Misdemeanor
Foster Sylvers
7″ Single, 1973
“Misdemeanor” is best known (to people under the age of 35, at least) as the sample for The D.O.C.‘s “It’s Funky Enough” (1989). I’ve never heard anyone say “oh, that sounds familiar” when I play “It’s Funky Enough.” It’s either “no, i’ve never heard that” or “1! and it comes the 2 to the 3 and 4, then i drop the beat i have in store!” Well, if you didn’t already know where the instantly memorable instrumental loop comes from, now you do.
“It’s Funky Enough” is such a dark track that the turn “Misdemeanor” takes at 0:05 is very surprising. The song actually covers a lot of sonic ground in 2:20. It goes back and forth from the darker intro/bridge (:00, :48) to the happier/major-chord sounding verses and choruses while interspersing dissonant harmonies (:27, 1:15) and crispier-than-expected drums (1:18-1:21) throughout.
The lyrics can’t go without mention, “she stole my heart…but it’s just a misdemeanor…like when you get your first ticket for illegal parking.”
Thanks Ed, for giving me this record on long-term loan!
>> songs are available for two weeks [3.3 MB]
