Zoot Suit Riot (song)
Encyclopedia
"Zoot Suit Riot" is a song by American ska
-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies
. It was written and composed by Steve Perry
as a bonus track
for the band's all-swing compilation album of the same name
, and thus follows a musical style similar to 1940s jump swing
.
"Zoot Suit Riot" is often cited as the catalyst which helped initiate the late 1990s swing revival
. Issued as a single in 1997, regular airplay of "Zoot Suit Riot" on mainstream stations such as KROQ-FM
helped boost the song to #15 on Billboard
s Modern Rock chart and the album onto the Billboard 200
, where the Daddies eventually became the first neo-swing band to crack the latter's top 40 in June 1998. A surrealist
music video
became one of MTV
's most played of 1998, earning the Daddies a nomination for "Best New Artist in a Video" at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards
.
s for the Daddies' 1997 all-swing compilation album Zoot Suit Riot
. Though long active and established within the West Coast's third wave ska scene, the Daddies were attracting interest in their swing-oriented material following the rise of bands such as the Squirrel Nut Zippers
and Royal Crown Revue
. After concert attendees regularly began asking the Daddies' merchandise table which of their albums contained the most swing, the band was persuaded to compile a collection solely of the swing tracks from their first three albums, recording four new songs for inclusion.
Following unexpectedly excellent sales through the Daddies' self-owned record label Space Age Bachelor Pad, the band began searching for a distribution deal
to help secure better distribution and marketing and compiled a demo tape
of several new songs to send out to various labels, though excluded "Zoot Suit Riot", feeling the song had no commercial appeal. The Daddies were signed to Mojo Records
in the spring of 1997.
By late 1997, as swing music was gaining a commercial momentum propelled by the likes of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
, Mojo was prompted to issue "Zoot Suit Riot" as a single and distribute it among modern rock
stations. The Daddies, who were in preparation over recording a new studio album, ardently protested this move under the belief that a swing song would never receive airplay on mainstream radio and were concerned over losing money from its marketing. Nevertheless, Mojo persisted and "Zoot Suit Riot" soon found regular rotation on several major stations, notably Los Angeles' KROQ-FM
, helping boost the single onto Billboards Hot 100 Airplay
chart and the Daddies into mainstream notoriety.
concerns the Los Angeles Zoot Suit Riots
of the 1940s, though Perry has stated the song makes no overt political or social commentary regarding the events. In an interview, Perry elaborated on its significance, saying "I guess it seemed like a Pachuco
rallying cry that could double as a dance anthem for those of us interested in swing music and culture at a time when nobody else was. It was an expression of a proud marginalism. That's not that deep, but there you go."
s were filmed for "Zoot Suit Riot". The first, directed by Isaac Camner, was produced by the Daddies and shot in October 1997 at the Café Du Nord nightclub in San Francisco, California
. The video depicts the band and a zoot suit
ed Steve Perry performing the song to a group of swing dancers and punk rockers in a smoky lounge, intercut with various shots of surrealist
and occult
imagery, most infamously one of an uncooked chicken
carcass nailed to a crucifix
. Legendary disc jockey
Al "Jazzbo" Collins has a brief cameo as one of the club's patrons, singing along to a verse from the song.
The video received minimal exposure, having aired only once on MTV
as part of 12 Angry Viewers
, a program in which twelve music fans critique a series of music videos. "Zoot Suit Riot" received almost unanimous disapproval.
In early 1998, once "Zoot Suit Riot" had charted and the Daddies were gaining commercial notoriety, Mojo requested that a newer video be filmed. Directed by pornographic film director Gregory Dark
and edited by Bob Murawski
, the second video is similar in premise to the original, with the Daddies playing to a crowd of swing dancers and punk rockers, though the surrealist imagery is much more prominent. Throughout the video, there are shots of such visuals as evil clown
s, a goat head being used as part of a ritual sacrifice
, vampire
s, skulls and foot fetishism
. According to the Perry, the video's surrealist theme stemmed from his love of avant-garde
cinema, notably the films of Luis Buñuel
.
