Sabotage (Beastie Boys song)

Last updated
"Sabotage"
Sabotage single.jpg
Single by Beastie Boys
from the album Ill Communication
ReleasedJanuary 28, 1994 [1]
Genre
Length2:58
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Beastie Boys singles chronology
"Professor Booty"
(1992)		"Sabotage"
(1994)		"Get It Together"
(1994)
Music video
"Sabotage" on YouTube

"Sabotage" is a song by American rap rock group Beastie Boys, released by Grand Royal Records in January 1994 as the first single from their fourth studio album, Ill Communication (1994). The song features traditional rock instrumentation (Ad-Rock on guitar, MCA on bass, and Mike D on drums), turntable scratches, heavily distorted bass guitar riffs and lead vocals by Ad-Rock. A moderate commercial success and later significant critical success, the song was applauded for its impactful lyrics and melody as well as its humorous video, directed by Spike Jonze; it was also nominated in five categories at the 1994 MTV Music Video Awards.

Contents

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Sabotage" No. 475 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. [9] In 2010, it was dropped to No. 480. In a 2021 updated list, Rolling Stone re-ranked the song at No. 245. In March 2005, Q magazine placed it at No. 46 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks, and was ranked No. 19 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s list. Pitchfork Media included the song at No. 39 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 90s list. [10]

Background

The song was first conceived when MCA played the signature bass line one day in the studio and it immediately caught the band's attention. Both Ad-Rock and Mike D picked up their respective instruments and started building on it. According to the 2018 Beastie Boys Book, the song, which was originally called Chris Rock (after a sound engineer called Chris who thought it rocked), was a humourous jab at their producer Mario Caldato Jr.'s repeated urgings that the Beastie Boys actually get some work done. [11] As Ad-Rock stated in the 2020 Beastie Boys Story documentary, the lyrics are a fictitious rant about how Caldato "was the worst person ever and how he was always sabotaging us and holding us back."

According to Caldato, the instrumental track was an example of one that "evolved out of nothing" whilst the Beasties were jamming together, though they were concerned that the tune was overly-rock-centric for them and struggled to develop lyrics for it. Towards the end of the recording of the album, Ad-Rock proposed trying again with some new lyrics he had just written. The lead vocals were recorded at Caldato's home studio using hand-held microphones that gave the recording a more thick and rough sound, with the bridge, backing, and record-scratches being added at G-Son Studios the next day. Caldato described the impact of the track as immediately electric: "It just had so much more energy and sounded so different. When we'd play it to people, they'd freak out. That's what the record needed". [12]

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Loud, aggressive, and probably likely to spur senseless acts of vandalism by teen wannabes, but showcases Beasties' devotion to punk and old-school rap–mostly the former. All that and a nice, compact, three-minute package perfect for radio play, with some modern rock outlets already aboard." [5] Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel said that on the song, "over-the-top rage and bossy noise are key elements in a hybrid of vitriolic rap and edgy rock." [13] Gina Morris from Select named "Sabotage" Single of the Month with "Get It Together", writing, "'Sabotage' is a hard-edged, full-on meaty guitar-rap gatecrash, which makes them sound less like rich 'street kids' and more like clever sods." [14]

Paste , NME , and American Songwriter all named "Sabotage" as the Beastie Boys' greatest song. [15] [16] [17] In 2024, Esquire ranked it number nine in their "The 50 Best Songs of the ’90s". [18]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Sabotage", directed by Spike Jonze and played extensively on MTV, [19] is a homage to, and parody of, 1970s crime drama shows such as Hawaii Five-O , The Streets of San Francisco , S.W.A.T. , Baretta , and Starsky and Hutch . The video is presented as the opening credits of a fictional 1970s-style police show called Sabotage, with the band members appearing as the show's protagonists. Each band member is introduced as a fictional actor, and the names of the characters are also given.

The characters appearing on the show are (in order of credits): [20]

Jonze's future wife Sofia Coppola, along with co-host Zoe Cassavetes, conducted an in-character mock interview with the "cast" of Sabotage on the second episode [21] [22] of her short-lived Comedy Central show Hi Octane (and the clip would later be included on the Beastie Boys Video Anthology DVD released in 2000 [23] ).

