Gnarls Barkley | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 2003–2010 (fully active) |
Labels | |
Members |
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo composed of singer-songwriter CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse. They released their debut studio album, St. Elsewhere , in 2006. It contained their hit single "Crazy", which peaked at number two on the US Hot 100 and topped the UK Singles Chart. It was nominated at the 2007 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, and was platinum certified for shipping over 1,000,000 records. [7] St. Elsewhere also received a nomination for Album of the Year. Their second studio album, The Odd Couple , was scheduled for release in April 2008, but due to a leak of the album over the internet, they decided to release it early. [8] The album in its entirety received similarly positive reviews.
CeeLo Green first entered the scene as part of the Atlanta hip hop group Goodie Mob which had a large hand in the Dirty South movement of the 1990s. Green left the group after their third album in 1999 and started his solo career. That year he sang on "Do You Like the Way" along with Lauryn Hill on Santana's multi-platinum Supernatural album.
Brian Joseph Burton, better known by his stage name Danger Mouse, has produced albums for a number of hip hop and rock artists, including Gorillaz' Demon Days , and The Black Keys' Attack & Release , El Camino , and Turn Blue . He received international attention for his mash-up The Grey Album , which blended the a cappella edition of Jay-Z's The Black Album with samples from The Beatles' White Album .
The duo first crossed paths while Green was performing at the University of Georgia and Danger Mouse won a contest to DJ. They became musical partners and worked together on the songs that would become St. Elsewhere; prior to the release of that album they collaborated on the songs "What You Sittin' On?" for Lex Records in 2004, and "Benzie Box" from the Danger Doom album The Mouse and the Mask in 2005.
The band was named while Burton was in a cafe in Silver Lake, California, Burton and friends began playing a game of creating fake celebrity names such as Princes Gnarls and Bob Gnarly. When the name Gnarls Barkley was invented, Burton wrote it down. [9] The name was chosen purely on its sound and not on any basketball fandom by the duo. Despite this, Charles Barkley has said he is honored by the homage. [10]
According to a Billboard article: "Burton and CeeLo have been cagey about what the name of the act means, and each live performance is an opportunity to play dress-up as tennis players, astronauts and chefs, among many other get-ups. The costuming extends to photo shoots, as Burton and Cee Lo would rather impersonate characters from such films as Back to the Future or Wayne's World ." They also have dressed up as characters from films A Clockwork Orange and Napoleon Dynamite .
CeeLo Green said in an interview:
That is that electric industrial Euro soul, that's what I call it ... if I can call it anything. It truly is shapeless and formless. My style and my approach is still water, and it runs so deep. So, with that project I got a chance to be a lil' zany, of course a continuation of eccentricity, abstract and vague, and all of those wonderful things that make art exactly what it is. And that's subject to interpretation. As far as the artiste himself, it does cater to and extend the legacy of Cee Lo Green, and showcase the diversity and range and intention of Cee Lo Green. It is a great project that I'm very, very proud of. [11]
Downtown/Atlantic in the United States and Warner Bros. Records in the United Kingdom signed the band after several songs, including "Crazy", were played for them by Danger Mouse's management company Waxploitation. [12] "Crazy" was released as their first single on April 3, 2006, preceded by its release as digital download and 12" vinyl record single in March 2006. It gained some of its popularity due to its use on primetime BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe's television advert, and it was also made Record of the Week by Ken Bruce of BBC Radio 2, Scott Mills and Jo Whiley of BBC Radio 1 as well as being made 'Weekend Anthem' by DJ Spoony and Sara Cox (also of Radio 1).
