A few weeks ago I went to a going-away party for a former student of my wife’s who is joining the Coast Guard. The music, served up from an iPod as I suppose most music is these days, was a mix of hip-hop and pop songs from the past decade.
At one point, Outkast’s ‘Hey Ya!’ came on and a surge of excited recognition washed over the room (ok, over the five or six people left in the room who were paying attention to the music). My 4-year-old daughter launched into one of her trademark dance moves.
I’ve been thinking a lot about sampling lately. I’ve always been very much against the idea of sampling, as epitomized by what Puff Daddy did with ‘Every Breath You Take’ or even what Vanilla Ice did with ‘Under Pressure’ way back when. When the most memorable part of your song belongs to somebody else entirely, how is that ok? I don’t mean financially, because I know the writers of the source material are paid, but artistically.
Meet Me In Montauk 