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Song Stories

“Unbelieveable”

EMF | 1991

While many hip-hop acts were sampling musical icons like James Brown, this British dance act sampled an unlikely source in this club rouser: comedian Andrew "Dice" Clay. While video viewers heard Clay's trademark "Oh!", Clay's face couldn't be seen, since the salty-tongued comic had been banned from MTV for life. (Years later, the network lifted the ban.) While EMF had a few other dance hits, "Unbelievable" was forged with the band's identity, due to its rapid success. "Sometimes I wish we could've done it a little more gradually," guitarist Ian Dench said.

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“California”
EMA | 2011
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“Stan”
Eminem | 2000

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Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

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