Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)
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"Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young", commonly known by the title "Wear Sunscreen", is an
essay An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...
written as a hypothetical commencement speech by
columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (periodical), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the ...
Mary Schmich Mary Theresa Schmich ( ; born November 29, 1953) is an American journalist. She was a columnist for the ''Chicago Tribune'' from 1992 to 2021, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 2012. Her columns were syndicated nationally by Tribune Content Agency. ...
, originally published in June 1997 in the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
''. The essay, giving various pieces of advice on how to live a happier life and avoid common frustrations, spread massively via viral email, is often erroneously described as a commencement speech given by author
Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...
at
MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
. The essay became the basis for a successful
spoken word Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an oral tradition, ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetic ...
song released in 1997 by
Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962) is an Australian film director, producer, writer, and actor whose various projects extend from film and television into opera, theatre, music, and the recording industries. He is regarded by ...
, "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)", also known as "The Sunscreen Song"."The Sunscreen Song (class of '99)" is used as an alternative title on the cover of the single; see als
the single's "Editorial Reviews" on Amazon
an

by the ''Washington Post''.
The song reached number one in Ireland and the United Kingdom and inspired numerous parodies.


''Chicago Tribune'' column

Mary Schmich Mary Theresa Schmich ( ; born November 29, 1953) is an American journalist. She was a columnist for the ''Chicago Tribune'' from 1992 to 2021, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 2012. Her columns were syndicated nationally by Tribune Content Agency. ...
's
column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...
"Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" was published in the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' on June 1, 1997. In the column's introduction, Schmich presents the essay as the commencement speech she would give if she were asked to give one. In the speech, she insistently recommends the wearing of
sunscreen Sunscreen, also known as sunblock, sun lotion or sun cream, is a photoprotection, photoprotective topical product for the Human skin, skin that helps protect against sunburn and prevent skin cancer. Sunscreens come as lotions, sprays, gels, fo ...
, and dispenses other advice and warnings which are intended to help people live a happier life and avoid common frustrations. She later explained that the inspiration came from seeing a young woman sunbathing, and hoping that she was wearing sunscreen, unlike Schmich herself at that age. The essay soon became the subject of an
urban legend Urban legend (sometimes modern legend, urban myth, or simply legend) is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not. These legends can be e ...
which claimed it was an
MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
commencement speech given by author
Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...
. In reality, MIT's commencement speaker in 1997 was
Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder a ...
and Vonnegut had never been a commencement speaker there. Despite a follow-up article by Schmich on August 3, 1997, the story became so widespread that Vonnegut's lawyer began receiving requests to reprint the speech. Vonnegut commented that he would have been proud had the words been his. Schmich published a short gift book adaptation of the essay, ''Wear Sunscreen: A Primer for Real Life'', in 1998. A tenth anniversary edition was published in 2008.


Baz Luhrmann version

The essay was used in its entirety by Australian film director
Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962) is an Australian film director, producer, writer, and actor whose various projects extend from film and television into opera, theatre, music, and the recording industries. He is regarded by ...
on his 1998 album ''Something for Everybody'', as "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)". Also known as "The Sunscreen Song", it samples Luhrmann's remixed version of the song " Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" by Rozalla, and opens with the words, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Class of '99" (instead of "'97", as in the original column). The song features a spoken-word track set over a mellow backing track. The "Wear Sunscreen" speech is narrated by Australian voice actor Lee Perry. The backing is the choral version of "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)", a 1991 song by Rozalla, used in Luhrmann's film '' William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet''. The chorus, also from "Everybody's Free", is sung by Quindon Tarver.


Background

Luhrmann explained that Anton Monsted, Josh Abrahams, and he were working on the remix when Monsted received an email with the supposed Vonnegut speech. They decided to use it but were doubtful of getting through to Vonnegut for permission before their deadline, which was only one or two days away. While searching the Internet for contact information they came upon the "Sunscreen" authorship controversy and discovered that Schmich was the actual author. They emailed her and, with her permission, recorded the song the next day.


