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."
Johnny Ryall
Beastie Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Johnny Ryall is the bum on my stoop
I gave him fifty cents to buy some soup
He knows the time with the fresh Gucci watch
He's even more over than the mayor Ed Koch
Washing windows on the Bowery at a quarter to four
'Cause he ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Sleepin' on the street there ain't a damn thing funny
With the hand-me-down food and hand-me-down clothes
A rockabilly past of which nobody knows
Makes his home all over the place
He goes to sleep by falling down on his face
Sometimes known as the leader of the homeless
Sometimes drunk, man the kid's always phoneless
Sleepin' on the street in a cardboard box
He's better off drinkin' than smokin' the rocks
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
Kickin' uptown, kickin' downtown, kickin' crosstown
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
He drinks where he lies
He's covered with flies
He's got the hand me down Pumas and the tie dyes
Well, you go upstate and get your head together
Thunderbird is the word and you're light as a feather
Detox at the flop house no booze allowed
Remember the good old days with the rockabilly crowd
Memphis is where he's from (out in Tennessee)
He lives in the street but he's no bum
He's the rockabilly star from the days of old
He used to have teeth all filled with gold
He got platinum voice but only gold records
On the bass (was Boots), on the drums (was Checkers)
Louis Vuitton with the Gucci guitar
Johnny Ryall
Who do you think you are?
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
Takin' the night train, drinkin' O.E
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
One, two, three, four
One, two, three, four
One, two, three, four
One, two, three
Donald Trump and Donald Tramp living in the men's shelter
Wonder Bread bag shoes and singing "Helter Skelter"
He asks for a dollar you know what it's for
Man, bottle after bottle he'll always need more
He's no less important than you working class stiffs
He drinks a lot of liquor but he don't drink piss
He paid his dues playing the blues
He claims that he wrote the Blue Suede Shoes
Elvis shaved his head when he went into the army
That's right y'all his name is Johnny
Kick it
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
The song Johnny Ryall by Beastie Boys is sung from the perspective of someone who encounters the titular character, a homeless man who lives on the streets and survives through handouts and panhandling. The opening lines depict the singer giving Johnny Ryall some money to buy food. The song goes on to describe the different aspects of his life, such as washing windows on the Bowery, being homeless, having a past as a rockabilly star, and often being drunk. The chorus repeats the name "Johnny Ryall" over and over, and describes him as being everywhere in the city, traveling from uptown to downtown to crosstown.
The song has a sarcastic tone and is a commentary on society's treatment of the homeless. It highlights the fact that many people overlook and dismiss those who are homeless and living on the streets. Despite his situation, Johnny Ryall is given a sense of dignity and importance because of his past as a rockabilly star. The song's lyrics also make references to pop culture figures such as Ed Koch, Donald Trump, and Elvis Presley.
Overall, Johnny Ryall is a song that tells the story of a homeless man who is often ignored or forgotten, and who deserves respect and recognition for who he is and what he has been through.
