"A Nightmare on My Street" | ||||
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Single by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince | ||||
from the album He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper | ||||
Released | August 1, 1988 | |||
Recorded | 1987 | |||
Genre | Horrorcore, pop rap | |||
Length | 6:09 (LP/cassette copies of album) 4:53 (45 length/CD copies of album) | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Smith, Townes, Harris | |||
Producer(s) | Smith, Townes, New, Harris | |||
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"A Nightmare on My Street" on YouTube |
"A Nightmare on My Street" is the third single from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's second studio album, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper . The song became a crossover hit in the US, reaching #15 on the Hot 100. [1] The song was released as a single in early 1988. The single was released on vinyl and audio cassette tape. The song humorously describes an encounter with the horror film villain Freddy Krueger and was considered for inclusion in the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master , but the producers of the film decided against its inclusion.
New Line Cinema, copyright holders of the A Nightmare on Elm Street film franchise, sued DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's record label for copyright infringement, forcing the label to destroy a music video produced for the song (though a copy of the video did survive and is available online [2] [3] ). Both sides eventually settled out of court, but as a result, vinyl pressings of the album He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper contain a disclaimer sticker that says, "[This song] is not part of the soundtrack...and is not authorized, licensed, or affiliated with the Nightmare on Elm Street films." The song samples Charles Bernstein's musical motif from A Nightmare on Elm Street .
Will Smith starts the song off by telling a story about Freddy Krueger, whom he addresses as "Fred" and describes closely resembling the film character but without using his full name. Smith begins to recall his encounter with him. The story starts off on a Saturday evening when Smith, Jazzy Jeff, and Ready Rock C go on a triple date with three girls where they catch a movie. After Smith gets home he lies down for the night and supposedly wakes up sometime after 12:30 from the unusually hot temperature from the heater which has melted his alarm clock. He goes downstairs for something to drink, and as he gets downstairs he notices the TV still on which he finds strange, as he is home alone. He turns off the television, then he hears a voice from behind him, and without looking to see who it is, he runs out of the house. He gets half a block before he stops and comes to the realization that what he's experiencing is nothing more than a dream. So he returns home where Freddy grabs him and offers a homicidal team-up in which he can possess Will's body, a reference to the plot of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge . But Will turns down the offer and Freddy slashes Smith's chest. Smith, fearful for his life, runs up to his room and hides in his bed under his sheets. Freddy then hops on the bed on top of Smith and starts slashing away with Smith trying to fight back. But everything stops with the sound of Smith's alarm clock. Smith looks to see that no one is there and scoffs at what had happened, assuming it was all just a bad nightmare. But when he sees rips on his sheets he realizes what has happened and quickly calls Jeff to warn him. As the song ends, Smith warns Jeff to stay awake, and Jeff suddenly starts screaming with Freddy laughing in the phone's background telling Smith, "I'm your DJ now, Princey!"
The original track as included on the original LP and cassette pressings of the album He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper ran 6:09. However, the entire album could not fit onto compact discs of the time, so for the CD release, many tracks were shortened; the single version "A Nightmare on My Street" was used in place of the original. This version is not simply an edit of the original album cut, as it included different lyrics in certain sections. The version included on DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince's Greatest Hits album is not the original single version. Although it is labeled "Single Edit" and runs the same length, it is simply an edited version of the original recording and does not include the different lyrics recorded for the single.
Chart (1988) | Peak position |
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Canada Top Singles (RPM) | 61 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [4] | 15 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles [5] | 9 |
Freddy Krueger is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He was created by Wes Craven and made his debut in Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) as the malevolent spirit of a child killer who had been burned to death by his victims' parents after evading prison. Krueger goes on to murder his victims in their dreams, causing their deaths in the real world as well. In the dream world, he is a powerful force and seemingly invulnerable. However, whenever Freddy is pulled back into the real world, he has normal human vulnerabilities and can be destroyed. He is commonly identified by his burned, disfigured face, dirty red-and-green-striped sweater and brown fedora, and trademark metal-clawed, brown leather, right hand glove. This glove was the product of Krueger's own imagination, having welded the blades himself before using it to murder many of his victims, both in the real and dream worlds. Over the course of the film series, Freddy has battled several reoccurring survivors including Nancy Thompson and Alice Johnson. The character was consistently portrayed by Robert Englund in the original film series as well as in the television spin-off Freddy's Nightmares. Englund has stated that he feels the character represents neglect, particularly that suffered by children. The character also more broadly represents subconscious fears.
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince were an American hip hop duo from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of rapper Will Smith and disc jockey Jeff Townes. Active full time from 1986 to 1994 and occasionally thereafter, the duo became just the third rap group in recorded history to receive platinum certification, after Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys. The group received the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for "Parents Just Don't Understand" (1988), though their most successful single was "Summertime" (1991), which earned the group their second Grammy and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Will Smith and Jeff Townes have remained close friends and claim they never split up, having made songs together under Smith's solo performer credit. DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince have sold over 5.5 million albums in the US. They also performed together as recently as September 2019.
Jeffrey Allen Townes, known professionally as DJ Jazzy Jeff, is an American DJ, record producer and actor. He was a member of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince with Will Smith. He is credited, along with DJs Spinbad and Cash Money, with making the transformer scratch famous.
