The Beastie Boys were the first successful white rap group and one of the few acts from the early days of hip-hop that still enjoyed major success their whole career. Their rock and punk-influenced rap has had a significant impact on artists both in and outside the hip-hop scene. And they were the first rap group to gain a substantial following with alternative rock fans.
The Beastie Boys came together in 1979 as a punk band called The Young Aborigines. In 1981 MCA joined the group and from the suggestion of their guitarist John Berry, they changed their name to Beastie Boys. Their line up then consisted of Adam Yauch (aka MCA) on bass, drummer Kate Schellenbach (later of Luscious Jackson), guitarist John Berry (of Big Fat Love), and Mike Diamond (aka Mike D) on the mic. Beastie Boys' debut EP, the Pollywog Stew vinyl 7" was released in 1982.
The band's first foray into hip hop, the Cooky Puss 12", followed in 1983, with The Young and the Useless guitarist Adam Horovitz (aka Adrock) replacing John Berry. "Cooky Puss" would be the first B Boys record to receive play at NYC clubs like Danceteria as the band played its first shows outside the city.
The Mike D/MCA/Adrock Beastie Boys lineup debuted in 1984 with the "Rock Hard"/"Beastie Groove" 12." Produced by Rick Rubin, who went on to produce albums for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash and Audioslave. The "She's On It"/ "Slow And Low" 12" followed in 1985 and Beastie Boys went on Madonna's "Virgin Tour." as her opening act.
Licensed to Ill dropped in fall 1986 and became the first Beastie Boys album--and the first Rap album ever--to go #1. Fueled by Fight for Your Right and No Sleep Till Brooklyn it remained at #1 for seven weeks and simultaneously reached #2 on the urban chart, becoming the fastest selling debut to date for Columbia and the first hip hop record to break 5 million.
In 1989 Beastie Boys released their second album Paul’s Boutique produced by Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers. Paul's Boutique laid down the blueprint for a generation of emergent genres and went over the collective head of a nation. The likes of "Shake Your Rump," "Lookin' Down The Barrel Of A Gun," "Car Thief," Shadrach," and the hip hop "suite" "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" contained lyrical and musical references too plentiful and diverse for the average mind to compute in one sitting.
Check Your Head, released in 1992, heralded the return of live instrumentation into the B Boys mix. The album was produced by the band and Mario Caldato Jr. (who first worked with B Boys as engineer on Paul's Boutique), Check Your Head would yield a watershed of new B Boys staples, including So Whatcha' Want, Pass The Mic, "Gratitude" and "Jimmy James." With the assistance of Keyboard Money Mark, Eric Bobo and assorted percussionists, Beastie Boys returned to the touring circuit and Check Your Head hit double platinum.
In the summer of 1994, Ill Communication, also produced by the band and Mario Caldato Jr., entered the charts #1. The album featured such hits Sure Shot and Sabotage. Ill Communication was supported by Beastie Boys' first arena headline tour since the '80s. Following the tour's conclusion, Beastie Boys recorded and released Aglio e Olio consisting of eight songs clocking in at 11 minutes, the EP recalls the vintage hardcore punk of the band's infancy.
On July 14 1998, their fifth album titled Hello Nasty was released. Spurred by the monster success of the "Intergalactic" single and video, the record clocked first week sales of nearly 700,000 in the U.S. and went straight in at #1 in England, Germany, Australia, Holland, New Zealand and Sweden. Early in the tour, Beastie Boys made live tracks available for free download to fans unable to attend the shows-and were blindsided by their label pulling the tracks down.
Having closed 1998 by accepting the Video Vanguard lifetime achievement honor at the MTV Video Music Awards, Beastie Boys rang in 1999 with Artist, Band and/or Record of the Year accolades from the likes of Rolling Stone, SPIN, The New Yorker and Playboy, among others. A month later, at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, the now quadruple-platinum Hello Nasty took Best Alternative Music Performance, while "Intergalactic," nailed Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group--the first time an artist has ever won in both Rap and Alternative categories.1999 would also see "Intergalactic" take Best Hip Hop Video honors at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.
Beastie Boys' sixth studio album, To The 5 Boroughs, released in summer 2004, was the band's third consecutive #1 debut-and Rolling Stone magazine's only 5-star review of the year. To The 5 Boroughs was supported by world tour - traveling pageant - supported by Talib Kweli and Bob Moore's Amazing Mongrels (yes, a live dog show, hence the pageant appellation).
