Miracles (Insane Clown Posse song)
Encyclopedia
Miracles is a song written by Insane Clown Posse
and Mike E. Clark
for the duo's 2009 album Bang! Pow! Boom!
. A music video
was produced for the 2010 reissue of the album, dubbed the "Nuclear Edition". The song's lyrics focus on things experienced in everyday life and displaying an appreciation for them. The song's music video has gone viral
and sparked a handful of memes, and was parodied on Saturday Night Live
.
and Joseph Utsler
raising children. In response to both modern jadedness and their children experiencing wonders of the world for the first time, the group wanted to write a song about natural phenomena humans experience in life which often go unacknowledged. The closing lyrics encourage listeners to take time to look at the world and "appreciate the things that life has to offer". According to Bruce, "What's a shame is how people walk around blind to it all. They lost their spirit about everything. If you can’t even see the miracle in animals, then you must have never truly loved a pet." He believes that scientific explanations can sometimes kill the intriguing mysteries of the world, such has how ancient pyramids
were made. Bruce admits that the song's lyrics discuss "things [... that] may not be actual miracle
s. They may have scientific facts explaining them [...] But nonetheless, these things are still incredible [...] and they should be appreciated." He added that the group's use of the word 'miracle' was intended to mean "something fuckin’ amazing and incredible, [... a] special, awesome event, [...] a great, wonderful thing."
The lyrics focus on introspective themes which critics considered to be uncommon in Insane Clown Posse
's music; however, Bruce states that these themes are important in the duo's work, and reveal their depth. In response to accusations that the group has changed its style and gone soft, Bruce calls the song "classic ICP," noting that the group has always included one or two deep and meaningful songs on every album, and that this is just the first time that they've created a video for one of those songs. Several reviewers have suggested that the song contains an anti-science message. Bruce refutes the claim, explaining that "the [song's] concept is about appreciating everything in this world. It's not about God; [...] religion; [.. or] science." Joseph Laycock of Religion Dispatches suggests that rather than rejecting science, the song disapproves of disenchantment
.
The song's music is built around an ascending synthesizer melody, and climaxes with an electric guitar solo performed by Mike E. Clark
, and beatboxing
by Joseph Utsler.
for the song debuted on April 6, 2010, as part of the "Nuclear Edition" reissue of Bang! Pow! Boom!. The video's green screen
sequences were directed by Paul Andresen, with post-production being completed in Michigan
. The video has received over eight million views on YouTube.
On April 17, Saturday Night Live
aired a sketch which parodied the "Miracles" music video. In the sketch, fictional personalities DJ Supersoak (played by Jason Sudeikis
) and Lil' Blaster (played by Nasim Pedrad
) debuted a fictional music video by the Thrilla Killa Klownz called "Magical Mysteries" as part of the Under Underground Records' "Underground Rock Minute". In the fictional video, Ryan Phillippe
and Bobby Moynihan
rap about things such as "where the sun hides at night" and how blankets work. Saturday Night Live had previously parodied Psychopathic Records
in 2009.
Insane Clown Posse called the "Miracles" parody "a huge honor". Bruce called the parody "off the hook hilarious." Utsler noted that Coolio
had reacted unfavorably towards "Amish Paradise
", "Weird Al" Yankovic
's parody of the rapper's song "Gangsta's Paradise
", and stated "If Weird Al wanted to do one of our songs, I’d be like, 'Hell yeah.' To me, it's the same thing with Saturday Night Live."
music critic Adam Graham disliked the song, writing that "hearing this song makes you wish ICP would stick to serial killing". Slate
writer Jonah Weiner praised the song's music, but panned its lyrics. The A.V. Club
writer Nathan Rabin described the song as "fucking insane". A Chicago Tribune
critic mocked the song's lyrics saying, "I'm glad that when my kids get strep throat, their doctor doesn't say, "(Bleeping) antibiotics, how do they work?" James Montgomery described the music video as "a psychedelic special effects extravaganza that is sometimes really literal... and sometimes just confusing." The Orion
gave the video a "thumbs up" rating, writing "We also have wondered how magnets work." Pitchfork Media
included "Miracles" on their list of The Top Music Videos of 2010.
Joseph Bruce has responded to criticism of the song, saying that Insane Clown Posse has always been faced with ridicule, and that he feels that the mainstream media does not understand the meaning of the song. He added that "if you can't appreciate these things, it sucks to be you". Joseph Utsler feels that the song is ridiculed because it was released by Insane Clown Posse. He believes that if "Bob Dylan
would have came up with that song, people probably would have been, 'Oh, shit, man! That's the bomb!' [...] But because we came up with it, they're, like, 'What assholes.'" In response to Utsler, LA Weekly
writer Gustavo Turner noted that Dylan's acclaimed song "Every Grain of Sand
" is similar in subject to "Miracles".
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
and Mike E. Clark
Mike E. Clark
Mike Earl Clark is an American record producer and DJ from Detroit, Michigan currently signed to Hatchet House.Clark is best known for his work with Insane Clown Posse, for which he has produced nine studio albums...
for the duo's 2009 album Bang! Pow! Boom!