Dark's video became the version most associated with the song, becoming one of MTV's most requested videos of the year and gaining a nomination for a "Best New Artist in a Video" award at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards
, though losing out to Natalie Imbruglia
s "Torn".
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Cherry Poppin' Daddies
The Cherry Poppin' Daddies are an American band established in Eugene, Oregon, in 1989. Formed by Steve Perry and Dan Schmid , the band has experienced many membership changes over the years, with only Perry, Schmid and Dana Heitman currently remaining from the original line-up.The Daddies' music...
. It was written and composed by Steve Perry
Steve Perry (Oregon musician)
Stephen Henry Perry is an American musician, best known for being the lead singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he is the founding member.-Early life:...
as a bonus track
Bonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
for the band's all-swing compilation album of the same name
Zoot Suit Riot (album)
Zoot Suit Riot: The Swingin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies is a compilation album by American ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released on March 18, 1997 on Space Age Bachelor Pad Records....
, and thus follows a musical style similar to 1940s jump swing
Jump blues
Jump blues is an up-tempo blues usually played by small groups and featuring horns. It was very popular in the 1940s, and the movement was a precursor to the arrival of rhythm and blues and rock and roll...
.
"Zoot Suit Riot" is often cited as the catalyst which helped initiate the late 1990s swing revival
Swing Revival
The Swing Revival was a late 1990s and early 2000s period of renewed popular interest in swing and jump blues music and dance from the 1930s and 1940s as exemplified by Louis Prima, often mixed with a more contemporary rock, rockabilly or ska sound, known also as neo-swing or retro...
. Issued as a single in 1997, regular airplay of "Zoot Suit Riot" on mainstream stations such as KROQ-FM
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...
helped boost the song to #15 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Modern Rock chart and the album onto the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, where the Daddies eventually became the first neo-swing band to crack the latter's top 40 in June 1998. A surrealist
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
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...
became one of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's most played of 1998, earning the Daddies a nomination for "Best New Artist in a Video" at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards
1998 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1998 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 10, 1998, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The show was hosted by Ben Stiller at Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles....
.
Background
"Zoot Suit Riot" was written as one of four bonus trackBonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
s for the Daddies' 1997 all-swing compilation album Zoot Suit Riot
Zoot Suit Riot (album)
Zoot Suit Riot: The Swingin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies is a compilation album by American ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released on March 18, 1997 on Space Age Bachelor Pad Records....
. Though long active and established within the West Coast's third wave ska scene, the Daddies were attracting interest in their swing-oriented material following the rise of bands such as the Squirrel Nut Zippers
Squirrel Nut Zippers
The Squirrel Nut Zippers are a band formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina by James "Jimbo" Mathus , Katharine Whalen , Chris Phillips on drums, Don Raleigh on bass and sideman Ken Mosher....
and Royal Crown Revue
Royal Crown Revue
The Royal Crown Revue is a band formed in 1989 in Los Angeles, California. They are often credited with starting the Swing Revival movement. Live, RCR has been extremely successful: They participated in 1998's Vans Warped Tour, opened for the B-52s and The Pretenders and played at major US Jazz...
. After concert attendees regularly began asking the Daddies' merchandise table which of their albums contained the most swing, the band was persuaded to compile a collection solely of the swing tracks from their first three albums, recording four new songs for inclusion.
Following unexpectedly excellent sales through the Daddies' self-owned record label Space Age Bachelor Pad, the band began searching for a distribution deal
Distribution deal
A distribution deal is a legal agreement between one party and another, to handle distribution of a product....
to help secure better distribution and marketing and compiled a demo tape
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
of several new songs to send out to various labels, though excluded "Zoot Suit Riot", feeling the song had no commercial appeal. The Daddies were signed to Mojo Records
Mojo Records
Mojo Records was a California-based record label founded in 1995 by producer Jay Rifkin. It became a joint venture with Universal Music Group in 1996 and then sold to the Zomba Group in 2001, who placed it under their subsidiary Jive Records...
in the spring of 1997.