Additionally, in the DVD commentary for the 1996 film Trainspotting , Danny Boyle credits the film's opening credits to those used in "Sabotage." [24]

Actress Amy Poehler reviewed the music video in 2018's Beastie Boys Book saying that "there would be no Anchorman , no Wes Anderson, no Lonely Island, and no channel called Adult Swim if this video did not exist". [25]

Censorship

Some scenes had to be removed when the video was shown on MTV, including a knife fight sequence, a scene in which a man is thrown out of a car into a street, and one where another man is thrown off a bridge and is shown violently hitting the ground (although it is clearly visible that the bodies thrown are stunt dummies). [26]

1994 MTV Video Music Awards

The video for "Sabotage" was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Group Video, Breakthrough Video, Best Direction in a Video, and Viewer's Choice at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards. However, it lost all five categories it was nominated in, losing Video of the Year, Best Group Video and Viewer's Choice to Aerosmith's "Cryin'", and Breakthrough Video and Best Direction in a Video to R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts".

During R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe's acceptance speech for the Best Direction award, Beastie Boys member MCA bum-rushed the stage in his "Nathaniel Hornblower" disguise, interrupting Stipe to protest the shutout of "Sabotage" from every category it was nominated in.

At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, the "Sabotage" video won best video in the new category of "Best Video (That Should Have Won a Moonman)". [27]

Personnel

Personnel taken from Sound on Sound. [12]

Beastie Boys

Additional musicians

Charts

Chart (1994)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [39] 94
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [40] 38
Netherlands (Single Top 100)35
UK Singles (OCC) [41] 19
UK Dance (OCC) [42] 21
US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles 15
US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [43] 18

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [44] Gold400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beastie Boys</span> American hip hop group (1981–2012)

The Beastie Boys were an American hip-hop/rap rock group formed in 1981 in New York City. They were composed of Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, Adam "MCA" Yauch, and Michael "Mike D" Diamond. The Beastie Boys were formed out of members of experimental hardcore punk band the Young Aborigines, which was formed in 1979, with Diamond on drums, Jeremy Shatan on bass guitar, John Berry on guitar, and Kate Schellenbach later joining on percussion. When Shatan left New York City in mid-1981, Yauch replaced him on bass and the resulting band was named the Beastie Boys. Berry left shortly thereafter and was replaced by Horovitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spike Jonze</span> American filmmaker (born 1969)

Adam Spiegel, known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes films, commercials, music videos, skateboard videos and television.

<i>Pauls Boutique</i> 1989 studio album by Beastie Boys

Paul's Boutique is the second studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on July 25, 1989, by Capitol Records. Produced by the Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers, the album's composition makes extensive use of samples, drawn from a wide range of genres including funk, soul, rock, and jazz. It was recorded over two years at Matt Dike's apartment and the Record Plant in Los Angeles.

<i>Check Your Head</i> 1992 studio album by Beastie Boys

Check Your Head is the third studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on April 21, 1992, by Grand Royal and Capitol Records. Three years elapsed between the releases of the band's previous studio album Paul's Boutique (1989) and Check Your Head, which was recorded at the G-Son Studios in Atwater Village in 1991 under the guidance of producer Mario Caldato Jr., the group's third producer in as many albums. Less sample-heavy than their previous records, the album features instrumental contributions from all three members: Adam Horovitz on guitar, Adam Yauch on bass guitar, and Mike Diamond on drums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wax (American band)</span> American punk rock band

Wax was an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California. Wax emerged during the pop punk resurgence of the early 1990s, and included Joe Sib, Tom "Soda" Gardocki, Dave Georgeff, and Loomis Fall. The band is best known for their MTV buzz clip video "California", directed by Spike Jonze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rap rock</span> Music genre combining hip hop and rock

Rap rock is a music genre that developed from the early to mid-1980s, when hip hop DJs incorporated rock records into their routines and rappers began incorporating original and sampled rock instrumentation into hip hop music. Rap rock is considered to be rock music in which lyrics are rapped, rather than sung. The genre achieved its greatest success in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

<i>Ill Communication</i> 1994 studio album by Beastie Boys

Ill Communication is the fourth studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on May 31, 1994, by Grand Royal and Capitol Records. Co-produced by Beastie Boys and Mario Caldato, Jr., it is among the band's most varied releases, drawing from hip hop, punk rock, jazz, and funk, and continues their trend away from sampling and towards live instruments, which began with their previous release, Check Your Head (1992). The album features musical contributions from Money Mark, Eric Bobo and Amery "AWOL" Smith, and vocal contributions from Q-Tip and Biz Markie. Beastie Boys were influenced by Miles Davis's jazz rock albums On the Corner (1972) and Agharta (1975) while recording Ill Communication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ad-Rock</span> American rapper, guitarist, and actor (born 1966)

