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."
Girls
Beastie Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And in the morning it's girls
'Cause in the evening it's girls
I like the way that they walk
And it's chilly to hear them talk
And I can always make 'em smile
From White Castle to the Nile
Back in the day
There was this girl around the way
She liked my home-piece MCA
He said he would not give her play
I asked him, please? He said "You may"
Her pants were tight and that's OK
If she would dance, I would DJ
We took a walk down to the bay
I hope she'll say
"Hey, me and you should hit the hay"
I asked her out, she said "No way"
I should of probably guessed her gay
So I broke north with no delay
I heard she moved real far away
That was two years ago this May
I seen her just the other day
Jockin' Mike D to my dismay
Girls, to do the dishes
Girls, to clean up my room
Girls, to do the laundry
Girls, and in the bathroom
Girls, that's all I really want is girls
Two at a time, I want girls
With new wave hairdos, I want girls
I ought to whip out my
Girls, girls, girls, girls, girls
Girls, girls, girls, girls, girls
Girls, girls, girls, girls, yeah
"Girls" by the Beastie Boys is a song about a man's unending desire for women. The song starts out with the singer speaking about his love for women, stating that all he really wants are girls. He loves the way they walk, talk and how easy it is to make them smile. He fantasizes about being with them in the morning, evening, and every other time in-between. The Beastie Boys even allude to a particular girl around the way who they both fancied, only for her to reject them. While the song seems to be misogynistic and objectifying to women, the Beastie Boys have claimed that the song is satirical and meant to mock the stereotype of men and their fixation on women.
The chorus of "Girls" portrays the singer's view on women as nothing more than objects, as he commands them to do the dishes, clean up his room, do his laundry, and take care of his bathroom. However, it is important to understand the irony and the satirical nature of the song, and that they are not advocating or supporting such behaviour towards women.
Line by Line Meaning
Girls, all I really want is girls
The singer wants girls and girls only, nothing else.
And in the morning it's girls
Girls are in their thoughts constantly, including first thing when they wake up.
'Cause in the evening it's girls
Same as above, but also when the day is over.
I like the way that they walk
The artist finds the way girls walk attractive.
And it's chilly to hear them talk
Hearing girls talk makes the artist feel excited or nervous.
And I can always make 'em smile
The singer has a talent for making girls smile.
From White Castle to the Nile
The singer is interested in girls from all over the world and from all walks of life.
Back in the day
Referring to a past experience or memory.
There was this girl around the way
The artist is telling a story about a girl nearby.
She liked my home-piece MCA
The girl had a crush on the artist's friend, MCA.
He said he would not give her play
MCA was not interested in the girl and did not want to interact with her.
I asked him, please? He said "You may"
The artist convinced MCA to let him pursue the girl.
Her pants were tight and that's OK
The singer finds the girl attractive and does not mind her clothing choices.
If she would dance, I would DJ
The singer wants to impress the girl and is willing to DJ for her.
We took a walk down to the bay
The singer and the girl went for a walk by the water.
I hope she'll say
The artist is hopeful for a positive response from the girl.
"Hey, me and you should hit the hay"
The artist wants to take things further with the girl and hopes she feels the same way.
I asked her out, she said "No way"
The girl did not reciprocate the singer's feelings and rejected him.
I should of probably guessed their gay
The singer is making an assumption that the girl is not interested because she is gay.
So I broke north with no delay
The artist moved on quickly from the rejection.
I heard she moved real far away
The girl moved away, making it less likely for the artist to see her again.
That was two years ago this May
The artist is reflecting on a past event that happened two years ago in May.
I seen her just the other day
The singer saw the girl recently, possibly after a long time.
Jockin' Mike D to my dismay
The girl was showing interest in the artist's friend, Mike D, which was disappointing for the artist.
Girls, to do the dishes
The singer wants girls to do domestic chores such as washing dishes.
Girls, to clean up my room
The singer wants girls to clean up his room for him.
Girls, to do the laundry
The singer wants girls to do his laundry for him.
Girls, and in the bathroom
The artist wants girls to help him in the bathroom.
Girls, that's all I really want is girls
Reiterating that the artist only wants girls.
Two at a time, I want girls
The singer wants multiple girls at once.
With new wave hairdos, I want girls
The singer finds girls with new wave hairstyles attractive and wants them.
I ought to whip out my
The artist is implying that he has something he wants to show the girls, likely in a sexual context.
Girls, girls, girls, girls, girls
Repeating the desire for girls.
Girls, girls, girls, girls, girls
Repeating the desire for girls.
Girls, girls, girls, girls, yeah
Ending the song with an enthusiastic affirmation of the singer's desire for girls.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Rick Rubin, Adam Horowitz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nestor Galaviz
on Body Movin' (Fatboy Slim remix)
dope