Harman Patil (Editor)

No Sleep till Brooklyn

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B-side
  
"Posse in Effect"

Recorded
  
Spring 1986

Length
  
4:09

Released
  
March 1, 1987

Genre
  
Rap rock hard rock

Label
  
Def Jam/Columbia Records

"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. Among other references to then-popular metal, the title is a play on the Motörhead album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith.

Contents

Production and play

Kerry King, guitarist for Slayer, played the guitar riffs and solo; he had also released an album produced by Rick Rubin in 1986 (Reign in Blood). In a different tuning, the song interprets "T.N.T." by AC/DC. More metal commentary and adaptation is added by the video, directed by Ric Menello, as a parody of glam metal.

Later in their career, the Beastie Boys continued to perform the song live, although with altered lyrics to reflect their more mature attitude towards women. "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", and "Autographed pictures and classy hoes" was changed to "Autographed pictures to nobody knows."

The song features one of many homages to New York City's boroughs, and has been described as "joyful ranting."

Music video

The music video for "No Sleep till Brooklyn" was co-directed by Ric Menello and Adam Dubin. Menello and Dubin also directed the video for the Beastie Boys' preceding single, "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)". Kerry King, who plays guitar on this track, also appears in the video. Ruth Collins known as the "Queen of B Movies" of the 80's is featured as the lead dancer.

  • The song is featured on the soundtrack of the Steven Seagal film Out for Justice.
  • Rapper Tone Lōc sampled the riff for his song "Ace Is on the House", which was featured in the end credits and soundtrack of the 1994 film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
  • The song was used in several films and video games including Cop Out, Guitar Hero: World Tour and The Secret Life of Pets.
  • "No Sleep till Brooklyn" appeared in the promos for the 2013 VMA Awards and trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.

    • Covers and parodies

  • British comedian Tony Hawks parodied the song's chorus in "Stutter Rap (No Sleep Til Bedtime)" under the pseudonym of "Morris Minor and the Majors" where they rapped 'No need for shouting!"
  • Dutch group Osdorp Posse recorded a cover/adaptation in Dutch, as "Geen slaap tot Osdorp" ("No sleep till Osdorp").
  • The song is also played as "No Sleep 'til Belfast" by Stiff Little Fingers on their 1988 album No Sleep 'til Belfast
  • In 2009, "No Sleep 'till Brooklyn" was covered by Jay-Z at the All Points West Festival (Jay-Z had inherited the Friday headlining slot from the Beastie Boys, who pulled out due to Adam Yauch's early stage battle with cancer.)

    • References

    No Sleep till Brooklyn Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA