Saturday, May 5, 2012

Song of the Day - Girls - Beastie Boys

Today's Song of the Day is of course in tribute to the late Adam Yauch, AKA MCA, who passed away yesterday after a two-year battle with cancer. He was only 47. The Beastie Boys were a pretty big thing in their own way and tidbits and reactions to the rapper's tragic passing hit the Internet far and wide since the announcement.


 I was never a huge Beasties' fan, but I did like some of their songs, for sure. I remember the very first time I, and many others, heard of them was when they served as Madonna's opening act on her very first tour in 1985. At first people didn't know what to make of the trio of MCA, Mike D (Michael Diamond), and Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz), but a year after supporting the "Virgin Tour" they broke out into the mainstream in a big way. The Boys'"License to Ill" record went ballistic on the charts, bolstered by the rap anthem "Fight for Your Right (To Party)," becoming the very first rap album to hit #1 on the Billboard charts and their following only grew from there.


Among some of their best-loved songs over the years are the eclectic, yet infectious beats found on "Brass Monkey," "No Sleep Till Brooklyn," "Intergalactic," "Sabotage," and many more. This one was an early single in 1987 and one of my favorites for an unusual reason. In the early 1990's one of the ice cream men who came around my neighborhood every summer afternoon played it as their siren song to call the kiddies to the truck, forever cementing the easily identifiable bell-track in my head.

So Rest in Peace Adam! I am truly sorry for your loss. Enjoy "Girls":

   

  Girls - Licensed to Ill


To read a great collection of tribute pieces on MCA and the Beastie Boys, check out Billboard.com right here.

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