Date Rape (song)
Encyclopedia
"Date Rape" is a song by the band Sublime
originally recorded for their 1992 debut album, 40 Oz. to Freedom
. It was first released as a single
in 1991, but did not become a hit until four years later, when the Los Angeles
radio station KROQ
began adding it into their playlists and it quickly became one of their most requested songs.
Bradley Nowell
explained, "I've never rape
d anyone at least as far as I can remember. We were at a party a long time ago and we were all talking about how much date rape
sucked. This guy was like, 'Date rape isn't so bad; if it wasn't for date rape I'd never get laid.' Everyone at the party was bummed out about it, but I was cracking up and I wrote a funny song about it."
Humorous in tone, the song ends with the victimizer being sent to prison and being humiliatingly anally raped by a larger inmate
.
Although "Date Rape" is one of Sublime's most popular songs, it barely made it on their first CD. Nowell and the other members of the band thought of it as one of their worst songs. They were often reluctant to play it during live shows when fans screamed out requests for it.
Pornographic actor
Ron Jeremy
stars in the "Date Rape" music video
. Jeremy plays both the judge at the rape trial and the "large inmate" who rapes the man who sexually assaulted the female protagonist of the song.
The song was covered
by Fishbone
on the 2005 Sublime tribute album
entitled Look at All the Love We Found
for which a music video was directed by Renee Tod and Josh Fischel (of the band Bargain Music). Fischel is the director of the Sublime documentary Stories, Tales, Lies & Exaggerations. The song also appeared on Fishbone's 2006 album Still Stuck in Your Throat
.
Sublime (band)
Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell , Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh . Michael "Miguel" Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash." Lou Dog, Nowell's...
originally recorded for their 1992 debut album, 40 Oz. to Freedom
40 Oz. to Freedom
40oz. to Freedom is the 1992 debut album by the Southern California ska-punk band Sublime released by Skunk Records and again by MCA. 40oz. to Freedom received mixed critical reviews upon its first release, but has earned an improved public perception since...
. It was first released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1991, but did not become a hit until four years later, when the Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
radio station KROQ
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
began adding it into their playlists and it quickly became one of their most requested songs.
Bradley Nowell
Bradley Nowell
Bradley James Nowell was an American musician who served as lead singer and guitarist of the Californian band Sublime. He died at the age of 28 from a heroin overdose shortly before the release of Sublime's self-titled major label debut.Raised in Long Beach, California, Nowell developed an...
explained, "I've never rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d anyone at least as far as I can remember. We were at a party a long time ago and we were all talking about how much date rape
Date rape
"Date rape", often referred to as acquaintance rape, is an assault or attempted assault usually committed by a new acquaintance involving sexual intercourse without mutual consent....
sucked. This guy was like, 'Date rape isn't so bad; if it wasn't for date rape I'd never get laid.' Everyone at the party was bummed out about it, but I was cracking up and I wrote a funny song about it."
Humorous in tone, the song ends with the victimizer being sent to prison and being humiliatingly anally raped by a larger inmate
Prison rape
Prison rape commonly refers to the rape of inmates in prison by other inmates or prison staff.In 2001, Human Rights Watch estimated that at least 140,000 inmates had been raped while incarcerated. and there is a significant variation in the rates of prison rape by race...
.
Although "Date Rape" is one of Sublime's most popular songs, it barely made it on their first CD. Nowell and the other members of the band thought of it as one of their worst songs. They were often reluctant to play it during live shows when fans screamed out requests for it.
Pornographic actor
Pornographic actor
A pornographic actor/actress or a porn star is a person who appears in pornographic film. Most actors appear nude in films...
Ron Jeremy
Ron Jeremy
Ronald Jeremy Hyatt , usually called Ron Jeremy, is an American pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", he was ranked by AVN at number one in their "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list...
stars in the "Date Rape" music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. Jeremy plays both the judge at the rape trial and the "large inmate" who rapes the man who sexually assaulted the female protagonist of the song.
The song was covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Fishbone
Fishbone
Fishbone is a U.S. alternative rock band formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California, which plays a fusion of ska, punk rock, funk, hard rock and soul. Critics have noted of the band: "Fishbone was one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative rock bands of the late '80s...
on the 2005 Sublime tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
entitled Look at All the Love We Found
Look at All the Love We Found
Look at All the Love We Found is a tribute album by various artists dedicated to Sublime, released on June 21, 2005 . The title comes from a lyric in the song "S.T.P." on Sublime's Robbin' the Hood album.-Track listing:...
for which a music video was directed by Renee Tod and Josh Fischel (of the band Bargain Music). Fischel is the director of the Sublime documentary Stories, Tales, Lies & Exaggerations. The song also appeared on Fishbone's 2006 album Still Stuck in Your Throat
Still Stuck in Your Throat
Still Stuck In Your Throat is a 2006 studio recording from Fishbone. It was their first album since Fishbone and the Familyhood Nextperience Present: The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx had been released six years previously. It is also the first album to feature Rocky George , Dre Gipson and Curtis...
.