Gangsta's Paradise (song)

Single infobox |
Name = Gangsta's Paradise


Artist = Coolio featuring L.V.
from Album = Gangsta's Paradise and I Am L.V.
Released = August 1995
Format = CD single, Cassette Single
Recorded = 1995
Genre = Rap, Gangsta hip hop
Length = 4:00
Label = Tommy Boy Records
Writer = Coolio
Doug Rasheed
Larry Sanders
Stevie Wonder
Producer = Doug Rasheed
Last single = "It Takes a Thief Bitch"
1994
This single = "Gangsta's Paradise"
1995
Next single = "Mama I'm in Love Wit a Gangsta"
1995

"Gangsta's Paradise" is a rap song by Coolio featuring L.V. from the movie "Dangerous Minds" (1995) (starring Michelle Pfeiffer). The song was later released on the albums "Gangsta's Paradise" and "Dangerous Minds" soundtrack in 1995. Coolio was awarded a Grammy for the song/album. The song was voted as the best single of the year in "The Village Voice" Pazz & Jop critics poll. The United World Chart ranked it as the 15th most successful single of all time. [All time chart on UWC [http://www.mediatraffic.de/alltime-track-chart.htm www.mediatraffic.de] (Retrieved May 12, 2008)]

The song was also listed at #69 on "Billboard's Greatest Songs of all time." [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top100-titles-70.shtml]

Background and writing

L.V. released a solo version of the single in 1996 on his debut album, "I Am L.V.". This version did not feature Coolio, and featured additional lyrics written by L.V. himself. The single did not repeat the popularity of the original with Coolio.Fact|date=January 2008.

Lyrics and music

The music is a reworking of Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise", a song from his album "Songs in the Key of Life". "Gangsta's Paradise" uses the same tune, and a different orchestration of the same backing music. Coolio changed the lyrics to be more relevant to life on the streets.

The song begins with a line from Psalm 23:4 from the Bible: "As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death", but then diverges with: "I take a look at my life / And realize there's nothing left." Adding to some of the religious overtones are choral vocals in the background.

Many of the lyrics are very dark and tragic and are meant to be a criticism of the violence and tragedy of the "gangsta" life. The choral lines (sung by L.V.) "Tell me why are we so blind to see / That the ones we hurt are you and me" offer an especially plaintive self-criticism.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Antoine Fuqua of Propaganda Films, and featured Michelle Pfeiffer reprising her earlier role in "Dangerous Minds".

When Coolio won the Best Rap Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1996, he said in a press conference that Bone Thugs-n-Harmony deserved the award for "Tha Crossroads".

Chart performances

The single reached number one in the U.S., UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand, making it Coolio's most successful single ever.

The song is arguably one of the biggest Hip Hop songs of all time, reaching #1 in more than 13 countries around the world, including the UK, where it was the first rap song to sell over a million copies.

Parodies

There are some parodies of the song, including "Amish Paradise" by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Coolio claimed that he did not give permission for the parody, which led to disagreements between the two. Yankovic claimed that he had been told Coolio had given the go-ahead through his record label, and apologized. Because of this incident, Yankovic now only does parodies by artists that he has spoken with directly, rather than through intermediaries. Photos from the XM Satellite Radio booth at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show suggest Yankovic and Coolio may have made amends. [ [http://yankovic.org/blog/2006/01/08/weird-and-coolio/ Weird and COOLIO?!?!? » Yank Blog ] ]

Another parody by Paul Shanklin using Gangsta's Paradise is "Algore Paradise," in which Shanklin sings in the voices of Al Gore and Bill Clinton. The Choral Line as sung by Shanklin (as Clinton) goes, "Tell me why is it / so hard to see / If he's really a man, or just a tree."

Death metal parody-group Ten Masked Men have also done a rendition of the song. The former boy band Blue used a sample of the instrumental for their single "Curtain Falls".

ales records and awards

Billboard
* Billboard Year-End Chart-Toppers 1995
** Top Hot 100 Single number one
** Top Hot 100 Single Sales number one (2.5 million copies) (2x platinum)Grammy Awards
* Best Rap Solo PerformanceMTV
* MTV Video Music Awards 1996
** Best Rap Video
** Best Video from a Film

Track listings

; CD single
# "Gangsta's Paradise" — 4:00
# "Gangsta's Paradise" (instrumental) — 3:49

; CD maxi
# "Gangsta's Paradise" — 4:00
# "Gangsta's Paradise" (instrumental) — 3:49
# "Fantastic Voyage" (album version) by Coolio — 4:04

Certifications

References

External links

* [http://www.rockonthenet.com/artists-c/coolio_main.htm Rock on the Net]