beastie Boys Cut A Path From Cult To Chart". Philly.com. Retrieved July 2, 2013. "The Beastie Boys also pepper their music with bits of heavy metal and hard rock - the squalling guitar solo on "No Sleep Till Brooklyn," for example, is provided by Kerry King"
- ↑ Craig Rosen. "Motorhead Between Rock 'N' Hard Place". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ BeastieMania.com - Song Spotlight
- ↑ Ehrlich, Brenna (August 23, 2013). "'No Sleep Till Brooklyn': The Story Behind The Anthem". MTV. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- ↑ "No Sleep Till Brooklyn by Beastie Boys". Songfacts. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- 1 2 Beastie Boys - No Sleep Til Brooklyn (8-9-07 - Brooklyn, NY) on YouTube
- ↑ No sleep'til Brooklyn. M Forman - American Quarterly, 2002 - muse.jhu.edu
- 1 2 Kaufman, Gil (March 4, 2013). "Beastie Boys Video Director Ric Menello Dead at 60". MTV.com. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
- 1 2 Hogan, Marc (March 5, 2013). "Ric Menello, Beastie Boys Video Director, Dies at 60". Spin Magazine. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
- ↑ Boeije, Tom (December 19, 2009). "Amerikaanse invloed op Nederhop" (in Dutch). Hiphopleeft. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- ↑ Heerma van Voss, Thomas (February 28, 2012). "Rappers met een boodschap: 'Ik ben het levende bewijs dat de jeugd deugt'". Vrij Nederland (in Dutch). Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- ↑ Consequence of Sound Presents…Best Fest Covers
- ↑ "No sleep till Brooklyn in Belgian Chart". Ultratop and Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
- ↑ "No sleep till Brooklyn Dutch Top 40 Chart". Ultratop and Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
- ↑ "No sleep till Brooklyn in GfK Dutch Chart". Ultratop and Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
- ↑ "Chartverfolgung / Beastie Boys / Single". Retrieved May 10, 2011.
- ↑ "No sleep till Brooklyn in Irish Chart". IRMA. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2013. Only one result when searching "No sleep till Brooklyn"
- ↑ "1987 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive - 13th June 1987". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 20, 2017.