"Sure Shot" is a song by American hip hop group
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...
, released as the third single from their fourth album ''
Ill Communication
''Ill Communication'' is the fourth studio album by American hip-hop group Beastie Boys, released by Grand Royal Records on May 31, 1994. Co-produced by Beastie Boys and Mario Caldato, Jr., it is among the band's most varied releases, drawing from ...
'' on June 2, 1994, two days after the album's release. The track features a sample from jazz flautist
's "Howlin' For Judy", which provides the main instrumental part of the song.
Release
The CD and cassette maxi single (with a total of 7 tracks) features three
remix
A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
es of the title track, by
Large Professor
William Paul Mitchell (born March 21, 1972), better known by the stage name of Large Professor (also Extra P. and Large Pro), is an American rapper and record producer. Based in New York City, he is known as a founding member of the underground ...
, Mike Nardone and Dred Scott, and the Prunes, respectively.
It also features 3 new songs, "Mullet Head" (a punk-rock-style song whose title references the much-ridiculed
mullet hair-style), "Son of Neckbone" (an instrumental track) and "The Vibes", a more traditional rap song akin to "Sure Shot". "Mullet Head" was also featured on the 1994 EP
Pretzel Nugget.
Uses in popular culture
In the 2010 film ''
Shrek Forever After
''Shrek Forever After'' is a 2010 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture book ''Shrek!'' by William Steig, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The sequel to ''Shrek the Thi ...
'', the
Pied Piper
The Pied Piper of Hamelin (german: der Rattenfänger von Hameln, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany.
The legend dates back to ...
, played by jazz flautist Jeremy Steig whose song "Howlin' For Judy" provides the track’s primary sample, briefly plays the song with his flute. Steig’s father
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
wrote the children’s book ''
Shrek!
''Shrek!'' is a comedy fantasy picture book published in 1990 by American book writer and cartoonist William Steig, about a repugnant green monster who leaves home to see the world and ends up marrying an ugly princess. The book was generally w ...
'', which the film series was based on.
The song also appears in the 2011 film ''
30 Minutes or Less
''30 Minutes or Less'' is a 2011 American action comedy film directed by Ruben Fleischer, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari and Nick Swardson. Loosely inspired by Death of Brian Wells, the Brian Wells case, the plot follows a s ...
'' and in the 2016 video game ''
Forza Horizon 3
''Forza Horizon 3'' is a 2016 racing video game developed by Playground Games and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox One and Windows. It is the ninth instalment in the ''Forza'' series and the third instalment in its spinoff ''Forza ...
''.
It is also used as the opening theme of Season 2 of the TV series ''
Patriot
A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism.
Patriot may also refer to:
Political and military groups United States
* Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution
* Patriot m ...
''.
Music video
Directed by
Spike Jonze
Adam H. Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes commercials, film, music videos, skateboard videos and television.
Jonze began his ca ...
, the music video for the single features the group, along with
DJ Hurricane
Wendell Timothy Fite, also known as DJ Hurricane (born January 12, 1965) is an American hip hop DJ, producer and rapper. He is best known for his work with the Beastie Boys. He was a member of the groups Solo Sounds and The Afros and recorde ...
, singing, skating, and wearing suits while attending a party.
Track listing
# "Sure Shot" (LP Version)
# "Sure Shot" (Large Professor Remix)
# "Mullet Head"
# "The Vibes"
# "Sure Shot" (Nardone Mix)
# "Son Of Neckbone"
# "Sure Shot" (European B-Boy Mix)
Charts
References
{{Authority control
Beastie Boys songs
1994 singles
Music videos directed by Spike Jonze
Songs written by Mario Caldato Jr.
Song recordings produced by Mario Caldato Jr.
1994 songs
Capitol Records singles
Songs written by Mike D
Songs written by Ad-Rock
Songs written by Adam Yauch