By late 1997, as swing music was gaining a commercial momentum propelled by the likes of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is a contemporary swing revival band from southern California. Their notable singles include "Go Daddy-O", "You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight ", and "Mr. Pinstripe Suit". The band played the Super Bowl XXXIII half-time show in 1999.The band was originally formed in Ventura,...
, Mojo was prompted to issue "Zoot Suit Riot" as a single and distribute it among modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
stations. The Daddies, who were in preparation over recording a new studio album, ardently protested this move under the belief that a swing song would never receive airplay on mainstream radio and were concerned over losing money from its marketing. Nevertheless, Mojo persisted and "Zoot Suit Riot" soon found regular rotation on several major stations, notably Los Angeles' KROQ-FM
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...
, helping boost the single onto Billboards Hot 100 Airplay
Hot 100 Airplay
The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard...
chart and the Daddies into mainstream notoriety.
Lyricism
The song's narrativeNarrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
concerns the Los Angeles Zoot Suit Riots
Zoot Suit Riots
The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of riots in 1943 during World War II that erupted in Los Angeles, California between white sailors and Marines stationed throughout thehi c mlc city and Latino youths, who were recognizable by the zoot suits they favored...
of the 1940s, though Perry has stated the song makes no overt political or social commentary regarding the events. In an interview, Perry elaborated on its significance, saying "I guess it seemed like a Pachuco
Pachuco
Pachucos are Chicano youths who developed their own subculture during the 1930s and 1940s in the Southwestern United States. They wore distinctive clothing and spoke their own dialect of Mexican Spanish, called Caló or Pachuco...
rallying cry that could double as a dance anthem for those of us interested in swing music and culture at a time when nobody else was. It was an expression of a proud marginalism. That's not that deep, but there you go."
Music videos
Two separate music videoMusic 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...
s were filmed for "Zoot Suit Riot". The first, directed by Isaac Camner, was produced by the Daddies and shot in October 1997 at the Café Du Nord nightclub in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The video depicts the band and a zoot suit
Zoot suit
A zoot suit is a suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. This style of clothing was popularized by African Americans, Mexican-Americans, and Italian Americans during the late 1930s and the 1940s...
ed Steve Perry performing the song to a group of swing dancers and punk rockers in a smoky lounge, intercut with various shots of surrealist
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
and occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
imagery, most infamously one of an uncooked chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
carcass nailed to a crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
. Legendary disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Al "Jazzbo" Collins has a brief cameo as one of the club's patrons, singing along to a verse from the song.
The video received minimal exposure, having aired only once on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
as part of 12 Angry Viewers
12 Angry Viewers
12 Angry Viewers was a television show in the United States on MTV which aired from 1997 to 1998. The title is a play of title of the movie 12 Angry Men. Its first host was Jancee Dunn, with Ananda Lewis replacing her later on.-Premise:...
, a program in which twelve music fans critique a series of music videos. "Zoot Suit Riot" received almost unanimous disapproval.
In early 1998, once "Zoot Suit Riot" had charted and the Daddies were gaining commercial notoriety, Mojo requested that a newer video be filmed. Directed by pornographic film director Gregory Dark
Gregory Dark
Gregory Dark is an American film director, film producer, music video director, and screenwriter. Dark is one of the few adult film-makers to successfully transition into mainstream Hollywood film-making...
and edited by Bob Murawski
Bob Murawski
Bob Murawski is an American film editor as well as a film distributor of cult horror and independent films under the "Box Office Spectaculars" and "Grindhouse Releasing" labels. He was awarded the 2010 Academy Award, BAFTA, and A.C.E. awards for "Best Film Editing" on the feature film, The Hurt...