Adam Keefe Horovitz, popularly known as Ad-Rock, is an American rapper, guitarist, and actor. He was a member of the hip-hop group Beastie Boys. While Beastie Boys were active, Horovitz performed with a side project, BS 2000. After the group disbanded in 2012 following the death of member Adam Yauch, Horovitz has participated in a number of Beastie Boys-related projects, worked as a remixer, producer, and guest musician for other artists, and has acted in a number of films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddy Holly (song)</span> 1994 single by Weezer

"Buddy Holly" is a song by the American rock band Weezer. The song was written by Rivers Cuomo and released by DGC as the second single from the band's debut album, Weezer (1994). The lyrics reference the song's namesake, 1950s rock-and-roll singer Buddy Holly, and actress Mary Tyler Moore. Released on September 7, 1994—which would have been Holly's 58th birthday—the song reached number two on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. Outside the US, the song peaked at number six in Canada, number 12 in the United Kingdom, number 13 in Iceland, and number 14 in Sweden. The song's music video, which features footage from Happy Days and was directed by Spike Jonze, earned considerable exposure when it was included as a bonus media file in Microsoft's initial successful release of the operating system Windows 95.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)</span> 1986 song by the Beastie Boys

"(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right " is a song by American hip hop/rap rock group 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.

<i>The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience</i> 1993 compilation album by Various Artists

The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience is a compilation album released in 1993 by Geffen Records and related to the animated television series Beavis and Butt-Head. The name is a reference to Jimi Hendrix's original band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It is one of the best selling comedy albums and has sold 1,610,000 units as of May 2014. It was certified double platinum by the RIAA in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Sleep till Brooklyn</span> 1987 single by Beastie Boys

"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, 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. "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. The song has been subject to several covers and parodies including "Stutter Rap " by Morris Minor and the Majors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy James (song)</span> 1992 single by Beastie Boys

"Jimmy James" is the third single from American rap rock band the Beastie Boys' third album Check Your Head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Revere (song)</span> 1986 single by Beastie Boys

"Paul Revere" is a song by American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released as the third single from their debut album Licensed to Ill (1986). It was written by Adam Horovitz, Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Rick Rubin. It was produced by Rick Rubin and the Beastie Boys. The song tells a fictional story of how the Beastie Boys met.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beastie Boys discography</span>

The discography of Beastie Boys, an American hip hop group, consists of eight studio albums, four compilation albums, five video albums, seven extended plays, 40 singles and 44 music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feel the Pain</span> 1994 single by Dinosaur Jr.

"Feel the Pain" is a single by alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. from their 1994 album Without a Sound. It was released as the debut single from the album the same year, reaching number four on the Modern Rock charts in the US and number 25 in the UK. A music video for the song was also released, helping boost the song's popularity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win</span> Single by Beastie Boys and Santigold

"Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win" is a song by American rap rock group Beastie Boys, from their eighth studio album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. Featuring American singer Santigold, the song was released as the fourth and final single from the album on July 26, 2011. "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win" was written and produced by group members Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, with additional writing by Santigold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Fucking Last</span> American punk rock band

Dead Fucking Last is an American punk rock band that was founded in 1991 in Los Angeles, California by Tom Davis, Monty Messex, Adam (Ad-Rock) Horovitz and Tony Converse.

<i>Beastie Boys Story</i> 2020 American documentary film

Beastie Boys Story is a 2020 American live documentary film, directed, produced, and written by Spike Jonze, alongside Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz. It was filmed at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, New York and adapted from Beastie Boys Book, a memoir of the Beastie Boys. Jonze reunited with Diamond and Horovitz for the project after directing several music videos including "Sabotage" in 1994.

