Fight_for_Your_Right

(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)

(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)

1986 song by the Beastie Boys


"(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" (shortened to "Fight for Your Right" on album releases) is a song by American hip hop/rap rock group the Beastie Boys, released as the fourth single from their debut album Licensed to Ill (1986). One of their best-known songs, it reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the week of March 7, 1987, and was later named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The song was also included on their compilation albums The Sounds of Science in 1999, Solid Gold Hits in 2005 and Beastie Boys Music in 2020.

Quick Facts Single by Beastie Boys, from the album Licensed to Ill ...

History

The song, written by Adam Yauch and band friend Tom "Tommy Triphammer" Cushman (who appears in the video), was meant as an insignificant portrayal of "party" and "attitude"-themed songs, such as "Smokin' in the Boys Room" and "I Wanna Rock", but unintentionally became representative of their artistic style.[6] Although the group initially embraced the booze-fueled party identity, their style changed when their social habits became more marijuana-centric after touring. Though they continued playing their early hits, including "Fight for Your Right to Party", on future tours, this change had the welcome effect of alienating a significant population of their audience who preferred the previous style. Mike D commented that, "The only thing that upsets me is that we might have reinforced certain values of some people in our audience when our own values were actually totally different. There were tons of guys singing along to 'Fight for Your Right' who were oblivious to the fact it was a total goof on them."[7] Writing credits were given to Yauch, Ad-Rock and the Beastie Boys' producer, Rick Rubin.[8]

Music video

The music video for "Fight for Your Right" begins as a mother and father tell their two sons to stay out of trouble while they are away. When they leave, the two boys decide to have a party including soda and pie, hoping "no bad people show up"; this prompts the arrival of Ad-Rock, Mike D, and MCA at the party. The trio start all kinds of trouble within the house, such as chasing and kissing girls, starting fires, bringing more troublesome people into the house, spiking the punch, smashing things, and starting a massive pie fight. As the pie fight reaches its peak, Ad-Rock, Mike D, and MCA run away, the party having become too out of hand even for them. As the video ends, the remaining partygoers shout along to the final chorus of "party!" before hitting the returning mother in the face with a pie.

Directed by Ric Menello and Adam Dubin,[9] there are numerous cameos in this video, including an unknown-at-the-time Tabitha Soren, Cey Adams,[10] Ricky Powell,[11] members of the punk rock band Murphy's Law, as well as the Beastie Boys' producer, Rick Rubin, who was shown wearing an AC/DC and Slayer shirt, the latter of whom were also signed to Def Jam at the time.[12]

Soren, whose hair was dyed blonde for the shoot, got her chance to be in the video because she was a friend of Rubin's and attended nearby New York University. "I worked hard at not getting any pie goo on me," she recalls, because the whipped cream used had been scoured from supermarket trash cans since there was no money in the budget for it. As a result, it was rancid and had a foul odor. "The smell in that room, when everyone was done throwing pies, was like rotten eggs. You wanted to throw up."[13]

Fight for Your Right Revisited

In 2011, Adam Yauch directed and wrote a surreal comedic short film entitled Fight for Your Right Revisited to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original video's release. The short film serves as a video for the single "Make Some Noise" from Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. Most of the non-sequitur dialogue between characters were a result of improvisation by the cast.

Revisited acts as a sequel to the events that took place in the original music video and features Mike D, Ad-Rock and MCA (played by Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood, and Danny McBride, respectively) as they get into more drunken antics, before being challenged to a dance battle by the future Mike D, Ad-Rock and MCA (John C. Reilly, Will Ferrell, and Jack Black, respectively), coming out of a DeLorean. Eventually, both sets of Beasties get rousted by a trio of cops (played by the actual Beastie Boys) and taken to jail.

The short features numerous cameo appearances, some appearing onscreen for only a few seconds. They include Stanley Tucci and Susan Sarandon (as the parents seen in the original video), Adam Scott, Alicia Silverstone, Amy Poehler, Chloë Sevigny, David Cross, Jason Schwartzman, Kirsten Dunst, Laura Dern, Mary Steenburgen, Martin Starr, Maya Rudolph, Orlando Bloom, Rashida Jones, Rainn Wilson, Shannyn Sossamon, Steve Buscemi, Ted Danson, and Will Arnett.