In an interview with journalist Stephen Mooallem about "Crazy", Mooallem asked the duo, "Is it true that Cee-Lo recorded the vocals for "Crazy" in just one take?" to which Danger Mouse replied, "Yeah. He had the words written on paper, and what you hear on the album was the first time he ever tried singing it. He went in and gave it a shot, really just to see what it would sound like. We just kept it because it sounded great."[ This quote needs a citation ] The song was, in addition, considered by the duo to be an "independent joint venture," paid for entirely "out-of-pocket." Catapulting the two into stardom, the single was primarily responsible for their success, as they "didn't even have a formal deal in place" until the song hit No. 1.[ citation needed ]
In the United Kingdom, "Crazy" became the first ever single to top the UK Singles Chart purely on download sales as it was released online a week before it was released as a CD single. [13] It was also the first single to top the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks consecutively since 1994 when Wet Wet Wet's "Love Is All Around" was number one for fifteen weeks (the last song to spend exactly nine weeks on top was "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood in 1984). It has also equaled the Queen 1975 classic "Bohemian Rhapsody", which also topped the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks. Gnarls Barkley announced that as the record had spent its ninth week at number one, it was to be deleted as a vinyl/CD listing from May 28, 2006, so people will "remember the song fondly and not get sick of it". [14] "Crazy" is also the longest number-one on the UK Official Download Chart with its stay lasting eleven consecutive weeks. In late 2009 the song was voted as the best song of the decade by Rolling Stone magazine. [15]
The group released their debut album, St. Elsewhere , on April 24, 2006, in the United Kingdom and on May 9, 2006, in their native United States. For their American television debut on Late Night with Conan O'Brien , May 24, 2006, the band performed "Crazy".
They performed along with Christina Aguilera, AFI, and Wolfmother at the MTV Movie Awards 2006 on June 8, 2006. [16] They were dressed as characters from the film series Star Wars . Rebel Alliance pilots, Imperial officers, Stormtroopers, Chewbacca, Jango Fett, Obi-Wan, with Cee-Lo singing as an unmasked Darth Vader.
In October 2006, Gnarls Barkley recorded a live session for Live from Abbey Road at Abbey Road Studios.
St. Elsewhere has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over 1,000,000 albums in the United States. A limited edition deluxe package of St. Elsewhere was released on November 7, 2006. The CD+DVD package includes a 92-page booklet, four music videos and bonus songs from live performance. [7]
St. Elsewhere was nominated for four Grammy Awards in 2007 including for Record of the Year, and Album of the Year, winning two of them for Best Alternate Music Album, and Best Urban/Alternate Performance for "Crazy". [17]
"Crazy" was featured in a couple of TV shows and movies, like The Big Short, Medium, Kick-Ass, I Think I Love My Wife, Religulous, Cold Case, How to Rock, Grey's Anatomy, Boyhood, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
From January until March 2007, they toured with the Red Hot Chili Peppers through the U.S. [18]
They did a collaborative short film in both the Spring of 2006 and 2007 with the international TV series Kung Faux which airs heavily on Channel V around the world, and they also toured Australia in March and April 2007 as part of the Channel V Festival.[ citation needed ]
In early March 2008, the duo's second album, The Odd Couple , was leaked over the internet prompting the duo to push the release date up from April 8. In an interview with Entertainment Magazine, Danger Mouse said that he "knew it [the leak] was coming...every day, I expected to get a call saying it leaked, and eventually I got a call saying it leaked."[ This quote needs a citation ] On March 18, 2008, the album became available via download on the iTunes Store and Amazon MP3. Hard copies of the album were released on March 25.
Prior to its official release, Green spoke to the album's anti-formulaic qualities, noting bluntly that "there's no formula to it," and that to expect the same wild success of St. Elsewhere is to neglect the ever-present "risk factor in any artistic endeavor." He called it something of an "act of faith" – a true, earnest attempt to create and disseminate a piece of art to those who would seek out its conception.[ citation needed ]
They appeared as the musical guest on the April 12, 2008 episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live. They were supposed to be in a Digital Short parodying amateur music videos according to the scrolled text but only appeared in the singing performances of the live broadcast.