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance is an honor presented to recording artists for quality rap performances. It was first presented at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1989 and again at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1990, after which point the award was split into two categories: Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. These two categories were combined again in 2012 as a result of a restructure of Grammy categories, and the reinstated Award for Best Rap Performance was presented at the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012. The restructuring was the consequence of the Recording Academy's wish to decrease the number of categories and awards and to eliminate distinctions between solo and duo or group performances.
"Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble" is the debut single by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, from their 1987 debut album Rock the House released on Philadelphia-based Word Records. It was released in 1986. The music is built around a sample from the theme tune of the 1960s television series I Dream of Jeannie. It was featured in the eighth episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air where Will and Carlton were battling over a girl. The lyrics "nothing but trouble" were rerecorded by Jazzy Jeff in "Deep, Deep, Trouble" from The Simpsons Sing the Blues. In the song, Will Smith warns his crew to stay away from young women and recounts some unfortunate experiences with them. In the end of the 1988 version, DJ Jazzy Jeff references two of the duo's further singles, "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Nightmare on My Street." The song was only released on vinyl. The music video was released in 1986.
He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper is the second studio album by American hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. It was the first double album in hip hop music, and was the eighth rap album to become a platinum album.
And in This Corner… is the third studio album released by MC/DJ duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The album was released in October 1989, reaching #39 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart. The album was not released on Compact Disc in the UK. However, it was available on this format in most of Europe.
Homebase is the fourth studio album released by hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The album was released on July 23, 1991, reaching number 12 on the Billboard 200 charts and number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It received generally favorable reviews from critics. The album was certified Platinum and won an American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album in 1992.
"Boom! Shake the Room" is a song by American hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The track samples the 1973 song "Funky Worm" by the Ohio Players. Released on July 16, 1993 by Jive, as the second single from the duo's fifth studio album, Code Red (1993), the single peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts of Australia, Ireland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Its music video was directed by Scott Kalvert.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is a 1988 American fantasy slasher film and the fourth installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The film was directed by Renny Harlin and stars Robert Englund, Lisa Wilcox, and Danny Hassel. Following the death of Nancy Thompson, Krueger reappears in the dreams of Kristen Parker, Joey Crusel, and Roland Kincaid. After completing his revenge against the families who killed him, Krueger uses Kristen's best friend, Alice Johnson, to gain access to new victims in order to satiate his murderous needs. The film is a sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). The Dream Master is often popularly referred to as "the MTV Nightmare" of the franchise.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child is a 1989 American gothic slasher film directed by Stephen Hopkins and written by Leslie Bohem. It is the fifth installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, and stars Lisa Wilcox, and Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. The film follows Krueger, using a now pregnant Alice Johnson's baby's dreams to claim new victims.
"You Saw My Blinker" is the fourth and final single taken from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's fourth studio album, Homebase. The song is one of only two times that Will Smith has cursed in the lyrics of a song, the other being "Tell Me Why", a song from Smith's fourth studio album, Lost and Found.
"Parents Just Don't Understand" is the second single from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's second studio album, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance at the 1989 Grammy Awards, one of the two songs to do so before the award was discontinued in 1991. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was released as a single in spring 1988. The song was referenced several times in the television show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The song was ranked number 96 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop, and featured in The Parent Trap, Malibu's Most Wanted and Jersey Girl.
"Summertime" is a song by American hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, released in May 1991 as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Homebase (1991). The song was produced by Chicago-based producers Hula and K. Fingers, and it won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 1992 Grammy Awards. It spent a week at number #1 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart, as well as reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also became the duo's first single to enter the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #8.
"I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson" is the first single taken from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's third studio album, And in This Corner…. The song was released as a single in late 1989. This is the duo's first single to be available on Compact Disc format. It peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Dream Warriors" is a song by American band Dokken, that was written by members George Lynch & Jeff Pilson for the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. The song was released as a single in 1987, charting at number 22 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and was also released on Dokken's fourth album, Back for the Attack, as the closing track to that album.
Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. The album includes several of the duo's biggest hits, including "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble", "Parents Just Don't Understand", and "Summertime". This also includes the previously unreleased track "Lovely Daze", and two solo tracks by Will Smith from his major-motion picture film, Men in Black.
"Yo Home to Bel-Air", informally known as "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme", is a song performed by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. It is the theme song to the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Lyrics were composed by sitcom star Will Smith, performing under his stage name "The Fresh Prince", and the song was produced by Jeffrey Townes under his stage name "DJ Jazzy Jeff".
"Are You Ready for Freddy" is a song by American hip hop trio the Fat Boys from their 1988 album Coming Back Hard Again. Portions of the song were rapped by Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. The song was originally released in 1988 as the theme for A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.
"Ring My Bell" is the second single released from American hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's fourth studio album, Homebase (1991). The song sampled and shared the same name as Anita Ward's 1979 hit, "Ring My Bell", though the original lyrics were replaced by those written by the Fresh Prince. Nevertheless, The song's original writer, Fredrick Knight was sole writer who received writing credits. The song appears on Smith's series, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the closing credits from "The Mother of All Battles" off the season 2 episode.