911 Is a Joke
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911 Is a Joke
| "911 Is a Joke" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Public Enemy | ||||
| from the album Fear of a Black Planet | ||||
| Released | March 22, 1990 | |||
| Format | Vinyl record | |||
| Recorded | 1989 | |||
| Genre | Golden age hip hop, political hip hop | |||
| Length | 3:17 | |||
| Label | Def Jam - Def Jam 73309 | |||
| Writer(s) | Flavor Flav, Keith Shocklee, Eric "Vietnam" Sadler | |||
| Producer | The Bomb Squad | |||
| Public Enemy singles chronology | ||||
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"911 Is a Joke" is a 1990 song by American hip hop group Public Enemy, from their third album, Fear of a Black Planet. It was released as a single and became their first Top 40 hit in June 1990, reaching number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1]
The single also reached number 15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and number 1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart, becoming their second number-one rap chart hit after "Fight the Power".[2] The song is about the lack of response to emergency calls in a black neighborhood, but specifically references the poor response by paramedic crews and not the police, which is a common misconception regarding the track;[3] the "911" in the title of the song refers to 9-1-1, the emergency telephone number used in the United States.[4]
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Contents
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Production
The song was written by Public Enemy member Flavor Flav and producers Keith Shocklee and Eric "Vietnam" Sadler of The Bomb Squad, Public Enemy's production team. Flavor Flav is the featured vocalist.[5]
Samples used
Among the samples used in "911 Is a Joke" is Vincent Price's laughter from "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. Other samples include "Flash Light" by Parliament, "Misunderstood" by Mico Wave, "Think (About It)" by Lyn Collins, "Gottago Gottago!" by Robin Harris, "Devil With the Bust" by Sound Experience, "Feel Like Dancing" by Wilbur "Bad" Bascomb, and "Hit by a Car" and "Singers" by Eddie Murphy. According to law professors Peter DiCola and Kembrew McLeod, if the samples used on "911 Is a Joke" and the other tracks on Fear of a Black Planet had been cleared for copyright under 2010 rates, each copy of the album would have generated a loss of five dollars per album sold, instead of a profit.[6]
Charts
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 15 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 26 |
Covers and media references
In October 1994, the song was featured prominently in the opening scene of "Tasha", an early episode of the FOX police drama television series New York Undercover.[7]
In 1995, English pop rock band Duran Duran covered "911 Is a Joke" on their Thank You album.[8]
In 2009, The Washington Post ran a story discussing Public Enemy members' visit to a center for homeless and displaced youth.[9] The article referred to the song "911 is a Joke", but due to a copy-editing error,[10] "911" was printed as "9/11", which some readers[11] took to be a reference to the September 11 attacks. A week later, the Post printed a correction.[4]
In 2010, the TV show Community referenced the song in a throwaway line ("Flava Flav was right" after attempting to dial 911 and not getting a hold of anybody).
The song was used for commercials for the Comedy Central series Reno 911!, itself a parody of law enforcement shows such as Cops.
The song is played briefly in the American Dad! episode "Finances with Wolves".
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th Edition). Billboard Books. p. 509. ISBN 0-8230-7499-4.
- ^ "Public Enemy chart information". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p86. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ Watrous, Peter (April 22, 1990). "RECORDINGS; Public Enemy Makes Waves - and Compelling Music". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/22/arts/recordings-public-enemy-makes-waves-and-compelling-music.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ a b "A note of hope from voices of experience: Correction". The Washington Post. December 3, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/02/AR2009120201455.html. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Fear of a Black Planet - Public Enemy". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/album/fear-of-a-black-planet-r28190/review. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
- ^ McLeod, Kembrew (March 31, 2010). "How to Make a Documentary About Sampling--Legally". The Atlantic online. http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2010/03/how-to-make-a-documentary-about-sampling-legally/38189/. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ Reggie Rock Bythewood (writer); Jace Alexander (director) (1994-10-27). "Tasha". New York Undercover. episode 7. season 1. FOX.
- ^ "Duran Duran song information". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4144. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ Dickson, Akeya (November 26, 2009). "A note of hope from voices of experience: Public Enemy reaches out to homeless youth in D.C.". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/25/AR2009112501993.html. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ Alexander, Andrew (December 11, 2009). "Correction goes viral, blame is misplaced". The Washington Post. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ombudsman-blog/2009/12/as_correction_goes_viral_blame.html. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ Silverman, Craig (December 11, 2009). "Don't Need to Wait, Get the Record Straight". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on 18 October 2010. http://www.cjr.org/regret_the_error/dont_need_to_wait_get_the_reco.php. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
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