2006 saw the release of the film, Awesome, I Fuckin' Shot That!, a concert film made up of footage filmed by audience members, which debuted at Sundance in early 2006 and was released theatrically the same year.
In 2007 Beastie Boys released The Mix-Up, first ever full length offering of all-new, all-original instrumental recordings.
On February 3rd, 2009, they digitally remastered and released Paul's Boutique on their website.
The band's next record, "Hot Sauce Committee Part 2" was released in the first quarter of 2011. It features the same tracklisting as the previously announced "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1", which was delayed indefinitely after Yauch was diagnosed with a tumor on his parotid gland (which was successfully removed).
Bassist and vocalist Adam Yauch died on May 4, 2012 of cancer.
In June 2014, Mike D stated that the Beastie Boys would not continue their careers as a group, as a promise to Adam Yauch. "We have not been able to tour since MCA, Adam Yauch, died," Diamond said. "We can't make new music."
Can't Won't Don't Stop
Beastie Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They're Lovey and Thurston howellin
The grasshopper unit is prowellin
And Rufus is back home growellin
For all of y'all that are dozin
On Hornblower's lederhosen
Like Walt Disney he'll be frozen
And then the Swiss Hall of Fame he goes in
Pick up my mic and start joustin
His name plate medallion
Says never trust a hal 9000
Check the horizontal hold and check the tint
Are these three fools back at it again
Inspector Clouseau and Derek Flint
Nothin but sparks ignitin'
Check two one two mic testin
This one goes out to Dechen
Rise fallen fighters take your stance again
Don't think too much about the color of skin
Order in vegetarian sharks fin
Try to keep my life non violent
Rewind the tape and punch me in
Like Chuck D with the where you never been I'm in
I'm a long way from where I've been but I gotta keep movin'
Ooh my my I'm really not feeling it
Ooh my my something's really wrong
The p.a. sound is deafenin
Bitin MCs I'm oustinin
With spinach in your teeth you're grinnin
So on your way out please take a mint
Got the studio to throw a craze in
The basslines Yauch just lays in
This song is the grass you're grazin
Add a little flange and phase in
Don't get mad 'cause I'm beguilin
I'm off the hook so don't bother dialin
They're gonna put me in the b.i.n.
And if I die notify the next of kin
It's like that y'all
The lyrics to Beastie Boys' song "Can't, Won't, Don't Stop" are an eclectic mix of imagery and references that convey a sense of creative chaos and irreverence. The song begins by addressing "Dear Alex and Marilyn", who could be anyone, but the reference to Lovey and Thurston Howell from "Gilligan's Island" suggests a playfulness and nostalgia for a simpler time. Then we have the Grasshopper Unit "prowellin", Rufus "growellin", and Hornblower's lederhosen - all nonsensical phrases that add to the surreal atmosphere. Walt Disney is mentioned, along with being "frozen" and inducted into the Swiss Hall of Fame, creating an image of immortality and superstardom. Meanwhile, someone is out in space "carousin" and "joustin" and sporting a medallion that cautions against trusting a HAL 9000 - a reference to the sentient computer from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
In the second verse, the tone shifts to a more serious message about rising up and taking a stance against oppression and discrimination, while also acknowledging the absurdity of our world, as seen in the line about ordering vegetarian shark fin. The Beastie Boys urge listeners not to think too much about the color of skin but to focus on the battles worth fighting. The final verse returns to the irreverence of the first, with references to spinach in teeth, throwing a "craze" into the studio, and being off the hook. The song ends with the declaration, "It's like that y'all", a simple phrase that sums up the Beastie Boys' attitude towards life and music.
