THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

610-Beastie Boys-(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party.)

1987-Number 11 single.

Best Bit-At 0.07.Back of the net!!

The classic line up of the Beastie Boys was Michael ‘Mike D’ Diamond (vocals and drums,) Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch (1964-2012) (vocals and bass,) and Adam ‘Ad Rock’ Horovitz (vocals and guitar.)Diamond had been part of an experimental Hardcore Punk band called the ‘Young Aborigines’ from 1978, and when one of the members dropped out, they were replaced by Adam Yauch in 1981, which was when the band changed their name to ‘Beastie Boys,’ chosen by the then guitarist John Berry (1963-2016.) Shortly after Berry would leave the band and be replaced by Adam Horovitz.This was the time that the Beastie Boys transitioned from ‘Punk’ to Rap/Rock, releasing their first ‘Hip-Hop’ single ‘Cooky Puss’ in March 1983.It was also the final recording to feature their long term drummer Kate Schellenbach, as the band moved in a different direction. The Beastie Boys have sold in excess of 20 million records in America, making them the best selling Rap group since Billboard began recording sales in 1991.

(‘You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party’) is taken from the Beastie Boys debut studio Album ‘Licenced to Ill,’ from 1986, and became the first ever Rap Album to top the Billboard ‘Top 200 Album’ chart.The song was co-written by the Beastie Boys, and long term collaborator with the band, Tom Cushman, the songs producer Rick Rubin also receives songwriting credit. Rubin was a big influence on the song, interjecting a ‘Rock’ sound in to it, Rubin had previously brought together the ‘Hip-Hop’ group Run DMC, and the ‘Rock’ group Aerosmith to achieve the first Rap/Rock hit ‘Walk This Way,’ in 1986 (see also best songs 305.)

(‘You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party,’) lyrically, actually started out life as a joke, a ‘mickey’ take on what Adam Yauch called ‘dumb rock songs.’ It is ironic that the song which made the Beastie Boys superstars, was thanks to the new ‘fanbase’ they had set out to parody.

‘Your pop caught you smoking, and he said ‘no way.’ That hypocrite smokes two packs a day.’