Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces
Encyclopedia
"Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces" is a song by Cheech and Chong
that first appeared on the 1973 album Los Cochinos
.
Sung in falsetto
by Cheech Marin
, playing the title character Tyrone (as in "tie-your-own") Shoelaces, it told the story of Shoelaces' love of basketball. It was a parody of the song "Love Jones" by Brighter Side of Darkness
. In the album version, the song was preceded by a mock interview with Jones' basketball coach named "Umgwana Kickbooti" (or something like that), in a parody of a Wide World of Sports interview conducted by a character named "Red Blazer
". "Jones", both in the original song and this parody, is slang for "craving" or "addiction".
Musicians who appeared on the record included George Harrison
, Carole King
, Billy Preston
, and Tom Scott
. The Blossoms
and Michelle Phillips
(from The Mamas & the Papas
) performed vocals as cheerleaders on the track.
The song was released as a single in September 1973 and reached #15 in the US charts. It was backed with "Don't Bug Me", also from Los Cochinos. To coincide with the graffiti artwork from the album's cover, both sides of the single feature the Ode label covered with graffiti.
An animated short film called Basketball Jones
was created to promote the release of the single. The cartoon became better known when it was featured in the 1979 Hal Ashby
film Being There
.
The song was covered by Barry White
and Chris Rock
in the 1996 film Space Jam
.
The song is featured in a 2008 commercial for the Television Series House of Payne and the season 22
episode of The Simpsons
A Midsummer's Nice Dream
.
Cheech and Chong
Cheech & Chong are a comedy duo consisting of Richard "Cheech" Marin and Tommy Chong, who found a wide audience in the 1970s and 1980s for their films and stand-up routines, which were based on the hippie and free love era, and especially drug culture movements, most notably their love for...
that first appeared on the 1973 album Los Cochinos
Los Cochinos
Los Cochinos is a 1973 comedy album recorded by Cheech & Chong. The Spanish term cochino is a derogatory way of referring to a pig, as it also means "dirty", in contrast to cerdo, a more neutral word for a pig as an animal...
.
Sung in falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
by Cheech Marin
Cheech Marin
Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is an American comedian, actor and writer who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges...
, playing the title character Tyrone (as in "tie-your-own") Shoelaces, it told the story of Shoelaces' love of basketball. It was a parody of the song "Love Jones" by Brighter Side of Darkness
Brighter Side of Darkness
Brighter Side of Darkness was a short-lived American R&B/soul group. They were formed in 1972 in Chicago, Illinois. Their lead singer was 12-year-old Darryl Lamont; the other members were Ralph Eskridge, Randolph Murph and Larry Washington....
. In the album version, the song was preceded by a mock interview with Jones' basketball coach named "Umgwana Kickbooti" (or something like that), in a parody of a Wide World of Sports interview conducted by a character named "Red Blazer
Blazer
A blazer is a type of jacket. The term blazer occasionally is synonymous with boating jacket and sports jacket, two different garments. A blazer resembles a suit coat cut more casually — sometimes with flap-less patch pockets and metal buttons. A blazer's cloth is usually durable , because it is an...
". "Jones", both in the original song and this parody, is slang for "craving" or "addiction".
Musicians who appeared on the record included George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
, Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
, Billy Preston
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
, and Tom Scott
Tom Scott (musician)
Tom Scott is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader of the west coast jazz/jazz fusion ensemble The L.A. Express.-Biography:Scott was born in Los Angeles, California...
. The Blossoms
The Blossoms
The Blossoms were a backing group from California. They had a recording career in their own right and were to the American West Coast what The Sweet Inspirations were to the East Coast and The Andantes were for Motown.-Early years:...
and Michelle Phillips
Michelle Phillips
Michelle Phillips is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She gained fame as a member of the 1960s group The Mamas & the Papas, and is the last surviving original member of the group.-Early life:...
(from The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles...
) performed vocals as cheerleaders on the track.