Line by Line Meaning
Johnny Ryall is the bum on my stoop
Johnny Ryall is a homeless man who often sits on my porch
I gave him fifty cents to buy some soup
I gave Johnny Ryall money to buy some hot soup
He knows the time with the fresh Gucci watch
Johnny Ryall has a brand new expensive Gucci watch and uses it to keep track of time
He's even more over than the mayor Ed Koch
Johnny Ryall is well-known and popular among the homeless community, even more so than the former Mayor Ed Koch
Washing windows on the Bowery at a quarter to four
Johnny Ryall works by washing windows in the Bowery area at around 3:45pm
'Cause he ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Johnny Ryall refuses to work on Maggie's farm any longer
Livin' on borrowed time and borrowed money
Johnny Ryall survives by depending on borrowed time and money
Sleepin' on the street there ain't a damn thing funny
Sleeping on the street is not a desirable life and it's not funny at all
With the hand-me-down food and hand-me-down clothes
Johnny Ryall survives on food and clothing given to him by others as hand-me-downs
A rockabilly past of which nobody knows
Johnny Ryall has a past in rockabilly music which nobody seems to remember
Makes his home all over the place
Johnny Ryall does not have a fixed home and moves from one place to another
He goes to sleep by falling down on his face
Johnny Ryall is so tired that he collapses on his face and sleeps
Sometimes known as the leader of the homeless
Johnny Ryall is sometimes referred to as the leader among the homeless community
Sometimes drunk, man the kid's always phoneless
Johnny Ryall is often drunk and does not have a phone
Sleepin' on the street in a cardboard box
Johnny Ryall sleeps inside a cardboard box on the street
He's better off drinkin' than smokin' the rocks
Johnny Ryall finds solace in drinking rather than smoking crack cocaine
He drinks where he lies
Johnny Ryall drinks where he is
He's covered with flies
Johnny Ryall has flies around him
He's got the hand me down Pumas and the tie dyes
Johnny Ryall has received old, hand-me-down Puma shoes and tie-dyed clothes
Well, you go upstate and get your head together
If you want to clear your thoughts or get sober, you should go upstate
Thunderbird is the word and you're light as a feather
Drinking Thunderbird wine will make you feel lighter or more relaxed
Detox at the flop house no booze allowed
If you want a place to detox, you can go to a 'flop house' where alcohol is prohibited
Remember the good old days with the rockabilly crowd
Johnny Ryall remembers the old days when he was among the rockabilly music lovers
Memphis is where he's from (out in Tennessee)
Johnny Ryall is originally from Memphis, Tennessee
He lives in the street but he's no bum
Even though Johnny Ryall is homeless, he does not remain idle like a typical beggar
He's the rockabilly star from the days of old
Johnny Ryall used to be a famous rockabilly artist from the old days
He used to have teeth all filled with gold
Johnny Ryall's teeth used to be all filled with gold
He got platinum voice but only gold records
Johnny Ryall has an excellent singing voice, but he only achieved moderate success with his recordings
On the bass (was Boots), on the drums (was Checkers)
Boots played bass, while Checkers played drums in Johnny Ryall's band
Louis Vuitton with the Gucci guitar
Johnny Ryall uses a Louis Vuitton guitar case to carry his Gucci guitar
Who do you think you are?
The singer wonders what kind of person Johnny Ryall truly is
Takin' the night train, drinkin' O.E
Johnny Ryall uses the night train to travel around town and prefers to drink Olde English malt liquor
One, two, three, four
Conversational fillers with no real meaning
Donald Trump and Donald Tramp living in the men's shelter
Johnny Ryall talks about two people with similar names, one of whom may be the current US President, living in a homeless shelter
Wonder Bread bag shoes and singing 'Helter Skelter'
Johnny Ryall has shoes made out of Wonder Bread bags and sings a Beatles' song 'Helter Skelter'
He asks for a dollar you know what it's for
Johnny Ryall usually asks for a dollar which the artist assumes is for buying alcohol
Man, bottle after bottle he'll always need more
Johnny Ryall has an obsessive drinking habit and cannot stop after just one bottle
He's no less important than you working class stiffs
Despite being homeless and penniless, Johnny Ryall is just as valuable as regular working people
He drinks a lot of liquor but he don't drink piss
Johnny Ryall drinks a lot of alcohol but draws the line at drinking urine
He paid his dues playing the blues
Johnny Ryall has struggled and paid his dues performing in the blues scene
He claims that he wrote the Blue Suede Shoes
Johnny Ryall asserts that he was the original writer of the popular song 'Blue Suede Shoes'
Elvis shaved his head when he went into the army
Johnny contrasts the fact that Elvis Presley voluntarily lost his famous hairstyle when he joined the army, with his own choice for holding on to his long hair as a rock musician
That's right y'all his name is Johnny
Johnny Ryall does indeed happen to be called Johnny
Kick it
An exhortation to play the music loud and to start dancing
Johnny Ryall, Johnny Ryall
Repetition of the subject, as a kind of chorus
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Horovitz, Adam Nathaniel Yauch, John Robert King, Matt Dike, Michael Louis Diamond, Michael S. Simpson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nestor Galaviz
on Body Movin' (Fatboy Slim remix)
dope