Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy (Bad Boy Remix)” is one of the underrated gems of the 90s. It’s cropped up now and again on my iPod in the last few weeks, and I keep meaning to write it a little love letter, so here it is.
Note that my praise is not for the original version of “Fantasy” but specifically for the Bad Boy Remix, featuring the departed Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
(Please take a moment and pour some out for ODB. It’s cool. I’ll wait.)
This is one of the few songs where the remix is better than the original. Actually, Bad Boy did a few remixes during this time period that I consider better than the original, like Craig Mack’s “Flava in Your Ear.”
This version of “Fantasy” uses a genius sample of Tom Tom Club’s 1981 song “Genius of Love“, and the video features all of the things you’d want out of a classic 90′s video. Specifically..
Mariah in her prime.
ODB
ODB dressed up as a creepy clown
“I’m a little bit counnnntryyyyy, I’m a little bit rock ‘n’ rolllllll.” Need I say more?
What more could you ask for?
This video also rocks because Sean Combs actually restrained himself from putting himself in the video. Even though his voice features prominently in the audio, he had the good sense to stay invisible and let hot Mariah and the incomparable ODB do their thing.
It seems commonplace now, but this was one of the first songs – if not the first song – to seamlessly meld sultry, female R&B vocals with a hard-hitting male MC rap solo. Mariah and ODB paved the way for Christina/Redman, Beyonce/Jay-Z (in one of the best songs ever ), Rhianna/Eminem, and countless other R&B/rap duets for years to come.
If this song isn’t on your iPod now, it should be. You guys should go back like babies and pacifiers. Get it today.
What do John Ritter and Farrah Fawcett have in common? They are both famous people who not only tragically died before their time, but also had the misfortune of dying on days that people much more famous also died. Sucks for them.
John Ritter died the same day that Johnny Cash died, and by now we all know that Farrah has to share her posthumous news cycle with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Who do you think is going to get more coverage? Sorry, Farrah.
All four deaths are obviously terribly sad, but to me the deaths of Ritter and Fawcett seem a bit extra cruel because of when they happened. Let’s face it: people become celebrities because they want to be famous and talked about, and sadly there are few days in your life where you’re talked about as much as the one on which you die.
So even if you die unexpectedly of a heart attack, as Ritter did, or if you succumb to a long battle with cancer, as Farrah did, the one, small piece of comfort you might have as a famous person while you’re waiting your turn at the pearly gates is that, “Hey, at least they’re talking about me down there one last time.”
Well, they are unless you die a few hours before someone a million times more famous than you are. Judging by the three full pages of my Facebook account where every update is about MJ – not to mention the fact that MTV has apparently lost it’s mind and is playing…. wait for it…. actual Michael Jackson videos – I’m guessing we won’t be seeing as many “Charlie’s Angels” clips on CNN tonight as we might have been, and that’s too bad.
So here’s to you, Farrah. The mainstream media might be giving your short shrift over the next 24 hours, but hopefully you’ll take some small solace in knowing that the online powerhouse that is the blizzog is pouring a little out for you this evening. We loved you on “Charlie’s Angels” when we were a kid and hated to see things end for you the way they did.
We hope you’re in a better place tonight. And if you happen to run into MJ, ask him why he couldn’t have waited a few days. Thoughts and prayers to you both. RIP.
After almost eight years, President Bush has finally done something that I agree with. His speech last night to the American people regarding the proposed $700 billion bailout of the financial industry was the kind of reassuring, plain-spoken explanation that this nation needed in order to understand the depth of this problem and help put us on the path to a solution.
Of course, I’m lying. His speech apparently messed up another ridiculous display of stupid David Blaine “magic”. How could I not approve of that? Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha, you suck, David Blaine.
If per chance you have ingested some sort of poison or are interested in barfing up tonight’s dinner as part of some unhealthy-but-effective binge-and-purge weight-loss regimen, might I suggest this to help get the hurling started.
image credit: in picture, but I got this from SpinDoctors.com
We had dinner last night at Casa del Noped with Jigga, J-No, and the ever-cute baby Katherine. Somehow during dinner the Spin Doctors came up briefly, and I talked about how much I listened to their Pocket Full of Kryptonite album right around the time I was graduating from high school in 1993.
This morning J-No sent us this email after getting in to work.
As I was flipping XM channels on the way to work, I heard:
“if you want to buy me flowers, just go ahead now.
and if you, want to talk for hours, just go ahead now.” etc etc etc
What does the line at the end mean- where is says- Oh, your majesty…..forget the king and marry me…….. Who is he talking about?
After reading Jennifer’s email I realized that there are probably many of you out there who are not aware of the deep, multi-layered complexities of the Spin Doctors’ work. I sent J-No the following thoughtful, insightful, utterly deep, and – some might say – brilliant reply. After reading it, I knew I must share it with you, the gentle blizzog reader whose thirst for Spin Doctors wisdom and insight will never be fully quenched.
Man, do I love the Spin Doctors. The song you are referring to is called “Two Princes“, and was the Spin Doctors first big hit. With a light, upbeat, whimsical set of lyrics, the song depicts the classic love triangle between two men of very different means and a hottie.
The song’s title refers to the two princes that the hottie can choose between. The lyrics are sung from the perspective of the poor guy in this triangle, and he explains the difference between himself and the other “prince”. Lines like “One has diamonds in his pockets / This one, said he wants to buy you lockets” depict the great disparity in buying power between the two men.
The line you are referring to, “forget the king and marry me,” is the singer’s plea to the hottie (the princess) to ignore what her father (the king) would want her to do (marry the rich prince) and marry the poor prince instead.
The song never says if they ended up getting together, but I’m guessing they did. Why? The Spin Doctors’ next big hit was “Little Miss Can’t-Be-Wrong”, whose spiteful lyrics about a significant other who is always right shows that the group grasped the true meaning of marriage.
Deep stuff. Rich. And Compelling. The Spin Doctors, baby. Soak it in.
I need to give up this computer stuff and become a full-time pop culture maven. You’re welcome.
), Rhianna/Eminem, and countless other R&B/rap duets for years to come.
