Balarama Music

Frusciante Friday: Tricky Interpolations

Apr 09

Doug2000s john frusciante, red hot chili peppers, tricky No Comments

So I just realized today that I haven’t covered any hip-hop for the site yet. I also realized that today is Friday which means only one thing: Frusciante Friday! Luckily, Frusciante is such a varied musician that he has done collaborations with a bunch of hip-hop artists so we have a lot to choose from. My original pick for today will have to be saved for later as it’s an interpolation of a popular Beatles’ song (so I’d like to do it following that song in the countdown), but luckily, the song I have for you guys today is also an interpolation!

I know a bunch of you guys are scratching your head at that big word I just used twice so let’s go over that first off. For a straight definition, interpolation is the abrupt change of elements while still continuing the first idea. This process was generally used in the classical world in order to stretch out musical ideas & phrases to give diversity to pieces (and, let’s be honest, as filler too). A great example of this would be Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 10. Look at that – classical music discussion in a blog post about hip-hop music; now you know why you keep coming back for more. Anyway, interpolation still goes on today, but it is now known widely as the same practice as “sampling” & “covering.” While covering is just a bad term to lump it with, sampling & interpolation are not that far off in reality. In fact, it’s one of those things where all interpolations are samples, but not all samples are interpolations. A good example of the difference would be the classic sampling war over “Ice Ice Baby.” We all know it samples Queen’s “Under Pressure,” but the lyrical and musical differences in the songs are huge with the only thing really connecting them is that (in)famous bass line. The rest of the music is changed, the tone is quite different, and the lyrics don’t even belong in the same grouping. See the difference? But if that’s a good indication as to what isn’t an interpolation, then what is? Well our song choice today is!

Our song choice today comes to us from Tricky, an English artist defined by his fusion of rock & hip-hop as well as his part in the rise of trip-hop in the mid-to-late 90′s. His 2001 album Blowback was designed to make an impact on the radio (his earlier work shied away from being accessible for the radio) and featured a bunch of guest appearances. In fact, a total of four Chili Peppers made an appearance on the album. Anthony Kiedis & Frusciante worked on the track “Girls” with Tricky. Another song on the album featured John Frusciante on guitar & vocals, Flea on bass, and the current guitarist Josh Klinghoffer on drums (what a talent there). The song was Tricky’s take on interpolating the theme song to the Wonder Woman 70s show (featuring Lynda Carter) into a fresh, song with the same lyrical content. A weird song to pick I know, but it yielded something great here. If you listen to the song, it is a man’s obsession with Wonder Woman (or a woman with the same features) as they lament on how to get her into his life while stating all their feelings & what they would do for her. The music stays about the same with a funkier feel (it’s the Chili Peppers – duh!) as well as some blistering guitar parts by Frusciante. This song is a perfect example of an interpolation. It carries on the same musical & lyrical ideas of the previous one despite being blatantly different. Of course, it only helps my case that it’s a fantastic song, but now all you know what interpolation is!

Titled “#1 Da Woman,” this is a clear favorite of mine. The feeling of unrequited love are very well expressed by Tricky’s trademark whispering sound and John Frusciante’s almost-mournful, epiphanal singing. That singing & tone fight against the addition of the funk & hip-hop element into the song in a great contrast. It’s almost as if this is playing on in the background during Wonder Woman’s theme from a different perspective. The guitar fills & riffs throughout the song soar over that funk style and give the hip-hop song an unmistakably feel of great rock music. The climax of the song around the two minute mark (following the explosive-sounding bridge) is definitely the highlight of the song. Frusciante’s singing finally hits its peak and the addition of a descending guitar riff blisters the singer’s lament more than anything else in the song. Can you tell I really like this song? Not only it is a great example for interpolation, but there’s just nothing unlikable about the song itself. Trust me when I say you’ll love this.

Song: #1 Da Woman
Artist: Tricky
Album: Blowback
Year: 2001

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