Overall, "Can't, Won't, Don't Stop" is a playful and thought-provoking ode to creativity and individuality. Its lyrics are full of seemingly random references and wordplay, but they ultimately convey a message of resilience and defiance that is both timeless and timely.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear Alex and Marilyn
Addressing Alex and Marilyn in a friendly way
They're Lovey and Thurston howellin
Describing Alex and Marilyn as a fancy couple like Lovey and Thurston Howell from Gilligan's Island
The grasshopper unit is prowellin
Referring to the Beastie Boys as the 'grasshopper unit' and saying they are doing well
And Rufus is back home growellin
Rufus, the dog, is back home and growling
For all of y'all that are dozin
Addressing those who are sleeping or not paying attention
On Hornblower's lederhosen
Making an obscure reference to Hornblower and his traditional German pants
Like Walt Disney he'll be frozen
Jokingly saying Hornblower will be preserved like Walt Disney was
And then the Swiss Hall of Fame he goes in
Mockingly suggesting that Hornblower's frozen body will be put on display in a hall of fame in Switzerland
Cause when he's out in space carousin
Imagining Hornblower traveling through space and enjoying himself
Pick up my mic and start joustin
Picking up a microphone and starting to rap
His name plate medallion
Referring to a nameplate on a medallion
Says never trust a hal 9000
Referencing the fictional computer HAL 9000 from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and saying not to trust it
Check the horizontal hold and check the tint
Checking the picture quality on a TV
Are these three fools back at it again
Referring to the three members of the Beastie Boys and asking if they're making music again
Inspector Clouseau and Derek Flint
Referencing two movie detectives, Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther series and Derek Flint from the Flint series
Nothin but sparks ignitin'
Saying that they're ready to make music, with sparks flying
Check two one two mic testin
Testing the microphone before starting to rap
This one goes out to Dechen
Dedicating the song to someone named Dechen
Rise fallen fighters take your stance again
Encouraging those who have been knocked down to get back up
Don't think too much about the color of skin
Suggesting that people should not judge each other based on the color of their skin
Order in vegetarian sharks fin
Making a playful suggestion to order a vegetarian version of a shark fin dish
Try to keep my life non violent
Promising to try and live a peaceful life
Rewind the tape and punch me in
Asking someone to hit them if they mess up while recording music
Like Chuck D with the where you never been I'm in
Comparing themselves to Chuck D, a rapper known for exploring new territory in his music
I'm a long way from where I've been but I gotta keep movin'
Saying that they've come a long way in their lives, but they have to keep moving forward
Ooh my my I'm really not feeling it
Expressing that they are not feeling good
Ooh my my something's really wrong
Continuing to express discomfort or distress
The p.a. sound is deafenin
Commenting on the loudness of the sound system
Bitin MCs I'm oustinin
Saying that they are better than other rappers and pushing them out
With spinach in your teeth you're grinnin
Jokingly saying that someone has spinach stuck in their teeth and still smiling
So on your way out please take a mint
Offering a breath mint to someone on their way out
Got the studio to throw a craze in
Making the studio a wild and exciting place to record music
The basslines Yauch just lays in
Referring to Adam Yauch and his ability to create basslines for the music
This song is the grass you're grazin
Saying that this song is what people are listening to and enjoying
Add a little flange and phase in
Adding some audio effects to the music
Don't get mad 'cause I'm beguilin
Asking people not to get angry because they are being charming
I'm off the hook so don't bother dialin
Saying that they are not responsible for something, so there's no need to call them
They're gonna put me in the b.i.n.
Jokingly saying that they will be put in a psychiatric hospital
And if I die notify the next of kin
If something were to happen to them, instructions on who to notify
It's like that y'all
Saying that's the way it is
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MICHAEL LOUIS DIAMOND, MELVIN GLOVER, ADAM HOROVITZ, SYLVIA ROBINSON, ADAM NATHANIEL YAUCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Diesel Estate
Thank you for posting this.
Back in the day, my eldest son begged to borrow the CD Hello Nasty. Naturally, I said yes. Above all I trusted my son and his judgement.
Well ... It was the sole eye roll of his entire adolescence which, I count as exceptionally lucky. Unlike the lovely gatefold sleeve cover artwork on the "Hello Nasty" CD. Supposedly, a mate "borrowed" it from a shindig that truly precious eldest son of mine, threw as an afterthought. At least he got it back to me. Right?
Der Kraken
I've been looking for this version forever. Thank you.
Sunrise Water Media
Beastie boys!
jools182
best version, UK album release I think
Roger da Silva João
the Brazilian cd was this one, as well as the Australian if I'm not wrong
J G
Japanese also
TiM G
What version is this?Sounds different to me
roarimatrex
it was in the 1998 digipack outside the US, i read it's a label/sample clearance thing. The chorus is far superior in this version, but it's a struggle to find it online.
btw thx for the upload +nickos g
Alt Rock Fan
@roarimatrex I have a UK version and yeah it's on here although Windows Media Player calls it "The Grasshopper Unit (Keep Movin')"
thewhofan99
Fucking A