Baby Got Back
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Baby Got Back | |
Release | Thing a Week One |
---|---|
Length | 5:30 |
Release date | 10-14-2005 |
Related Pages | Other media |
Blog entry | |
Redux entry |
"Baby Got Back", a cover of the 1992 rap classic by Sir Mix-a-Lot, is a song on Jonathan Coulton's fourth album Thing a Week One.
History[edit]
"Baby Got Back" was released as the fifth Thing a Week on October 14th, 2005. The song was featured on BoingBoing.net the next day, and resulted in the first major traffic increase on Jonathan's website (blog entry).
In 2013, the song was the subject of a huge controversy when the Fox TV show Glee aired an episode called "Sadie Hawkins", which features a cover of "Baby Got Back". The cover in the show essentially copied Coulton's arrangement note-for-note, but without giving him any credit, or even notification. Read more:
- Episode on the Glee wiki
- Glee cover on YouTube
- Files for Comparison
- JoCo's blog post
The show's representatives eventually responded, stating that their actions were completely legal (unfortunately, true). However, representatives went on to add that Coulton should be grateful for the exposure, despite the lack of proper accreditation, which they have still failed to provide. Glee was generally the subject of scorn as a result of the controversy, receiving a very flippant bashing from the AV Club.[1] In response to the controversy, Coulton rereleased "Baby Got Back" as a single with the name "Baby Got Back (In the Style of Glee)" on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon. All proceeds will be going to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, and the It Gets Better Project.
Live performance[edit]
"Baby Got Back" is performed regularly at Jonathan Coulton concerts, though it has decreased in appearances recently. It is generally performed during the Paul and Storm portion of the show, as they provide full back up vocals, notably for the "L.A. face with an Oakland booty" refrain.
Trivia[edit]
- After being played on Coverville episode #139 (Oct 18, 2005), "Baby Got Back" quickly became a fan favorite and has been in the top five of the annual Coverville Countdown every year since its release. (2005 - #2) [2]; (2006 - #5) [3]; (2007 - #2) [4]. Jonathan performed at Coverville's 500th anniversary concert.
Availability[edit]
Downloads[edit]
"Baby Got Back" is available for purchase in the Jonathan Coulton MP3 Store as an individual track or as part of Thing a Week I. Of course, this song is also included as part of the "Everything" playlist. Following the Glee controversy, the song was also made available as a single on iTunes and Google Play, identified as being "in the style of Glee".
Downloadable FLAC versions of the above are available in the Jonathan Coulton FLAC Store.
CD[edit]
"Thing a Week I" is available for purchase as a CD here.
Other versions[edit]
A karaoke version of "Baby Got Back" is available on the Jonathan Coulton Karaoke Store.
Themes[edit]
Thing-a-Week One |
JoCo Looks Back |
Best. Concert. Ever. |