, the second video is similar in premise to the original, with the Daddies playing to a crowd of swing dancers and punk rockers, though the surrealist imagery is much more prominent. Throughout the video, there are shots of such visuals as evil clown
Evil clown
The image of the evil clown is a development in popular culture, in which the playful trope of the clown is rendered as disturbing through the use of horror elements and dark humor.-Background:...
s, a goat head being used as part of a ritual sacrifice
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or people to God or the gods as an act of propitiation or worship.While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts...
, vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s, skulls and foot fetishism
Foot fetishism
Foot fetishism, foot partialism, foot worship, or podophilia is a pronounced sexual interest in feet. It is the most common form of sexual preference for otherwise non-sexual objects or body parts.-Characteristics:...
. According to the Perry, the video's surrealist theme stemmed from his love of avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
cinema, notably the films of Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel Portolés was a Spanish-born filmmaker — later a naturalized citizen of Mexico — who worked in Spain, Mexico, France and the US..-Early years:...
.
Dark's video became the version most associated with the song, becoming one of MTV's most requested videos of the year and gaining a nomination for a "Best New Artist in a Video" award at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards
1998 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1998 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 10, 1998, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The show was hosted by Ben Stiller at Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles....
, though losing out to Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
s "Torn".
Use in popular culture
- "Weird Al" Yankovic"Weird Al" YankovicAlfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
parodied the song as "Grapefruit Diet" on his 1999 album Running with ScissorsRunning with Scissors (album)Running with Scissors is the 10th studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 29, 1999. The album contains the hit single "The Saga Begins", a parody of Don McLean's song "American Pie".-Details:...
. Perry stated in an interview that he felt "honored" to have been parodied, though didn't quite understand "why Weird Al is such an icon". - "Zoot Suit Riot" was featured on two episodes of the competitive dancing series So You Think You Can DanceSo You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
in 2006 and 2007, included under the quickstepQuickstepThe quickstep is a light-hearted member of the standard ballroom dances. The movement of the dance is fast and powerfully flowing and sprinkled with syncopations. The upbeat melodies that quickstep is danced to make it suitable for both formal and informal events...
and jiveJive (dance)In Ballroom dancing, Jive is a dance style in 4/4 time that originated in the United States from African-Americans in the early 1930s. It was originally presented to the public as 'Jive' in 1934 by Cab Calloway. It is a lively and uninhibited variation of the Jitterbug, a form of Swing dance...
dance styles, respectively. - The song appears in the films Urban LegendUrban Legend (film)Urban Legend is a 1998 horror film starring Alicia Witt, Rebecca Gayheart, Jared Leto, Michael Rosenbaum, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Loretta Devine, Robert Englund, John Neville, Joshua Jackson, Regina King, and Tara Reid...
and Simon SaysSimon Says (film)Simon Says is a 2006 horror film, directed by William Dear and stars Crispin Glover and Margo Harshman. It was premiered at Fantastic Fest on 24 September 2006 and on DVD in the U.S...
.
Formats and track listing
Chart positions
| Chart (1998) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Hot 100 Airplay The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard... |
41 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 32 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 15 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 | 16 |
Personnel
- Steve PerrySteve Perry (Oregon musician)Stephen Henry Perry is an American musician, best known for being the lead singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he is the founding member.-Early life:...
- lead vocals - Darren Cassidy - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Dana HeitmanDana HeitmanDana Conrad Heitman is an American musician, known for his work as the trumpeter for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he has been a member since the band's inception.-Biography:...
- trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Jason MossJason Moss (musician)Jason David Moss is an American musician, known for his work as the lead guitarist for the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, of which he was a member from 1992 to 2010.-Early life:...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Sean Flannery - tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
- Hans Wagner - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Dustin LankerDustin LankerDustin Ross Lanker is an American keyboardist, known for his work as a member of the ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, a touring member of the ska punk band the Mad Caddies and as the singer-songwriter for the piano rock trio The Visible Men.-Career:A pianist since childhood, Lanker...
- keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Glen Bonney - tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...