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."
Netty's Girl
Beastie Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody agh ready
Did you go pass the leader on the cassette there
Ohh, it's rollin, OK very good very good
Alright everybody take one...
1 2 3 4...
Hey there everybody
I'd like to tell everybody out there
This is a special song about that special someone
About just how special things can be you know
I'm sure everybody out there has gone
Agh, felt, felt something very simmular to that
And it can uhh, it can be the best thing
It can be the worst thing
It can make you feel great or...
There Georgie Girl
Oh Georgie girl
Oh hey there Georgie girl
You can kiss that old crumb crack guy goodbye
Because you know agh yea baby you know
You're on the one, the funky one
Oh baby, yea
Yo you know, I saw you that day you...
How's your Girl Mike?
Agh she's pretty nice man but I tell you yo
I saw the other Girl at Netty's the other day
And she had her shit together
I'm talkin bout hip hop pow
Boomin' system up top in the back
Agh hey there Georgie Girl
Georgie Girl
Agh baby you look so nice
You on the one
You got your shit together Georgie Girl
Yea you're looking so nice Georgie Girl
Georgie Girl you know you're
On the one
Oh hey lonely Girl
Yea that's right baby that was you the first time
You know i saw you all alone
I was on the boardwalk you know
You know you were looking, agh
Lookin a, agh a little bit lonely and uh
You was squirting the water in the clowns mouth and everything
But hey baby you know I would win the whole prize for you
The whole nine yards, the, the ski ball tickets
Everything baby, for you baby.
Whether your into song wrighting or playing
I think this album will help keep the creative energies flowing
And to the magicians, I wish you many new tasty licks...
Oh yea... I'm sorry the album took so long...
That's insane, yo stupid
Huh?
The lyrics to Beastie Boys’ song “Netty’s Girl” express a story about a girl that was special to the singer. He talks about how special things can be and how everyone has felt something similar in their lives. The singer then addresses Georgie Girl, telling her that she’s on the one, meaning she has everything together and is doing well. He praises her and tells her that she can “kiss that old crumb crack guy goodbye” because she’s on the “funky one”. The singer then shifts to talking about a lonely girl that he saw on the boardwalk. He tells her that he would win the whole prize for her and that he wishes creative energies for everyone, including songwriters and musicians.
The lyrics to “Netty’s Girl” seem to depict the singer’s admiration for two different women. He praises Georgie Girl for having her life together, while also sympathizing with a lonely girl he saw. The song has a positive message overall, as it encourages listeners to appreciate the special people in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
K, goodevening everybody
Introduction to the song and audience, setting the scene for the story to come.
Everybody agh ready
Asking the audience if they are ready for the story and the song.
Did you go pass the leader on the cassette there
Asking if everyone has listened to the cassette tape up to this point.
Ohh, it's rollin, OK very good very good
Confirming that the tape is playing properly and the song is ready to start.
Alright everybody take one...
A directive to the band to start playing the song.
1 2 3 4...
A countdown to signal the band to start the song.
Hey there everybody
Addressing the audience once again and getting their attention for the special story to come.
I'd like to tell everybody out there
Announcing that a special story about a special person will be shared in the upcoming song.
A little story about, la someone that was very special to me
Introducing the subject of the story to be told in the song - someone special to the artist.
This is a special song about that special someone
Confirming that the upcoming song is about the person introduced in the previous line.
About just how special things can be you know
Teasing the audience that the story will be about how special things can be.
I'm sure everybody out there has gone
Acknowledging that the audience has likely experienced something similar to the story to be told in the song.
Agh, felt, felt something very simmular to that
Confirming that the audience has likely felt something similar to the story to be told in the song.
And it can uhh, it can be the best thing
Expressing that the feeling of experiencing something special like the story to be told can be the best thing.
It can be the worst thing
Contrasting the previous line to acknowledge that the feeling can also be the worst thing.
It can make you feel great or...
Continuing to describe the range of feelings that come with experiencing something special like the story to be told in the song.
There Georgie Girl
Shift in the song to focus on someone named Georgie Girl.
Oh Georgie girl
Addressing Georgie Girl specifically and showing affection towards her.
Oh hey there Georgie girl
Continuing to address and show affection towards Georgie Girl.
You can kiss that old crumb crack guy goodbye
Encouraging Georgie Girl to leave a past love interest behind.
Because you know agh yea baby you know
Expressing confidence in Georgie Girl's ability to move on and find something better.
