"No Sleep till Brooklyn" is a song by the New York hip hop group the Beastie Boys, and the sixth single from their debut studio album, Licensed to Ill. One of their signature songs,[3] it describes an exhaustive tour and all the events that make it tiresome, but also emphasizes their determination not to rest until they reach their home base of Brooklyn.[4] "No Sleep till Brooklyn" was a popular concert favorite for the Beastie Boys and traditionally used as their closing song. Among other references to heavy metal, the title is a play on the Motörhead album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith.[5] The song has been subject to several covers and parodies including "Stutter Rap (No Sleep til Bedtime)" by Morris Minor and the Majors.
"No Sleep till Brooklyn" | ||||
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Single by Beastie Boys | ||||
from the album Licensed to Ill | ||||
B-side | "Posse in Effect" | |||
Released | March 1, 1987 | |||
Recorded | Spring 1986 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:09 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Rick Rubin | |||
Beastie Boys singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"No Sleep till Brooklyn" on YouTube |
Cash Box called it "a raucous, rambunctious blend of rap, smart-ass and heavy metal."[6]
Production and play
editKerry King, guitarist for Slayer, played the guitar riffs and solo; Slayer had released an album produced by Rick Rubin in 1986 (Reign in Blood). In a different tuning, the song interprets "TNT" by AC/DC.[7] More metal commentary and adaptation is added by the video, directed by Ric Menello,[8] as a parody of glam metal.[9]
Later in their career, the Beastie Boys continued to perform the song live, although with altered lyrics to downplay their early party-boy reputation. "M.C.A.'s in the back because he's skeezin' with a whore," was changed to "M.C.A.'s in the back with the mahjong board",[10] and "Autographed pictures and classy hoes" was changed to "Autographed pictures to nobody knows."[10]
The song features one of many homages to New York City's boroughs, and has been described as "joyful ranting".[11]
Bob Dylan played the song on the "New York" episode of Season 1 of his Theme Time Radio Hour show in 2007, noting the Beastie Boys were not merely a "flash in the pan" in his introduction.[12]
Music video
editThe music video for "No Sleep till Brooklyn" was co-directed by Ric Menello and Adam Dubin.[13][14] Menello and Dubin also directed the video for the Beastie Boys' preceding single, "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)".[13][14] Kerry King, who plays guitar on this track, also appears in the video. Ruth Collins, an actress best known for '80s B-movie horrors, is the lead dancer,[15] and actor Vic Noto is an outlaw biker.
In popular culture
edit"No Sleep till Brooklyn" appears in the 1991 film Out For Justice, 2008 video game Guitar Hero: World Tour,[16] the 2016 film The Secret Life of Pets[17] and the 2023 films The Super Mario Bros. Movie[18] and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,[19] and is included on the latter's soundtrack album.[20] It is also featured in the 5th season of the television series Brooklyn Nine-Nine.[21] It is played as a montage in Family Guy Season 15, episode 15 “Cop and a Half-wit”.
Charts
editChart (1987) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[22] | 28 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] | 22 |
Netherlands (GfK Dutch Chart)[24] | 23 |
Germany (Media Control Charts)[25] | 46 |
Ireland Irish Singles Chart[26] | 17 |
UK (Official Charts Company)[27] | 14 |
References
edit- ^ Tim Grierson. "Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch Has Died". About.com. Retrieved July 2, 2013. "As a member of Beastie Boys, Yauch (who recorded under the name MCA) helped pioneer rap-rock with (...) classic tracks like "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)" and "No Sleep Till Brooklyn,""
- ^ a b Tucker, Ken. "Rough-rapping Beastie Boys Cut A Path From Cult To Chart". Philly.com. Retrieved July 2, 2013. "The Beastie Boys also pepper their music with bits of heavy metal and hard rock - the squalling guitar solo on "No Sleep Till Brooklyn," for example, is provided by Kerry King"
- ^ "Readers' Poll: The Best Beastie Boys Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 9, 2012.
- ^ Ehrlich, Brenna. "'No Sleep Till Brooklyn': The Story Behind The Anthem". MTV News. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015.
- ^ Craig Rosen (March 3, 1988). "Motorhead Between Rock 'N' Hard Place". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. May 23, 1987. p. 11. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ "BeastieMania.com - Song Spotlight". www.beastiemania.com.
- ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (August 23, 2013). "'No Sleep Till Brooklyn': The Story Behind The Anthem". MTV. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- ^ "No Sleep Till Brooklyn by Beastie Boys". Songfacts. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- ^ a b Beastie Boys - No Sleep Til Brooklyn (8-9-07 - Brooklyn, NY) on YouTube
- ^ Forman, Murray (2002). "No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn". American Quarterly. 54 (1): 101–127. doi:10.1353/aq.2002.0002. JSTOR 30042217. S2CID 144027910. Project MUSE 2521.
- ^ "Episode 48: New York". Theme Time Radio Hour Archive. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
- ^ a b Kaufman, Gil (March 4, 2013). "Beastie Boys Video Director Ric Menello Dead at 60". MTV.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
- ^ a b Hogan, Marc (March 5, 2013). "Ric Menello, Beastie Boys Video Director, Dies at 60". Spin Magazine. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
- ^ "Ruth Collins". IMDb. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ "Full Guitar Hero: World Tour set-list". Eurogamer.net. September 12, 2008. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- ^ Starkey, Adam (July 1, 2016). "Here's every song on 'The Secret Life of Pets' Soundtrack". Tune Find. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
- ^ Starkey, Adam (April 6, 2023). "Here's every song on 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' soundtrack". NME. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
- ^ Paige, Rachel (May 19, 2023). "'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3': Creating the 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn' Fight Scene". Marvel.com. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
- ^ Hood, Cooper (April 19, 2023). "Super Mario Bros. Began A Surprise 2023 Movie Trend For Chris Pratt". Screen Rant. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
- ^ "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" 99 (TV Episode 2017) - Soundtracks - IMDb. Retrieved June 14, 2024 – via m.imdb.com.
- ^ "No sleep till Brooklyn in Belgian Chart". Ultratop and Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2013.[dead link]
- ^ "No sleep till Brooklyn Dutch Top 40 Chart". Ultratop and Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
- ^ "No sleep till Brooklyn in GfK Dutch Chart". Ultratop and Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
- ^ "Chartverfolgung / Beastie Boys / Single". Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
- ^ "No sleep till Brooklyn in Irish Chart". IRMA. Archived from the original on June 2, 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2013. Only one result when searching "No sleep till Brooklyn"
- ^ "1987 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive - 13th June 1987". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 20, 2017.