Scarface (Push It to the Limit)
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"Scarface (Push It to the Limit)" is a song written by record producers Giorgio Moroder and
Pete Bellotte Peter John Bellotte (born 28 August 1943)Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916–2005 atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Index ...
and recorded by American musician
Paul Engemann Paul Engemann is an American former pop musician best known for his 1983 song " Scarface (Push It to the Limit)". The song featured prominently in the film '' Scarface'', which was released in the same year. Biography With his sister Shawn (n ...
. It appeared on the soundtrack for the 1983 motion picture '' Scarface''. The song appears in the film in the
montage sequence Montage (, ''mon-TAHJ'') is a film editing technique in which a series of short shots are sequenced to condense space, time, and information. The term has been used in various contexts. In French, the word "montage" applied to cinema simply de ...
that demonstrates
Tony Montana Antonio Montana is a fictional character and the protagonist of the 1983 film ''Scarface''. This character is portrayed by Al Pacino in the film and is voiced by André Sogliuzzo in the 2006 video game '' Scarface: The World Is Yours''. Embod ...
's rise in wealth and position after he kills Frank Lopez (
Robert Loggia Salvatore "Robert" Loggia ( , ; January 3, 1930 â€“ December 4, 2015) was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Jagged Edge'' (1985) and won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for ...
) and takes over as the head cocaine trafficker in
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
. In the film, the song appeared in a slightly longer version, featuring a guitar solo during the instrumental break. This version was eventually released on a
12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...
LP with the guitar solo included.


Composition

The song is composed with a tempo of 156 beats per minute, and is structured in the key of C minor. The drums are made with a
Linndrum The LinnDrum, also referred to as the LM-2, is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics between 1982 and 1985. About 5,000 units were sold. Its high-quality samples, flexibility and affordability made the LinnDrum popular; it sold far m ...
drum machine.


In other media

It has been employed as a
montage Montage may refer to: Arts and entertainment Filmmaking and films * Montage (filmmaking), a technique in film editing * ''Montage'' (2013 film), a South Korean film Music * Montage (music), or sound collage * ''Montage'' (Block B EP), 201 ...
song for
underdog An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the ...
or dark horse characters, such as in the '' South Park'' episode " Up the Down Steroid" (in a
techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...
format remixed by Moroder himself), and in the ''
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed by McElhenney and Glenn Howerton that premiered on August 4, 2005 on FX and later FXX beginning with the ninth season in 2013. It stars Char ...
'' episode entitled "Mac's Big Break". A variation of this theme is used in a montage for the '' American Dad!'' episode " The Adventures of Twill Ongenbone and His Boy Jabari". Similarly, the 2009-2010
Britvic Britvic plc is a British producer of soft drinks based in Hemel Hempstead, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. It produces soft drinks under its own name, and several other brands. Hist ...
advert for 'Drench' bottled water features the song while a goldfish remembers its way through a maze. It is also the entrance song for German boxer Ralf Riemer. * It appears on the 2001 video game '' Grand Theft Auto III'' on one of its available in-game radio stations, Flashback FM (Flashback 95.6), along with four other songs from the ''Scarface'' film soundtrack. * It is featured in the official ''Scarface'' game, '' Scarface: The World is Yours''. * It is sampled in the song "Push It" by Rick Ross and remixed by Australian drum and bass artist Phetsta. * The chorus was performed by
Jamey Jasta James Shanahan (born August 7, 1977), known professionally as Jamey Jasta, is an American vocalist, best known as the lead singer of metalcore band Hatebreed and sludge metal band Kingdom of Sorrow. Jasta also fronts metalcore band Icepick. Pr ...
in Necro's "Push it to the Limit" from the album '' The Pre-Fix for Death''. * It is often used with the Internet meme
Safety Not Guaranteed ''Safety Not Guaranteed'' is a 2012 American science fiction romantic comedy film directed by Colin Trevorrow and starring Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass. The picture was screened at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Waldo Salt Scr ...
. * The song appeared in ''The Simpsons'' season 27 of 2016 1980s-inspired
couch gag The opening sequence of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' is among the most popular opening sequences in television. It is accompanied by " ''The Simpsons'' Theme", one of television's most recognizable theme songs. The fi ...
in the episode " Teenage Mutant Milk-Caused Hurdles". * The song also appeared in the '' South Park'' episode " Up the Down Steroid".Fan Question: What’s that song in "Up the Down Steroid"?
South Park Studios.
* An homage to the song, called "Break the Rules", written and composed by
Simon Viklund Simon Viklund (born Simon Wiklund, December 1, 1979) is a Swedish freelance video game composer, music producer, sound designer and game designer, who was first known for his work on the 2008 game ''Bionic Commando Rearmed'', in which he was a cr ...
, with vocals performed by Phil Bardowell, is used in the game ''
Payday 2 ''Payday 2'' is a cooperative first-person shooter video game developed by Overkill Software and published by 505 Games. The game is a sequel to 2011's '' Payday: The Heist''. It was released in August 2013 for Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox ...
'', as part of its Scarface DLC Packs.SimonViklund
"Break the Rules" in-depth analysis!
Youtube.com.
* The song appeared in ''
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed by McElhenney and Glenn Howerton that premiered on August 4, 2005 on FX and later FXX beginning with the ninth season in 2013. It stars Char ...
s season 6 episode "Mac's Big Break". * It was covered by Finnish heavy metal band Battle Beast on their album ''
Unholy Savior ''Unholy Savior'' is the third full-length album by the heavy metal band Battle Beast, released in January 2015. Track listing Personnel Battle Beast * Noora Louhimo – lead vocals * Anton Kabanen – lead guitar, backing vocals, production ...
''. * The song can be heard in the animated
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
''
American Dad ''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first televisio ...
'', in the season 8 episode " The Adventures of Twill Ongenbone and His Boy Jabari", during a montage where Roger prepares to run a marathon. * It was parodied in ''
Sonic Boom A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to ...
'', when Sonic and his friends chase the "Bike-Chain Bandit" in the episode "Planes, Trains and Dude-Mobiles". An instrumental of the song also appeared in "Sole Power", within a training compilation featuring Sonic and Tails. * It was used in the 2nd season, episode 4 of the Netflix series '' Stranger Things''. * In season 1 episode 2 of the animated series '' El Cartel de los Burritos'', midway through the episode a parody version performed by Los Vikingos del Norte which was renamed "Dealer" can be heard with its musical structure rearranged into typical northern Mexican
Narcocorrido A narcocorrido (, "narco-corrido" or ''drug ballad'') is a subgenre of the Regional Mexican corrido (narrative ballad) genre, from which several other genres have evolved. This type of music is heard and produced on both sides of the Mexico†...
style. * The song is used in 2022 F1 season by Sky Sport F1 Italy during the pause of live coverage of qualifying session between Q2 and Q3 when the commentator Matteo Bobbi explains the track using an onboard fast lap.


See also

* " You're the Best", song featured in ''
The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue an ...
'' * "
Gonna Fly Now "Gonna Fly Now", also known as "Theme from ''Rocky''", is the theme song from the movie ''Rocky'', composed by Bill Conti with lyrics by Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins, and performed by DeEtta West and Nelson Pigford. Released in 1976 with ''Rocky ...
", also known as "Theme from ''
Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burge ...
''"


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scarface (Push It To The Limit) 1983 songs 1983 singles Paul Engemann songs Songs written by Pete Bellotte Songs written by Giorgio Moroder Scarface (1983 film) MCA Records singles Dance-rock songs