DJ Shadow spent his teenage years in Davis, California and was a DJ at the community radio station KDVS. During his time as a radio disc jockey, DJ Shadow was significant in developing the experimental instrumental hip-hop style associated with the California-based Solesides record label. His early singles for the label, including In/Flux and Lost and Found (S.F.L.), were genre-bending works of art merging elements of funk, rock, hip-hop, ambient, jazz, soul, and used-bin found records. DJ Shadow is often cited as a leading creator of trip-hop, though this is a label he strongly contests.
Although he previously released a couple of original works (during 1991-1992 for Hollywood Records) by the time Mo' Wax's James Lavelle contacted him about releasing In/Flux on the fledgling imprint, it wasn't until his distribution association with Mo' Wax that his sound began to mature and cohere.
Shadow's first full-length work, Endtroducing....., was released in late 1996 to immense critical acclaim. Following the success of this album, he acted as a shadow producer for Rage Against The Machine for their album, Evil Empire. It is said he influenced the solo on their song "Bulls On Parade". Endtroducing... made the Guinness World Records book for "First Completely Sampled Album" in 2001. Preemptive Strike, a compilation of early singles, followed in early 1998. Later that year, Shadow produced tracks for Psyence Fiction, the debut album by U.N.K.L.E., a long-time Mo' Wax production team that gained superstar guests including Thom Yorke (of Radiohead), Richard Ashcroft (of The Verve), Mike D (of the Beastie Boys) and others. His next project came in 1999, with the transformation of Solesides into a new label, Quannum Projects. Nearly six years after his debut production album, his second album, The Private Press, was released in June 2002. In the same year, the movie "Scratch" (2001, Doug Pray) was released to DVD with DJ Shadow appearing several times throughout the movie.
The documentary films "Dark Days" and "Wisconsin Death Trip" feature music of DJ Shadow while "Scratch" features an interview and more music.
DJ Shadow has also collaborated with fellow artist Cut Chemist. Together they have made two CDs entitled Brainfreeze and Product Placement. These albums fuse jazz, funk, and soul in the framework of a cohesive concept. The second of these (Product Placement) followed a very similar pattern to the first, but using remixes/other versions of the songs in roughly the same order.
In the year 2004, Shadow released his feature length DVD, In Tune and On Time. The DVD features a live performance in London, emphasizing intricate visuals.
In 2005, Shadow released a Deluxe Edition of his first album, Endtroducing.... and a new album, titled "The Outsider" in 2006.
While Shadow's earlier works, especially 'Endtroducing.....', are known for their innovation in genres such as hip-hop, ambient, and trip-hop, his fourth full length album, The Outsider, had several tracks dedicated to Hyphy. This decision has been controversial, leaving many fans feeling alienated. DJ Shadow addressed this point in an August, 2006 interview, in which stated, "Repeat Endtroducing over and over again? That was never, ever in the game plan. Fuck that. So I think it's time for certain fans to decide if they are fans of the album, or the artist."
Also in 2005, Brian Udelhofen began work on the Shadow Percussion Project, an attempt to adapt some of the tracks from Endtroducing... for a live performance group. The result was largely successful and well-received by DJ Shadow himself.
In 2007 DJ Shadow was contacted by the Hollywood Bowl to do a show featuring Freeze with Cut Chemist. However, not wanting to repeat old material DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist came up with a whole new routine entitled The Hard Sell. In 2007 and 2008 they went on The Hard Sell tour and were accompanied on stage by two large video screens with visuals created for the tour.
Discography
Solo Albums
* 1996 - Endtroducing.....
* 1998 - Preemptive Strike
* 2000 - Dark Days
* 2002 - The Private Press
* 2003 - The Private Repress (Japanese Remix Album)
* 2004 - In Tune and On Time
* 2005 - Endtroducing... (2xCD Deluxe Edition)
* 2006 - The Outsider
* 2007 - The 4-Track Era Vol.1 Best of the KMEL Mixes
* 2007 - The 4-Track Era Vol.2 Best of the Remixes and Megamixes (1990-1992)
* 2011 - The Less You Know, the Better
with Q Bert
* 1997 - Camel Bobsled Race (Q-Bert Mega Mix) CD-EP
with UNKLE
* 1998 - Psyence Fiction
with Cut Chemist
* 1999 - Brainfreeze
* 2001 - Product Placement
* 2004 - Product Placement on Tour
* 2005 - Freeze
* 2008 - The Hard Sell
with Dan The Automator
* 1998 - Bombay the Hard Way: Guns, Cars and Sitars
Backstage Girl
DJ Shadow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was taking me places I promised myself I'd never go to
damn...
Let me start at the beginning...
Alright man I want all of you brothers to get rid of...
And show .... sweet honey for your mouth
Yeah yeah yeah one two
Some say she was from Cali
Some say the Carolinas
Mom was a belly dancer
Pop was a neverminder
No drugs or alcohol
No weed or marijuana
You'd think that backstage was the last place you'd find her
First time I saw her kinda
reminded me of them chicks you see at Caribana
Friendly and talkative and looking so marvellous...
Dead nicotine filling like ..... in the city of godesses
But I'm digressin', please pardon if
I start trailing off
Or fading out of my consciousness
It's just that when I think... oh girl my whole world collapses
I'm so enraptured in all overflow this
She approached me with a smirk to say We can do work no matter what time or day of the week it is
So thorough that backstage girl she'll fall to her knees just to prey on my weaknesses
I mean I told her straight up,
you know I got a significant other...
she ain't care
She said for tonight I just wanna be your insignificant other
.... what? God damn...
we left the club at around two
Just enough time to meet my niggas for round two
At another spot, DJ playing the sounds to
Hopefully divert me from being a scoundrel
In the spot making my rounds through
The crowd trying to throw her off
but she's on me like a bloodhound, you
Wouldn't believe how hard I tried to fight it
Passions and desires were closing in
And that's what it amounts to
I looked her in the eyes
And said, "I don't even know your name
It feels wrong even though I don't show it."
