| Jimmy James | |
| Cover: | JimmyJamesCDCover.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Beastie Boys |
| Album: | Check Your Head |
| B-Side: | "The Maestro", "Boomin' Granny," "Drinkin' Wine" |
| Released: | August 28, 1992 |
| Recorded: | G-Son Studios, Atwater Village |
| Length: | 3:14 (album version) 3:05 (original/single version) |
| Label: | Capitol/Grand Royal |
| Producer: | Beastie Boys, Mario Caldato Jr. |
| Prev Title: | So What'cha Want |
| Prev Year: | 1992 |
| Next Title: | Gratitude |
| Next Year: | 1992 |
"Jimmy James" is the third single from American rap rock band the Beastie Boys' third album Check Your Head. The song has been described as a tribute to Jimi Hendrix by Beastie Boys member MCA, and contains samples from several Hendrix songs including "Foxy Lady", "Happy Birthday", and "Still Raining, Still Dreaming".
"Jimmy James" originally started out as an instrumental track with scratching done by Yauch (this version of the song appears on the "Jimmy James" EP as the "original original version"). Later on, lyrics were written and the other two Beastie Boys, Mike "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "King Adrock" Horovitz, asked to lend their vocals to the song along with Yauch.
However, Hendrix's family, who own the rights to most of his catalogue, denied the group clearance to use the samples (the group, however, were somehow able to keep the "Happy Birthday" and "Foxy Lady" samples in the song, though). Determined to keep the song on Check Your Head, the group re-recorded "Jimmy James" using samples similar to the Hendrix ones. This version ended up being released as the first track on the album.
A few months after Check Your Head was released, Hendrix's family finally relented and gave the Beastie Boys clearance to use the samples. As a result, the "single version" of "Jimmy James" was released as the third single from Check Your Head, and a music video was made for it which premiered in August 1992.
The original version has since been issued on their compilation album The Sounds of Science. The beginning of the album version of the track ("This next one...") is a sample from the live version of "Surrender" by Cheap Trick from their live album Cheap Trick at Budokan.
MTV and VH1 credit the "Jimmy James" music video to Nathanial Hörnblowér, Adam Yauch's director alter ego. However, on the Beastie Boys' Sabotage VHS tape released in 1994, the "Jimmy James" music video is listed as being co-directed by Yauch (as Nathanial Hörnblowér) and Lisa Ann Cabasa, an actress, and Yauch's girlfriend at the time the video was made. Cabasa directed the dance sequences in the music video and also appeared in the video as one of the silhouetted female dancers.
The name of the character Jimmy James played by Stephen Root on the television series NewsRadio came from this song.[1]
In the UK, the song charted as a part of the EP Frozen Metal Head.