References

  1. ↑ Billboard May 7, 1994, page 12
  2. ↑ Aaron, Charles (September 1999). "Top 20 Singles". Spin . 15 (9): 137.
  3. ↑ Weiss, Dan (April 6, 2012). "Ten Rap-Rock Songs That Are Actually Awesome". LA Weekly . Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  4. ↑ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone . February 16, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Flick, Larry (2 July 1994). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard . p. 84. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  6. ↑ Hand, Christian. ""Sabotage"". PSAudio. Retrieved June 29, 2021. The Beastie Boys maintained their cred, punk-rock attitude, and roots throughout their careers. This song is a 90's Classic, of that there is no doubt.
  7. ↑ Gerard, Chris (22 April 2021). "THE 100 GREATEST ALTERNATIVE SINGLES OF THE '90S: 40 – 21". PopMatters. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  8. ↑ "The 100 Best Alternative Rock Songs Of 1994". SPIN. August 18, 2014. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  9. ↑ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Beastie Boys, 'Sabotage'". rollingstone.com. 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  10. ↑ "Staff Lists: The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 50-21". Pitchfork Media . 2 September 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  11. ↑ Worgaftik, Gabe (31 October 2018). "At long last, the Beastie Boys have revealed what exactly "Sabotage" is about". AV Club. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  12. 1 2 Buskin, Richard (August 2013). "Classic Tracks : Beastie Boys 'Sabotage'". Sound on Sound. SOS Publications Group. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  13. ↑ Campbell, Chuck (10 June 1994). "David Byrne': Talking Head Repeats Himself". Knoxville News Sentinel .
  14. ↑ Morris, Gina (August 1994). "New Singles". Select . p. 97. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  15. ↑ Goldmeier, Jeremy (May 5, 2011). "The 20 Best Beastie Boys Songs". Paste . Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  16. ↑ Smith, Thomas (November 29, 2018). "The Beastie Boys – their 10 greatest songs". NME . Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  17. ↑ Uitti, Jacob (October 2, 2021). "Top 10 Beastie Boys Songs". American Songwriter . Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  18. ↑ Covington, Abigail (July 19, 2024). "The 50 Best Songs of the '90s". Esquire . Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  19. ↑ Smith, Ethan (2012). "Spike Jonze Unmasked". New York . Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  20. ↑ "Beastie Boys: Sabotage (1994)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  21. ↑ Satenstein, Liana (29 May 2020). "Sofia Coppola and Zoe Cassavetes Look Back on Their Cult '90s It Girl Show". Vogue. Condé Nast. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  22. ↑ Whitfield, Zoe (12 November 2020). "A brief history of Hi Octane, Sofia Coppola's chaotic 90s TV show". Dazed. Dazed Media. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  23. ↑ "The Criterion Collection: Beastie Boys Video Anthology". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  24. ↑ DVD commentary. Trainspotting .[ clarification needed ]
  25. ↑ Horovitz, Adam; Diamond, Michael (2018). Beastie Boys Book. Faber & Faber. p. 471. ISBN   978-0571308040.
  26. ↑ "Sabotage (Comparison: Regular Version, Extended Version)". Movie-Censorship.com. April 23, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  27. ↑ "The Playlist: Spike Jonze Wins Belated VMA For Beastie Boys' 'Sabotage'". theplaylist.blogspot.co.uk. 14 September 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  28. ↑ "Beavis & Butt-head - Beastie Boys - Sabotage (Video)". YouTube .
  29. ↑ Elvis Costello and Beastie Boys- Radio, Radio - YouTube Archived October 16, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  30. ↑ Funk, Allie (July 21, 2016). "The Song In The Big 'Star Trek Beyond' Scene Will Make Beastie Boys Fans So Proud". www.bustle.com. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  31. ↑ Hogan, Marc (November 19, 2013). "Beastie Boys' 'Sabotage' Crashes 'How I Met Your Mother' 'Ill Communication' classic roars over the soundtrack and complements a punchline". Spin . Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  32. ↑ Modell, Josh (3 November 2015). "Steve 'n' Seagulls cover Beastie Boys". The A.V. Club . Onion, Inc. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  33. ↑ Tobia, Scott (3 February 2016). "The People v. O.J. Simpson Recap: The Bronco Chase". Vulture. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  34. ↑ "Trailer for Destiny 2". Bungie. Retrieved 31 August 2017.[ dead YouTube link ]
  35. ↑ "I Killed Pom Pom Costumes". Homestar Runner Wiki. 27 November 2023. Retrieved 1 Jul 2024.
  36. ↑ ""American Dad!" First, Do No Farm (TV Episode 2020) - Soundtracks - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  37. ↑ "Watch Slipknot and Korn's insane live cover of Beastie Boys' "Sabotage"". Revolver. 26 January 2015.
  38. ↑ Brkljač, Bhernardo Viana, Ryan Galloway, Slobodan (2024-06-09). "All free Fortnite Festival songs today (June 2024)". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2024-06-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  39. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  40. ↑ "Beastie Boys Top Singles positions". RPM. Archived from the original on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
  41. ↑ "Beastie Boys Album & Song Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 2011-05-10.
  42. ↑ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  43. ↑ "Beastie Boys Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  44. ↑ "British single certifications – Beastie Boys – Sabotage". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved May 13, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.