You're on the one, the funky one
Complimenting Georgie Girl and expressing that she is on top of her game and in control.
Oh baby, yea
Showing continued affection towards Georgie Girl.
Yo you know, I saw you that day you...
Recalling a previous encounter with Georgie Girl to show a personal connection to her.
How's your Girl Mike?
Asking a bandmate named Mike about his girlfriend.
Agh she's pretty nice man but I tell you yo
Responding to the question by saying that Mike's girlfriend is nice, but referencing another girl who caught the singer's attention more.
I saw the other Girl at Netty's the other day
Sharing where the singer saw the other girl who caught their attention.
And she had her shit together
Complimenting the other girl by saying she is in control and knows what she is doing.
I'm talkin bout hip hop pow
Describing the confidence and power the other girl is projecting.
Boomin' system up top in the back
Describing a literal booming sound system highlighting the other girl's power and confidence.
Agh hey there Georgie Girl
Returning attention to Georgie Girl and addressing her again.
Georgie Girl
Continuing to address and show affection towards Georgie Girl.
Agh baby you look so nice
Continuing to compliment and show affection towards Georgie Girl.
You on the one
Reaffirming that Georgie Girl is in control and on top of her game.
You got your shit together Georgie Girl
Complimenting Georgie Girl by saying she is in control and knows what she is doing.
Yea you're looking so nice Georgie Girl
Continuing to show affection and compliment Georgie Girl's appearance.
Georgie Girl you know you're
Continuing to address and show affection towards Georgie Girl.
On the one
Reiterating that Georgie Girl is in control and on top of her game.
Oh hey lonely Girl
Shift in the song to focus on another person - a lonely girl.
Yea that's right baby that was you the first time
Confirming that the girl being addressed was the same girl seen alone previously in the song.
You know i saw you all alone
Recalling seeing the girl alone previously in the song.
I was on the boardwalk you know
Providing context for where the singer saw the lonely girl.
You know you were looking, agh
Describing the state in which the lonely girl was seen.
Lookin a, agh a little bit lonely and uh
Further describing the state in which the lonely girl was seen.
You was squirting the water in the clowns mouth and everything
Describing a specific action the lonely girl was doing to pass the time by squirting water in a clown's mouth.
But hey baby you know I would win the whole prize for you
Showing affection towards the lonely girl and expressing a desire to win her over.
The whole nine yards, the, the ski ball tickets
Describing a specific prize that the singer would win for the lonely girl if given the chance.
Everything baby, for you baby.
Completing the idea of winning the prize for the lonely girl and expressing affection towards her once again.
Whether your into song wrighting or playing
Shifting the tone of the song to a more general message to all musicians and songwriters.
I think this album will help keep the creative energies flowing
Expressing a hope that the album will help musicians and songwriters keep their creative energies going.
And to the magicians, I wish you many new tasty licks...
Sending well-wishes to fellow musicians with a specific reference to guitar licks as a show of solidarity among musicians.
Oh yea... I'm sorry the album took so long...
Apologizing for a delay in releasing the album and showing appreciation for the listener's patience.
That's insane, yo stupid
An abrupt and disconnected concluding statement with no clear meaning or relevance to the rest of the song.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM HOROVITZ, ADAM NATHANIEL YAUCH, MARK RAMOS NISHITA, MICHAEL LOUIS DIAMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Shashi Pack of Ulski
Who knew Mike had such a flawless beautiful voice?
LeviOnTheFridge
This song changed my life. I listen to it 69 times every day. It’s the only thing keeping me going.
Lettuce Tree888
so real. this song makes me cry. it’s so wonderful and inspiring.
Cisco Kid
I know this was a joke but this is where I'm at right now completely seriously 💀
LeviOnTheFridge
@Cisco Kid when I first said it I was joking but now it’s serious, it’s on my main playlist and everything 💀
M H
Nice.
Philip Yates
This never fails to make me laugh even after all these years. One of my favourite Beastie Boys tracks.
Metal Butterfly Gaming
+Philip Yates HAHAHAHA LMAO!!! I couldn't agree more, I can't stop myself from laughing every time I play this song too. it like literally never fails.
Alicia Vanasse
same.
Marcus
This song, and it's video, seem like a vague forgotten memory from my teenage years. As strange as the song actually is, it remains as one of my favourite beastie boy songs, despite it being somewhat of a joke. Singing it in a high falsetto remains one of the great joys of life.