Strange Collaborations

Jack White by Scott Penner from Ottawa, Canada (The Dead Weather @ Ottawa Bluesfest2009), via Wikimedia Commons

In the music industry each artist has their own niche where certain behaviors become the norm. It doesn’t matter what they’re like compared to other genres, because it’s all contained in one bubble. Sometimes musicians burst these bubbles to venture out creatively and end up confusing everyone. Recently, two separate situations have arisen where people worlds apart musically have teamed up for unique collaborations: 1) Jack White producing an Insane Clown Posse song backed by JEFF the Brotherhood and 2) Metallica and Lou Reed releasing a collaborative LP. Seriously.

The Jack White/ICP project, which has been creating buzz all over the Internet since its release at the end of August, is a single titled “Leck Mich Im Arsch,”  translated literally to “Lick Me in the Ass”. It is the equivalent of  “kiss my ass” in English. Another strange element was added: the whole so-crude-it-can’t-be-serious-but-you-don’t-really-laugh-because-it’s-just-too-bizarre wordplay is backed by a melody by Mozart and grunge-rock chord progressions by Nashville rockers JEFF the Brotherhood. The track will be released for sale on September 7th and digital download September 13th through White’s label Third Man Records.

Everything about the track is strange. Ethereal violins, fuzzy rock chords and operetta-like female vocals singing out the German lyrics repeatedly harmonize with Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J shouting out their always eyebrow-raising lyrics. According to MTV news, White was the one to call up the face-painted duo and propose the idea, informing them of an almost-unknown Mozart canon called “Lech Mich Im Arsch.” It was originally written in German and intended as a “party song” to show the sense of humor Wolfgang had around his friends. Apparently ICP shares the same funny bone. They wrote their own lyrics and the new song was born. It’s difficult to hear but worth it just to understand the oddity.

Dirty boy, Mozart. | Photo via Wikimedia Commons user Ben-nb.

Compared with that, the Lou Reed/Metallica thing doesn’t seem so bizarre. The album is set to release November 1st on Warner Bros. There’s good news for those who don’t want to wait; the artists are set to perform on BBCTwo’s “Later… With Jools and Holland” which starts September 20th. This is an entire album’s worth of music melding. Weirdly, it also has a German influence. According to Pitchfork, the title, Lulu, is a reference to the source material: German playwright Frank Wedekind’s “Lulu Plays” about an abused young dancer and her relationships. Not as lighthearted as ICP’s inspiration, but still an unusual choice. Lou Reed and Metallica actually performed together at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame anniversary concert in 2009, so when Reed was outlining music and lyrics – originally intended for a theatrical production – the heavy metal men were an obvious go-to.

Just for fun, here are a few older collaborations that seem like a joke, but were all too serious: Wyclef Jean and Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler (Remix)”, Nelly and Tim McGraw’s “Over and Over” and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Phil Collins’ “Home.”

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