Solid Wall of Sound

Album: We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is built around a sample of Elton John's funky 1970s hit, "Bennie And The Jets." Sir Elton makes a cameo at the end of the tune, singing new lyrics over his "Bennie" chords.
  • Phife Dawg, Q-Tip and Busta Rhymes exchange bars on this cut, with the latter incorporating Jamaican patois in his rhymes.

    Busta Rhymes is a long time Tribe collaborator including contributing to their 1992 breakout posse cut "Scenario." The Long Island rapper told the New York Times Q-Tip had one major rule for the album: He insisted that everyone who was a part of it come work in the studio.

    "If you wrote your rhyme somewhere else, you still had to come back and lay your verse in Q-Tip's house," Rhymes said. "So we pretty much did every song together. Everybody wrote his stuff in front of everybody. Everybody spat their rhymes in front of each other. We were throwing ideas around together."
  • Jack White supplied acoustic guitar and additional vocals. Q-Tip and Jack White first connected when he asked permission to do an old Tribe song called "Excursions" in his stage show. It turned out they were mutual admirers of each other's work.

    Q-Tip told New York Times White came to the studio without his own gear. "He just took a guitar off the wall and plugged it in and just got his wizard on."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Timothy B. Schmit

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.

Boz Scaggs

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?