On November 11, 2008, they released an EP, Who's Gonna Save My Soul, featuring four versions of the song which originally appeared on The Odd Couple, along with a live version of "Neighbors" and a previously unreleased song, "Mystery Man." A music video for "Mystery Man" was directed by Walter Robot and premiered on Yahoo! Music. [19]
In 2013, Green stated they would be releasing a third album sometime in the future. [20] In late 2017, Green stated "We have already started on a new [Gnarls Barkley] album, we're halfway in and we have some overtures from the other projects that may not have stood the test of time, we don't know yet." [21] In July 2020, he revealed that the COVID-19 lockdown happened as he was working on this third effort. [22]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Gnarls Barkley | Future Sound | Won |
"Crazy" | Best Song | Won | |
Best Video | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | "Crazy" | Best Group Video | Nominated |
Best Direction | Won | ||
Best Editing | Won | ||
2007 | "Smiley Face" | Best Editing | Won |
2008 | "Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)" | Best Choreography | Won |
Best Art Direction | Won | ||
2009 | "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" | Breakthrough Video | Nominated |
Best Visual Effects | Nominated | ||
Best Art Direction | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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2006 | Gnarls Barkley | Left Field Woodie | Won |
"Crazy" | Best Video Woodie - Animated | Nominated | |
2008 | "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" | Best Video Woodie | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | Gnarls Barkley | Outstanding Duo or Group | Nominated |
"Crazy" | Outstanding Song | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | "Crazy" | Best Track | Won |
"Smiley Face" | Best Video | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | St. Elsewhere | Best R&B/Soul Album – Group, Band or Duo | Nominated |
"Crazy" | Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo | Won |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Gnarls Barkley | Choice Music: Male Breakout Artist | Nominated |
"Crazy" | Choice Music: Summer Song | Nominated |
Goodie Mob is an American hip hop group based in Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of CeeLo Green, Khujo, T-Mo, and Big Gipp.
Brian Joseph Burton, known professionally as Danger Mouse, is an American musician and record producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released The Grey Album, which combined vocal performances from Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentals from the Beatles' The Beatles, also known as The White Album. In 2008, Esquire named him one of the "75 most influential people of the 21st century".
Lex Records is a British independent record label. Most releases on the label are alternative hip hop, alternative rock or electronic music. Dazed described Lex as a label "...whose wildly creative output spans over a decade of landmark releases that have changed the music industry no end."
Thomas DeCarlo Callaway-Burton, known professionally as CeeLo Green, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor. He is known for his soul-infused delivery in hip hop and R&B, displayed in his signature song "Crazy" and his solo single "Fuck You."
St. Elsewhere is the debut studio album by American soul duo Gnarls Barkley. It was released on April 24, 2006, in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and on May 9, 2006, in the United States, although it was available for purchase one week earlier as a digital download in the US iTunes Store. St. Elsewhere debuted at No. 20 on the US Billboard 200, and peaked at No. 4. It topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart for 39 non-consecutive weeks in 2006 and 2007.
"Crazy" is the debut single of American soul duo Gnarls Barkley, taken from their 2006 debut album, St. Elsewhere. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and several other countries.
"Smiley Faces" is a song by American soul music duo Gnarls Barkley from their debut album, St. Elsewhere (2006). It was released July 17, 2006, as the second single from that album in the United Kingdom and peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
Waxploitation is an American record label, artist management company and music publisher, which was founded in 1996 by Jeff Antebi.
Closet Freak: The Best of Cee Lo Green, The Soul Machine is a greatest hits compilation album released by American hip hop musician Cee Lo Green, also known for working with Atlanta hip hop group Goodie Mob and production duo Gnarls Barkley. The album consists of tracks from his work with the Goodie Mob and his two solo albums. The album comes on the heels of his noted mainstream rise due to the popularity of the Gnarls Barkley St. Elsewhere album and "Crazy" single. Collaborators on the album include Timbaland, Pharrell, Ludacris, Jazze Pha, T.I., and Goodie Mob members Big Gipp, T-Mo, & Khujo. The compilation was released on October 31, 2006. AllMusic.com gave the album four stars out of five, describing it as "A great whirlwind run through Cee-Lo's career, right from the start of the adventure to more well known material, including collaborations with Timbaland and Ludacris."
Jeff Antebi is an American entrepreneur in the arts, best known as the founder of Waxploitation Records and for his photographic works from war and conflict zones.
"Who Cares?" and "Gone Daddy Gone" are songs performed by Gnarls Barkley and are featured on their debut album, St. Elsewhere. The songs were released on November 6, 2006 as a double A-sided single from that album in the United Kingdom. A week later, on November 13, 2006, the single debuted at No. 60 in the UK Singles Chart. "Gone Daddy Gone" is a cover of the Violent Femmes song. The song peaked at No. 26 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, and at No. 35 on Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart. The song "Gone Daddy Gone" is also featured in the soundtrack for the video game Tony Hawk's Project 8, the soundtrack for Forza Motorsport 2 and in the trailer for the Chris Rock film I Think I Love My Wife.