Release

Originally released on the album ''Something for Everybody'' (1997), "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" gained popularity in 1998 in some areas of the US, when a Portland radio station started to air it. The single came out in 1999. "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" was released as a single in some territories in 1997, with the speech (including its opening words, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Class of '97") completely intact. This version appeared in the
Triple J Hottest 100 The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music poll presented by the publicly-funded Australian youth radio station Triple J. Members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite Music of Australia, Australian and alternative music of th ...
of that year at number 16 in the countdown, and was released on the subsequent CD in early 1998. A limited-edition
CD single A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any si ...
was issued in the United States on February 9, 1999, but only in the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
region. In the United Kingdom, the song was released on May 31, 1999.


Versions

There are four versions of the song: the original 7:09 minute mix from the album ''Baz Luhrmann Presents: Something for Everybody''; a 1999 single release which features a 5:05 minute edit that lacks both choruses; "Geographic's Factor 15+ Mix" that runs for 4:42 minutes; and a "2007 Mix" of the original 7:09 minute version released on the 10th Anniversary Edition of the ''William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet'' soundtrack on which the opening words are changed to "Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2007". The song also appeared in Germany and was soon followed by a German version with the title "Sonnencreme". The German translation is narrated by the German actor Dieter Brandecker. A Brazilian version, entitled "Filtro Solar", is narrated in Portuguese by journalist and TV presenter
Pedro Bial Pedro Bial (born March 29, 1958) is a Brazilian television producer, producer, television director, director, writer, journalist and a TV presenter. He is best known for hosting the variety show ''Fantástico'', and the reality show ''Big Brother ...
and was released in the last 2003 edition of the program '' Fantástico'', on
Rede Globo TV Globo (stylized as tvglobo; , ), formerly known as Rede Globo de Televisão (; shortened to Rede Globo) or simply known as Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965 ...
. This version became a radio success in 2004. A Russian adaptation of the song, recorded live by Silver Rain Radio, was performed by Alex Dubas and Yolka. An Israeli adaptation of the song, named "Matters One Should Know" (דברים שכדאי לדעת), was recorded and released for the Israeli Children's channel in 2004 by Avri Gilad, Rinat Gabay and MC Shiri. Other versions include a Finnish version titled "Aurinkovoiteella onneen", performed by Erkki Saarela, and a Belgian version called "Beslis zelf maar (of je zonnemelk gebruikt)", performed by Frank Aendenboom.


Critical reception

'' Daily Record'' wrote, "Luhrmann's single is the biggest spoken-word hit since JJ Barrie topped the charts with ' No Charge' in 1976. The lyrics began life as a newspaper article." James Oldham from ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' commented, "Unless you have been holidaying on
Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...
for the last two months, this remarkable and potentially nauseating record will have burrowed its way into your deep subconscious by now." He added, "Luhrmann's postmodern masterpiece is half pisstake, half soul-soothing brain massage and all genius; a DIY pop landmark for the end of the self-help decade. Buy this record. Twenty years from now, in ways you can't even begin to imagine today, you will be glad you did."


Chart performance

The song was a top-10 hit across Europe but was largely obscure in the US until Aaron Scofield, a producer in Phoenix, edited the original 12-inch version into a segment of a syndicated radio show called ''Modern Mix''. This show played on many stations in the United States. In Portland,
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
—where ''Modern Mix'' played on KNRK—listeners began requesting the track. KNRK program director Mark Hamilton edited the song for time and began playing it regularly. He distributed the song to other program directors that he networked with and the song exploded in the US. The song reached number 24 on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Hot 100 Airplay in the United States; by the time it was released as a commercial single in the country, radio airplay had declined significantly, and only managed to peak at number 45 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In Canada the song peaked at number 11 on the ''RPM'' Top Singles chart and topped the ''RPM'' Adult Contemporary chart. It also reached number one in the United Kingdom and Ireland, partly due to a media campaign by Radio One DJ
Chris Moyles Christopher David Moyles (born 22 February 1974) is an English radio and television presenter, author and presenter of '' The Chris Moyles Show'' on Radio X. Previously he presented '' The Chris Moyles Show'' on BBC Radio 1 from 2004 to 2012 ...
. On August 10, 2008, the song re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 72.


