"April 29, 1992 (Miami)" is a song written by American rock band Sublime in 1996 from their

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous album '' Sublime''. The song title refers to the date of the

1992 Los Angeles riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots, sometimes called the 1992 Los Angeles uprising and the Los Angeles Race Riots, were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, in April and May 1992. Unrest began in So ...

, of which news spread throughout the United States following the acquittal of four police officers accused in the videotaped beating of

Rodney King Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965June 17, 2012) was an African American man who was a victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was beaten by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers during his arrest after a pursuit for driving whi ...

Background

The official title of the song references the date April 29, 1992; however, the lyric is sung as "April 26, 1992." It has been said this was a mistake, but the take was strong enough that the band kept it. Theories have developed about the true integrity of the song's lyrics. The acts of crime including arson, robbery, and vandalism referenced in the lyrics were purportedly committed by Bradley Nowell and other Sublime band members during the 1992 LA riots. The lyrics also offer a justification for the band's participation in the unrest:

Alternate version

After lead singer and guitarist Bradley Nowell's death, the two surviving members of the band released every mix and alternate version that the band had recorded. Along with those recordings, an alternate version of "Miami" was released on their 1997 compilation album ''

Second-hand Smoke Passive smoking is the inhalation of tobacco smoke, called secondhand smoke (SHS), or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), by persons other than the intended "active" smoker. It occurs when tobacco smoke enters an environment, causing its inhalat ...

'' titled "April 29, 1992 (Leary)".

Personnel

* Bradley Nowell –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

* Eric Wilson – bass *

Bud Gaugh Floyd I. "Bud" Gaugh IV (born October 2, 1967) is an American drummer who played in the bands Sublime (1988–1996), Long Beach Dub Allstars (1997–2002), Eyes Adrift (2002–2003), Volcano (2004), and Sublime with Rome (2009–2011), as well ...

–

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

Marshall Goodman Marshall Goodman (born January 31, 1971), known professionally as Ras MG (also known as MG, Field Marshall, Field, or Fields) is an American drummer, songwriter and producer. Career Sublime years: 1990–1992, 1994–1996 Goodman was the drumme ...

- scratches *

David Kahne David Kahne is an American record producer, musician, composer, and former record company executive. Professional career Kahne started his musical career as a working musician and soon became Director of A&R for America's first punk and new ...

–

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

References

External links

Sublime official site
1996 songs Sublime (band) songs Songs based on American history Songs written by Bradley Nowell Songs written by KRS-One Song recordings produced by David Kahne Songs about criminals Songs about crime {{1990s-rock-song-stub