Although "Fight for Your Right" is not performed, its outro can be heard at the beginning of the short.

Accolades

More information Year, Publisher ...

(*) indicates the list is unordered.

Charts

More information Chart (1987), Peak position ...

Certifications

More information Region, Certification ...

Cover versions

N.Y.C.C. version

Quick Facts "Fight for Your Right (To Party)", Single by N.Y.C.C. ...

In 1998, the song was covered by German hip hop act N.Y.C.C. as "Fight for Your Right (To Party)". It reached the top 20 in nine countries across Europe and in Australia and New Zealand. In the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 14, it was the first song by a German hip hop group to reach the top 25.[53]

Track listings

European CD single[54]

  1. "Fight for Your Right" (single version) – 3:20
  2. "Fight for Your Right" (extended version) – 5:55
  3. "Fight for Your Right" (Disco Selection Mix) – 5:52
  4. "Fight for Your Right" (long instrumental version) – 4:21

UK and European 12-inch single[55]

A1. "Fight for Your Right" (extended version)
A2. "Fight for Your Right" (long instrumental version)
B1. "Fight for Your Right" (Disco Selection Mix)
B2. "Paaarty" (Deep Star version)

Australian maxi-CD single[51]

  1. "Fight for Your Right (To Party)" (single version) – 3:20
  2. "Fight for Your Right (To Party)" (extended version) – 5:55
  3. "Paaarty" (Deep Star version) – 10:14

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the European CD single liner notes.[54]

Studio

  • Recorded and mixed at Boogie Park Studio (Hamburg, Germany)

Personnel

  • Rick Rubin, Beastie Boys – writing
  • Dee Jay Sören – production, recording, mixing
  • Lacarone – executive production
  • CASK – "N.Y.C.C." tag

Charts

More information Chart (1998), Peak position ...

Certifications

More information Region, Certification ...

Other notable covers and cultural usage

The song was heavily sampled in 1988 for Public Enemy's "Party for Your Right to Fight".

Singer/songwriter Cara Quici sampled the song and added new lyrics for her 2013 song "Fight"[76] personally approved by Rick Rubin and licensed by Sony ATV and Universal Music Group. The "Fight" video by Cara Quici features a cameo by Dennis Rodman.[77]

On August 2, 2009, Coldplay performed an acoustic piano-based version of this song during their concert on the final night of the All Points West concert series as a tribute to the Beastie Boys, who were unable to perform on opening night following Adam Yauch's announcement that he had cancer.[78] The band performed this version again on May 4, 2012, at their concert at the Hollywood Bowl as a tribute to Yauch, who had died earlier that day.[79]

After winning the 2019 AFC Championship Game, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce chanted "You gotta fight for your right to party!" in his postgame interview.[80] After the Chiefs' victory in Super Bowl LIV, Kelce again used the chant from the song at the victory parade in Kansas City. The song's main chorus has since become a cultural reference among Chiefs fans, and in the 2020 season became the song played at Chiefs home games to celebrate after each touchdown scored by the team.[81] Kelce continued the tradition through his second Super Bowl win with the Chiefs, even performing the song with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots on The Tonight Show.[82]