Gnarls Biggie is a hip hop mashup album created in the same vein as Danger Mouse's The Grey Album. It was produced by a group of Brooklyn-based DJs known as Sound Advice. The album features 11 songs in which the tracks of Gnarls Barkley are cut-up into beats and then layered with raps of The Notorious B.I.G. It was released on July 17, 2006 on the website gnotorious.com and was featured on the websites of the music magazines VIBE and Spin. There was also a promotional video released on YouTube. Its album cover parodies the cover of The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die by replacing the baby's head with Cee-Lo's head. All of the tracks on the album use beats that sample Gnarls Barkley's album St. Elsewhere.
The Odd Couple is the second studio album by Gnarls Barkley, released digitally on March 18 and physically on March 25, 2008. Due to an early leak of the album over the Internet in early March 2008, the duo decided to push up the release from April 8. The album was released to the iTunes Store and Amazon MP3 on March 18.
"Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)", also known more commonly as "Run", is a song written and recorded by Gnarls Barkley. It is the first single to be released from the band's second album The Odd Couple. Released in February 2008 as a digital download in the UK and the US via the iTunes Store, a physical release of the single followed in the UK on March 31. The song features a sample from Keith Mansfield's "Junior Jet Set" from the KPM LP Flamboyant Themes and "Starting Out the Day" by Strawberry Alarm Clock. The song is featured in the film X-Men: First Class, as a playable song in the video game Dance Central 2, and is heard in promos for Disney-Pixar's Cars 2 and the eight series of CBBC's Raven. This song was number 34 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.
"Who's Gonna Save My Soul" is the third and final single taken from soul duo Gnarls Barkley's second studio album, The Odd Couple, released in late 2008. The song's official music video was directed by Chris Milk and was released on July 25, 2008. The video featured work by character animator Keith Sintay and mostly features dialogue from actors Jorma Taccone and Aasha Davis. The single was only released physically in America, in a special limited edition CD + DVD single package.
"Fuck You", known as "Forget You" or "FU" for the clean versions, is a song by American recording artist CeeLo Green. It was written as a collaboration among Green, Bruno Mars, his production team the Smeezingtons, and Brody Brown. It was released on August 19, 2010, as the first single from Green's third solo studio album, The Lady Killer (2010). "Fuck You" received widespread acclaim from music critics, and was an international commercial success, making the top-10 in thirteen countries, including topping charts in the United Kingdom, and number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
Age Against the Machine is the fifth studio album by Atlanta-based Hip hop group Goodie Mob. The album was released on August 27, 2013, by The Right Records, Primary Wave and Atlantic Records. The album features guest appearances from T.I., Big Rube and Janelle Monáe, among others. The album was supported by one official single— "Special Education", along with the promotional single "Fight to Win". Age Against the Machine received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album debuted at number 30 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 13,000 copies in its first week of release.
The discography of Gnarls Barkley, an American alternative hip-hop duo composed of record producer Danger Mouse and soul singer Cee Lo Green, consists of two studio albums, two extended plays, seven singles and seven music videos. The duo originally met in the late 1990s, and began to record music together in 2003 following the release of Danger Mouse's 2003 album Ghetto Pop Life. Their first single, "Crazy", was released in 2006; it achieved worldwide chart success, reaching number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 – where it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) – and reaching the top ten of the Australian, New Zealand and Swiss singles charts, among others. It also topped the UK Singles Chart, attracting considerable attention for becoming the first song ever to top the chart on digital download sales alone, following a change to the chart's eligibility rules allowing songs to chart purely on digital sales providing that it was given a physical release the following week. The song appeared on Gnarls Barkley's debut studio album, St. Elsewhere, which peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200 as well as topping the New Zealand and United Kingdom albums charts. Three further singles – "Smiley Faces", which reached the top ten of the UK and Irish singles charts, "Who Cares?" and a cover of the Violent Femmes song "Gone Daddy Gone" – were released from St. Elsewhere, although none of them appeared on the Billboard Hot 100.
Graham N. Marsh is an American record producer, recording engineer and multi-instrumentalist from Georgia. He has helped produce four Grammy Award-winning albums from sixteen nominations. He is also half of the Brooklyn indie pop duo CLAVVS with singer-songwriter Amber Renee. Marsh began releasing songs from his instrumental project Draigh in early 2019.
Ben H. Allen III is an American record producer, mixer and songwriter, based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. He has produced and mixed records by artists such as Walk the Moon, Animal Collective, Gnarls Barkley, Kaiser Chiefs, Cut Copy, Washed Out and Neon Indian.