Music video

There are two videos for the song: one which uses the 1999 5:05 minute single edit of the song (the version in which Quindon Tarver is not featured), directed and animated by Bill Barminski; and another using the 7:09 minute edit made by the Brazilian advertising agency DM9DDB.


Track listings

UK CD and cassette single # "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" (performed by Quindon Tarver—edit) – 5:05 # "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" (performed by Lee Parry—Geographic's Factor 15+ mix) – 4:42 # " Love Is in the Air" (performed by
John Paul Young John Inglis Young, Order of Australia, OAM (born 21 June 1950), known professionally as John Paul Young, is an Australian pop singer who is best known for having a worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air (song), Love Is in the Air" in 1978. His ...
—Fran mix) – 4:29 European CD single # "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" (performed by Quindon Tarver—edit) – 5:05 # "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" (performed by Lee Parry—Geographic's Factor 15+ mix) – 4:42 US CD single # "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" (performed by Quindon Tarver—edit) # "I'm Losing You" (performed by Lani—Day mix)


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


Parodies

The Baz Luhrmann song version inspired numerous parodies. In December 1997,
John Safran John Michael Safran (; born 13 August 1972) is an Australian radio personality, satirist, documentary maker and author, known for combining humour with religious, political and ethnic issues. First gaining fame appearing in '' Race Around the W ...
released a song entitled " Not the Sunscreen Song" which peaked at number 20 in Australia. American comedian Chris Rock enjoyed great success with his spoken word song " No Sex (In the Champagne Room)" featuring Gerald Levert from his television special and album '' Bigger & Blacker,'' which was in turn parodied on ''
Mad TV ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series created by David Salzman, Fax Bahr, and Adam Small. Loosely based on the humor magazine '' Mad'', ''Mad TVs pre-taped satirical sketches were primarily parodie ...
'' as "Ain't No Blacks on the TV Screen" in the style of Rock's stand-up. The song was also parodied in an episode of ''
House of Mouse ''Disney's House of Mouse'' (or simply ''House of Mouse'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that originally aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC and Toon Disney from January 13, 2001 ...
'' performed by
Jiminy Cricket Jiminy Cricket is the Disney version of the Talking Cricket, a fictional character created by Italian writer Carlo Collodi for his 1883 children's book ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'', which Walt Disney adapted into the animated film '' Pinoc ...
(voiced by Eddie Carroll). The comedy group Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie also made a parody entitled "The Sunscreen Marketing Board". Jegsy Dodd and the Original Sinners' version, "Grumpy Old Men", was voted favourite track of 2005 by BBC Radio 1 listeners in their annual Festive 50 poll. Angelos Epithemiou's live tour included a parody of the song titled "Don't Muck About". A parody entitled "Mow Against The Grain" by the Hill Family Singers appears on the 1999 ''King of the Hill'' soundtrack album. Another parody by comedian Simmi Areff was played on South African radio station East Coast Radio at the conclusion of the
2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
. An additional parody was created in 1999 by London
Capital Radio Capital London is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Global Media & Entertainment as part of its national Capital (radio network), Capital Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Bri ...
Breakfast Show host Chris Tarrant, who created a version called "Wear Slippers" which consisted of him reading an alternative version of the sunscreen lyrics and demonstrated his disdain for Baz Luhrmann's version. In the commencement speech that he gave at his own graduation from
UCSF The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life ...
in 1999, which went viral on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
, ZDoggMD instructed newly minted physicians that they should "wear shoe covers" because the hospital is "a dangerous place for expensive shoes". In 2016, musician and software developer Dylan Beattie created a parody entitled "Flatscreens" with the original lyrics reworked as advice for a career in software development.


References


Bibliography

*''Wear Sunscreen'' (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1998)


External links


Original column
{{Baz Luhrmann 1997 songs 1997 singles 1999 singles Australian pop songs Novelty songs Songs based on speech samples Spoken word 1997 essays Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Scotland UK singles chart number-one singles Works originally published in the Chicago Tribune Songs written by Nigel Swanston Graduation EMI Records singles Capitol Records singles