References

  1. Matsumoto, Jon (May 2, 2012). "The Beastie Boys Provide a License to Party". Grammy Award. The Recording Academy. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  2. Smith, Chris (2009). 101 Albums that Changed Popular Music. Oxford University Press. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-1953-7371-4. the hit single (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party) was a tongue-in-cheek rap/rock hybrid that largely satirized the white frat-boy audience that made the album such a big hit.
  3. Mitchell, Kevin M. (2003). Hip-hop Rhyming Dictionary: For Rappers, DJs and MCs. Alfred Music Publishing. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-7390-3333-3. The party anthem "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" by the Beastie Boys blended hard rock and rap.
  4. Stratton, Jon (2009). Jews, Race and Popular Music. Ashgate Publishing. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-7546-6804-6. The Beastie Boys' success came from their acceptance by African-American audiences while making rap understandable to white audiences by combining it with hard rock — the most important example of this being '(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)'.
  5. "The Beastie Boys: The Fresh Air Interview". NPR Music. May 6, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  6. Taysom, Joe. "The reason why The Beastie Boys hated one of their biggest tracks". Far Out. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  7. Kaufman, Gil (March 4, 2013). "Beastie Boys Video Director Ric Menello Dead at 60". MTV. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  8. "Cey Adams interview about his iconic Hip Hop art". Insomniac Magazine. February 6, 2015.
  9. Alva, Freddy (November 30, 2018). "Joe Bruno: OG NYHC Roadie Shares Some of His Favorite Memories". No Echo. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  10. Marks, Craig; Tannenbaum, Rob (2011). I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution. New York: Dutton. pp. 278–79. ISBN 978-0-525-95230-5.
  11. "Village Voice – Pazz & Jop Lists > 1986: Singles". Rocklist.net. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  12. "NME Singles 1987". Rocklist.net. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  13. "Record Mirror End of Year Lists 1987". Rocklist.net. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  14. "MTV: '100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made'". Rock on the Net. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  15. "Uncut – The 100 Greatest Singles Of The Post-Punk Era". Rocklist.net. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  16. "VH1: 100 Greatest Videos". VH1. Retrieved March 25, 2014 via Rock on the Net.
  17. "Q Special Edition – 1001 Best Songs Ever." Rocklist.net. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  18. "VH1's 100 Greatest Songs". CBS News. June 10, 2003. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  19. "The Q Ultimate Music Collection". Rocklist.net. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  20. "Q – 100 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rocklist.net. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  21. "VH1: '100 Greatest Songs of the 80's': 1–50". VH1. Retrieved March 25, 2014 via Rock on the Net.
  22. "Mojo – 80 from the 80's". Rocklist.net. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  23. "NME 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rocklist.net. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  24. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  25. "Beastie Boys – Fight For Your Right" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  26. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 16, 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  27. "Beastie Boys – Fight For Your Right" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  28. "Licensed to Ill – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014.
  29. "50 Back Catalogue Singles – 12/05/2012". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  30. "Top 100 Singles of '87". RPM. Vol. 47, no. 12. December 26, 1987. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  31. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  32. "Top 100 Hits for 1987". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  33. "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1987". Cash Box. Archived from the original on December 13, 2010.
  34. Lorenz, Christian (April 18, 1998). "Epic puts 'hip-house' on the map" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 16. p. 8. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  35. Lorenz, Christian (June 20, 1998). "Album spotlight" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 25. p. 14. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  36. Beastie Boys (1998). "Fight for Your Right (To Party)" – European CD single (CD sleeve). N.Y.C.C. Control Records. 0042624CON.
  37. Beastie Boys (1998). "Fight for Your Right (To Party)" – UK & European 12-inch single (Vinyl disc). N.Y.C.C. Control Records. 0042640CON.
  38. "N.Y.C.C. – Fight for Your Right (To Party)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  39. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 17. April 25, 1998. p. 10. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  40. "N.Y.C.C.: Fight for Your Right (To Party)" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  41. "Jaaroverzichten 1998" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  42. "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1998" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  43. "Årslista Singlar – År 1998" (in Swedish). Hitlistan. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015.
  44. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  45. "Cara Quici". Maxim. July 22, 2013. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  46. Kellman, Andy. "Cara Quici – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  47. Shapiro, Michael (January 19, 2020). "Chiefs TE Travis Kelce Channels Beastie Boys in AFC Championship Celebration". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  48. Goldman, Charles (May 15, 2020). "Reminder: Chiefs have a new touchdown song coming for 2020". USA Today. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  49. "Travis Kelce: Epic Karaoke sesh w/ Fallon". TMZ. February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Fight_for_Your_Right, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.