Hip to Be Square
| Hip to Be Square | |
|---|---|
| Huey Lewis & the News | |
| publication | October 6, 1986 (USA) |
| length | 4:05; Maxi single : 6:05 |
| Genre (s) | skirt |
| Author (s) | Bill Gibson , Sean Hopper , Huey Lewis |
| Publisher (s) | Chrysalis Records |
| album | Fore! |
| Cover versions | |
| 1999 | Barry Williams |
| 2003 | Alex Baroni |
| 2014 | Milking the Goatmachine |
Hip to Be Square is the title of a song written by Bill Gibson , Sean Hopper and Huey Lewis that first appeared on the 1986 album Fore! by the American band Huey Lewis & the News .
background
The term “to be square” comes from Afro-American jargon and has been around since the 1940s. He describes someone who does not follow current trends and fashions; or a philistine. With the title, the band targeted their own clean image and toyed with the fact that their members became more mature with and despite the success of the group and renounced tattoos, long hair and bad behavior.
- Text example
I used to be a renegade, I used to fool around
But I couldn't take the punishment and had to settle down
Now I'm playing it real straight, and yes, I cut my hair
You might think I'm crazy, but I don't even care
Because I can tell what's going on
It's hip to be square
It's hip to be square
I used to be a renegade, I was nonsense,
but I couldn't take the punishment and had to come down.
Now I play really honestly, and yes, I cut my hair
You may think I'm crazy but I don't care
cause I know what's going on.
It's hip to be stuffy.
It's hip to be stuffy
Hip to Be Square became part of the recording of the album Fore! recorded in the studio "Studio D Recordings" in Sausalito . In addition to the band's musicians, Stephen Kupka (baritone saxophone ), who was a member of the Tower of Power wind section , as well as American football players Joe Montana , Dwight Clark , Ronnie Lott and Riki Ellison, took part in the recording were on the San Francisco 49ers team. They sang the four repetitive part of the song that followed the chorus after the second verse:
- Excerpt
Here, there, and everywhere
Hip, hip, so hip to be a square
Here, there, and everywhere
Hip, hip
Musicians involved in the first recording
- Huey Lewis - vocals , harmonica
- Mario Cipollina - bass
- Johnny Colla - guitar , saxophone
- Bill Gibson - drums , percussions
- Chris Hayes - guitar
- Sean Hopper - keyboards
- Stephen 'Doc' Kupka (baritone saxophone, backing vocal)
- Joe Montana ( backing vocal )
- Dwight Clark (Backing Vocal)
- Riki Ellison (backing vocal)
- Ronnie Lott (Backing Vocal)
- Jerome Fletcher (Backing Vocal)
- Mike Duke (Backing Vocal)
- Ralph Arista (backing vocal)
- Jim Moran (backing vocal)
publication
The single was released on October 6, 1986. For the maxi single , Shep Pettibone created two remixes with a length of 5:11 minutes ( Dub Mix ) and 6:05 minutes ( Dance Mix ). In the USA, a shape disc in the shape of a square in four different colors was also published. B-side of all singles was the song Some of My Lies are True from the album Picture This.
reception
Hip to Be Square ranked number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US . In Great Britain the song reached number 41 in the singles charts, in the German-speaking area it could not place.
Use in the works of third parties
American Psycho
In his novel American Psycho , Bret Easton Ellis has the main character, Patrick Bateman, whistle the tune of the song. In the film adaptation of the same name , Bateman holds a monologue on the album Fore! and the song Hip to Be Square , which is playing in the background at the same time:
“In '87, Huey put this out here: 'Fore!', Arguably the most perfect album. Your undisputed masterpiece is "Hip to Be Square"! A catchy tune, so people probably don't pay attention to the text. But they should because it's not just about the joys of conformity and the importance of trends, it's also a personal statement from the band themselves! "
Immediately after this monologue, Bateman kills his work colleague with an ax.
Hip to Be Square was also part of the first edition of the film's soundtrack album , but its release was halted because Lewis allegedly found the film too violent. In fact, however, he had consented to its use in the film, but not to its use on the soundtrack CD.
Cover versions
The song has been reinterpreted by various artists, including Barry Williams (1999), Alex Baroni (as Dimmi Cos'è, 2003) and Milking the Goatmachine (2014). In 2010 the a cappella formation The Pikes recorded a version of the song.
Music video
The music video for the song was produced by Godley & Creme and appeared along with other clips in 1987 on the VHS or video CD release Fore & More.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d songfacts.com , accessed June 4, 2016
- ↑ a b Booklet of the album Fore!
- ↑ Entry on discogs.com
- ↑ Image and information about the Shape Disc at discogs.com, accessed on June 4, 2016
- ↑ discogs.com , accessed June 4, 2016
- ↑ Chart sources (albums): DE / AT / CH / UK / US , accessed June 4, 2016.
- ^ Bret Easton Ellis: American Psycho, p. 166, Vintage Contemporary, ISBN 978-0-307-27863-0
- ^ Film excerpt (YouTube) , accessed on June 3, 2016
- ^ Salon.com , April 14, 2000, accessed June 4, 2016
- ^ Huey in the News, metroactive.com , accessed June 4, 2016
- ↑ coverinfo.de
- ^ Fore & More at discogs.com , accessed June 4, 2016