The song was released as a single in September 1973 and reached #15 in the US charts. It was backed with "Don't Bug Me", also from Los Cochinos. To coincide with the graffiti artwork from the album's cover, both sides of the single feature the Ode label covered with graffiti.
An animated short film called Basketball Jones
Basketball Jones
"Basketball Jones" is a 1974 animated short film based on the Cheech and Chong song "Basketball Jones featuring Tyrone Shoelaces", from their album Los Cochinos. The cartoon was created to promote the song's release in the United States. It is about a teenager named Tyrone Shoelaces and his love of...
was created to promote the release of the single. The cartoon became better known when it was featured in the 1979 Hal Ashby
Hal Ashby
Hal Ashby was an American film director and film editor.-Birth and early years:Born William Hal Ashby in Ogden, Utah, Ashby grew up in a Mormon household and had a tumultuous childhood as part of a dysfunctional family which included the divorce of his parents, his father's suicide and his...
film Being There
Being There
Being There is a 1979 American comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby. Adapted from the 1971 novella written by Jerzy Kosinski, the screenplay was coauthored by Kosinski and Robert C. Jones. The film stars Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard A...
.
The song was covered by Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
and Chris Rock
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
in the 1996 film Space Jam
Space Jam
Aside from Jordan, a number of NBA players and coaches appeared in the film. Larry Bird portrays a friend of Jordan who joins him for a game of golf. When the Monstars steal the NBA players' talent, they invade a game between the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks, causing the Knicks' Patrick...
.
The song is featured in a 2008 commercial for the Television Series House of Payne and the season 22
The Simpsons (season 22)
The Simpsons twenty-second season began airing on Fox on September 26, 2010 and ended on May 22, 2011. The Simpsons was renewed for at least two additional seasons during the twentieth season leading up to this season. The cast is currently signed through the 25th season. On November 11, 2010, the...
episode of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
A Midsummer's Nice Dream
A Midsummer's Nice Dream
"A Midsummer's Nice Dream" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons twenty-second season. It aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 13, 2011...
.
Personnel
- Cheech MarinCheech MarinRichard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is an American comedian, actor and writer who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges...
- Tyrone Shoelaces - George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
- Guitar - Klaus Voorman - Bass
- Jim Karsten - Drums
- Jim KeltnerJim KeltnerJames Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...
- Percussions - Carole KingCarole KingCarole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
- Electric Piano - Nicky HopkinsNicky HopkinsNicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
- Piano - Tom ScottTom Scott (musician)Tom Scott is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader of the west coast jazz/jazz fusion ensemble The L.A. Express.-Biography:Scott was born in Los Angeles, California...
- Saxophone - Billy PrestonBilly PrestonWilliam Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
- Organ - Horny Guys
- George Bohanon
- Dick "Slyde" HydeDick HydeRichard Elde Hyde is an American former relief pitcher in professional baseball who worked in the Major Leagues for six seasons from to for the Washington Senators and Baltimore Orioles...
- Paul Hubison
- Sister Mary ElephantSister Mary ElephantSister Mary Elephant is a comedy skit by Cheech and Chong. The recording was released as a single in 1973 and climbed to #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1974...
- Santana Street School 6th Grade Class,
- Cheerleaders (The BlossomsThe BlossomsThe Blossoms were a backing group from California. They had a recording career in their own right and were to the American West Coast what The Sweet Inspirations were to the East Coast and The Andantes were for Motown.-Early years:...
):- Darlene LoveDarlene LoveDarlene Love is an American popular music singer and actress. She gained prominence in the 1960s for the song "He's a Rebel," a #1 American single in 1962, and was part of the Phil Spector stable that produced a celebrated Christmas album in 1963....
- Fanita Jones
- Jean King
- Michelle "Trixie" PhillipsMichelle PhillipsMichelle Phillips is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She gained fame as a member of the 1960s group The Mamas & the Papas, and is the last surviving original member of the group.-Early life:...
- Darlene Love