Because I got high
| Because I got high | |
|---|---|
| Afroman | |
| publication | July 30, 2001 |
| length | 3:19 |
| Genre (s) | Hip hop |
| Author (s) | Joseph Foreman |
| Producer (s) | Joseph Foreman, Tim Ramenofsky |
| Publisher (s) | Universal Music |
| album | Because I got high |
Because I Got High (German: Because I was intoxicated ) is a song by the American rapper Afroman . It appeared on July 20, 2000 on the album of the same name and a year later on July 30, 2001 as a decoupled single . In this version, it quickly became a worldwide number one hit, but remained the only major commercial success of the artist, who is considered a one-hit wonder . The song is counted to this day among the most famous songs about the use of cannabis as an intoxicant (colloquially "weed").
Origin and content
Afroman, whose real name was Joseph Foreman until the time Because I Got High was published, began writing the title while on a cannabis frenzy when, in the presence of a friend, he wrote the sentence “I was gonna clean my room until I got high "(German:" I wanted to clean up my room until I got high ") occurred to me. He then chose this as an introduction to the first verse. He finished the rest of the text within two minutes. The original version was produced in collaboration with Tim Ramenofsky. He was the owner of the T-Bone-Records label , through which a large part of his albums were distributed in Afroman’s initial phase.
In terms of content, the song illuminates the typical everyday life of a cannabis addict in an ironic and humorous way . The formulations “Because I got high”, “But then i got high”, “Before i got high” and their modifications are recurring motifs, but there is no refrain . Using a first-person narrative situation , the artist describes to what extent the consumption of drugs has sometimes more and sometimes less serious effects on his private and public life. While he initially only forgets to clean up his apartment ("My room is still messed up and I know why") or misses lessons ("I was gonna go to class"), he loses both children and wife as the song progresses ( "I lost my kids and wife") and apartment ("Now I'm sleeping on the sidewalk"). Towards the end of the song, the author even says that he is no longer able to finish the recording (“I'm gonna stop singing this song”) because he sings everything wrong in his intoxicated state (“I'm singing this whole thing wrong ”) and shows that the lyrical self is Afroman himself. The rap singing is underlined by vocal embellishments such as isolated background laughter, comments (“No, you wasn't”) or questions (“Why, man?”).
publication
The song became a huge commercial hit for the artist. After enjoying great popularity only on the online music exchange Napster , a little later radio DJ Howard Stern also became aware of the artist, who had been active in the underground until then, and often played Because I Got High on The Howard Stern Show For Jones, this led to a contract with Universal Music and, as a result of the high sales figures, to a Grammy nomination for best rap solo performance . The song was also used in Kevin Smith's 2001 stoner movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back . In addition to Afroman, the official music video also shows the two protagonists of the film Jay and Silent Bob . It was also directed by Kevin Smith.
Afroman decided in 2014 in the wake of increasing pressure from the US population to legalize cannabis use and possession across the United States to release another version with the title "Positive Remix". To do this, he replaced the text of some passages with contemporary formulations, in which he was inspired by current events. His stated goal was expressly to support the nationwide efforts around legalization.
reception
Charts and chart placements
Because I Got High reached first place in the singles charts in Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom. It also became a number one hit in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand and Norway. It was ranked 13th in the United States and second in Switzerland. It also reached the Finnish, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese and Swedish top ten. With over 500,000 units sold, the song , which was awarded a platinum record , is ranked 34th among the best-selling rap songs of all time .
|
|
Awards for music sales
| Country / Region | Award | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales) |
||
 Australia (ARIA)
|
 2 × platinum
|
140,000 |
 Austria (IFPI)
|
platinum
|
40,000 |
 Belgium (BEA)
|
platinum
|
50,000 |
 Brazil (PMB)
|
platinum
|
125,000 |
 Germany (BVMI)
|
platinum
|
500,000 |
 France (SNEP)
|
 gold
|
339,000 |
 New Zealand (RMNZ)
|
platinum
|
10,000 |
 Switzerland (IFPI)
|
gold
|
20,000 |
 United Kingdom (BPI)
|
platinum
|
600,000 |
 United States (RIAA)
|
platinum
|
1,000,000 |
| All in all |
2 × gold 9 × platinum |
2,824,000 |
swell
- ↑ a b c d e f g Chart data: DE , AT , CH , UK , US , AU , BE , DK , IE , NZ , NO , FI , FR , IT , NL , SE .
- ↑ a b c Afroman’s Because I Got High gets pro-marijuana remake. The Guardian , October 17, 2014, accessed June 3, 2020 .
- ↑ a b c d e Richard Bienstock, Mosi Reeves, Elisabeth Garber-Paul & Dan Epstein: Pot Sounds: The 20 Greatest Weed-Themed Songs of All Time. Rolling Stone , April 20, 2020, accessed June 3, 2020 .
- ↑ Rebecca J. Haines-Saah, Joy L. Johnson, Robin Repta, Aleck Ostry, Mary Lynn Young, Jeannie Shoveller, Richard Sawatzky, Lorraine Greaves & Pamela A. Ratner: The privileged normalization of marijuana use - an analysis of Canadian newspaper reporting , 1997-2007 . In: Critical Public Health . tape 24 , 2014, p. 47–61 , doi : 10.1080 / 09581596.2013.771812 (English).
- ↑ Dominique Marcel Iten: «Wir kiffen»: Kiffersongs that non-stoners should also know. SRF 3 , April 20, 2018, accessed June 3, 2020 .
- ↑ a b c Joe Dangelo: Afroman living high life thanks to hit single. MTV , August 24, 2001, accessed June 3, 2020 .
- ^ A b c Jason Newman: Afroman Releases "Because I Got High" Remake to Support Pot Legalization. Rolling Stone, October 15, 2020, accessed June 3, 2020 .
- ↑ Cam Tyeson: Fixing Every Problem Listed In Afroman's 2000 Hit Because I Got High. Pedestrian.tv, April 19, 2019, accessed June 3, 2020 .
- ↑ a b Joel Stice: Where Has Afroman Been Since Because I Got High? A serious investigation. Uproxx, June 28, 2014, accessed June 3, 2020 .
- ↑ a b Awards for music sales: DE , AT , CH , UK , US , AU , BE , BR , FR , NZ .
- ↑ Annette Schimanski: Afroman supports the legalization of marijuana with a new remix of “Because I Got High”. Musikexpress , October 17, 2014, accessed June 3, 2020 .
- ↑ a b c d Annual chart data (2001): DE , AT , CH , UK .
- ↑ a b Annual chart data (2002): AT , CH .