She said, "I wish I could tell you the same
But I won't tell you my name cause I want you to
Fuck me like you don't know it."
I responded with a smirk to let her know
We could work no matter what time or day of the week it is
So thorough that backstage girl fell down to her knees just to prey on my weaknesses
But man can you fight it? Go ahead
You'd think that backstage
Would be the last place you'd find her
You'd think the backstage
Would be the last place you'd find her
Been riding all around the world, seen so many faces
But I'm always looking for love in all the wrong places
Been all around the world, seen so many faces
But I'm always looking for love in all the wrong places
I woke up the next morning all tangled up in her hair
and that's when I realized she had me right where she wanted me
She told me I'd taken her places that she'd never been before
But really she took me to a place I promised myself I'd never return to
And I was fucked up
And the thing was I didn't feel bad about what I'd done
I just felt stupid for trying to fight it for so long
I mean really, who I was fooling
I knew what time it was soon as I saw her
Soon as she smiled at a nigger I could tell what her favorite position was
And I damn sure gave it to her
I thought I had changed
But niggas never change
But it took that one night
That one passionate night for me to realize what I needed to do
I gotta stop fucking with these hos off of MySpace dog
Some say she was from Cali, some say the Carolinas
Mom was a belly dancer, pop' was a neverminder
No drugs or alcohol no weed no marijuana
You'd think that backstage was the last place you'd find her
You'd think the backstage
Would be the last place you'd find her
Been all around the world
Seen so many faces
Was always looking for love in all the wrong places
Been all around the world
Seen so many faces
Was always looking for love in all the wrong places
Been all around the world
Seen so many faces
Well well well
Was always looking for love in all the wrong places
Oh yeah
Been all around the world
Seen so many faces
Backstage girl
Was always looking for love in all the wrong places
The song "Backstage Girl" by DJ Shadow is a narrative about a man who falls for a woman he meets backstage at a club. At first, it is implied that the woman promises to show the man new experiences, but in reality, she takes him to a place he promised himself he would never go to. The lyrics suggest that the woman is promiscuous and that the man is in a committed relationship, but he chooses to be with her regardless. Despite his initial reluctance, the man eventually gives into desire, and he wakes up the next day feeling foolish for trying to resist her charm for so long.
The song explores themes of temptation and the struggle to stay faithful. In terms of the narrative, the woman represents the temptation, and the man represents the struggle to remain true to oneself. The lyrics suggest that sometimes, people give into temptation despite knowing that it could lead them down a dark path.
In terms of the music, "Backstage Girl" has a slow, sultry beat that matches the mood of the lyrics. The song features samples from various sources, including the movie "City of God," which is heard in the background of the song's introduction.
Line by Line Meaning
She told me I was taking her places she had never been before, but reall
She made it seem as though I was introducing her to new experiences, but in reality, she was taking me to places I had promised myself I wouldn't go to.
Alright man I want all of you brothers to get rid of...
I want everyone to move aside and make way for this delicious woman.
Some say she was from Cali
There are rumors that she came from California.
Mom was a belly dancer
Her mother was a performer of belly dance.
No drugs or alcohol
She did not consume any illegal substances or alcohol.
You'd think that backstage was the last place you'd find her
Considering her upbringing, one would assume she wouldn't be found backstage.
First time I saw her kinda
When I first laid my eyes on her, she had a certain appeal.
Dead nicotine filling like ..... in the city of godesses
I was immediately drawn to her despite feeling the effects of the environment's harsh cigarette smoke, like the setting of the 'City of the Gods.'
She approached me with a smirk to say We can do work no matter what time or day of the week it is
She confidently expressed that she was available to engage in sexual activities whenever and wherever.
So thorough that backstage girl she'll fall to her knees just to prey on my weaknesses
Her seduction is so effective that she will even kneel down to take advantage of my vulnerabilities.
we left the club at around two
We departed the venue around two in the morning.
In the spot making my rounds through
I was making my way throughout the establishment.
But man can you fight it? Go ahead
Can you resist her allure? Give it a try.
You'd think the backstage Would be the last place you'd find her
Considering her lifestyle, the backstage area is the least likely place for her to be found.
Been all around the world Seen so many faces Was always looking for love in all the wrong places
I've searched all over the world and met countless people, but I've always been looking for love in the wrong places.
I woke up the next morning all tangled up in her hair
The following morning, I found myself tangled in her hair.
I just felt stupid for trying to fight it for so long
I regret resisting her advances as it seems pointless now.
And I damn sure gave it to her
I definitely engaged in sexual activities with her.
I gotta stop fucking with these hos off of MySpace dog
I need to stop having casual sexual intercourse with women I meet on social media sites like MySpace.
Well well well Was always looking for love in all the wrong places Oh yeah
Despite going all around the world and encountering so many people, I was searching for love in all the wrong places.
Backstage girl Was always looking for love in all the wrong places
The backstage girl is an example of me looking for love in the wrong places.
Contributed by Carter R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
giddeo
Underrated album.
Cecília
Heard this for the 1st time in 2007 and 13 years later I'm still here
Cecília
Still here fellas
duenasmom
This is one hella, sexy-ass, intense song that I never get tired of hearing!!
GritCityDisciple
sick arrangement AND story!
Big Angry Phil
love this beat
fidomax
thats amazing dude because im doing music videos from movies for fun and i still think that this would be a beautiful combination :)
Wasaw
I love the guitar
jackattack20000
Hell yeah!
ʎssᴉɹɥϽ ʎǝɹoϽ
Still goes!