Bang! Pow! Boom!
Bang! Pow! Boom! is the 11th studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. Released on September 1, 2009 by Psychopathic Records, it was the group's second album with producer Mike E. Clark since his return to Psychopathic Records, and the first album to focus on the Dark Carnival...
. A 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...
was produced for the 2010 reissue of the album, dubbed the "Nuclear Edition". The song's lyrics focus on things experienced in everyday life and displaying an appreciation for them. The song's music video has gone viral
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
and sparked a handful of memes, and was parodied on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
.
Music and lyrics
Inspiration for the song's lyrics came via the Internet generation and group members Joseph BruceJoseph Bruce
Joseph Frank "Joe" Bruce is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler and actor. Bruce is most commonly known as Violent J of the Insane Clown Posse . He is the co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow ICP rapper Joseph Utsler and their former manager,...
and Joseph Utsler
Joseph Utsler
Joseph William "Joey" Utsler is an American rapper, record producer, DJ, professional wrestler and actor. Utsler is known as Shaggy 2 Dope of the hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. He is the co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow Insane Clown Posse rapper Joseph Bruce and...
raising children. In response to both modern jadedness and their children experiencing wonders of the world for the first time, the group wanted to write a song about natural phenomena humans experience in life which often go unacknowledged. The closing lyrics encourage listeners to take time to look at the world and "appreciate the things that life has to offer". According to Bruce, "What's a shame is how people walk around blind to it all. They lost their spirit about everything. If you can’t even see the miracle in animals, then you must have never truly loved a pet." He believes that scientific explanations can sometimes kill the intriguing mysteries of the world, such has how ancient pyramids
Egyptian pyramids
The Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid-shaped masonry structures located in Egypt.There are 138 pyramids discovered in Egypt as of 2008. Most were built as tombs for the country's Pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.The earliest known Egyptian pyramids are found...
were made. Bruce admits that the song's lyrics discuss "things [... that] may not be actual miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
s. They may have scientific facts explaining them [...] But nonetheless, these things are still incredible [...] and they should be appreciated." He added that the group's use of the word 'miracle' was intended to mean "something fuckin’ amazing and incredible, [... a] special, awesome event, [...] a great, wonderful thing."
The lyrics focus on introspective themes which critics considered to be uncommon in Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
's music; however, Bruce states that these themes are important in the duo's work, and reveal their depth. In response to accusations that the group has changed its style and gone soft, Bruce calls the song "classic ICP," noting that the group has always included one or two deep and meaningful songs on every album, and that this is just the first time that they've created a video for one of those songs. Several reviewers have suggested that the song contains an anti-science message. Bruce refutes the claim, explaining that "the [song's] concept is about appreciating everything in this world. It's not about God; [...] religion; [.. or] science." Joseph Laycock of Religion Dispatches suggests that rather than rejecting science, the song disapproves of disenchantment
Disenchantment
Disenchantment is a term in the social sciences used to describe the cultural rationalization and devaluation of mysticism apparent in modern society...
.
The song's music is built around an ascending synthesizer melody, and climaxes with an electric guitar solo performed by Mike E. Clark
Mike E. Clark
Mike Earl Clark is an American record producer and DJ from Detroit, Michigan currently signed to Hatchet House.Clark is best known for his work with Insane Clown Posse, for which he has produced nine studio albums...
, and beatboxing
Beatboxing
Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments...
by Joseph Utsler.
Music video
The 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...
for the song debuted on April 6, 2010, as part of the "Nuclear Edition" reissue of Bang! Pow! Boom!. The video's green screen
Chroma key
Chroma key compositing is a technique for compositing two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production...
sequences were directed by Paul Andresen, with post-production being completed in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The video has received over eight million views on YouTube.
On April 17, Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
aired a sketch which parodied the "Miracles" music video. In the sketch, fictional personalities DJ Supersoak (played by Jason Sudeikis
Jason Sudeikis
Daniel Jason Sudeikis is an American actor and comedian currently starring as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Sudeikis was born Daniel Jason Sudeikis in Fairfax, Virginia, the son of Kathryn , a travel agent who was president of the American Society of Travel Agents, and Dan...
) and Lil' Blaster (played by Nasim Pedrad
Nasim Pedrad
Nasim Pedrad is an Iranian-American comic actress currently appearing as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...
) debuted a fictional music video by the Thrilla Killa Klownz called "Magical Mysteries" as part of the Under Underground Records' "Underground Rock Minute". In the fictional video, Ryan Phillippe
Ryan Phillippe
Matthew Ryan Phillippe , better known as Ryan Phillippe, is an American actor. After appearing on the soap opera One Life to Live, he came to fame in the late 1990s starring in a string of films, including I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, and 54...
and Bobby Moynihan
Bobby Moynihan
Robert M. "Bobby" Moynihan, Jr. is an American actor and comedian who is currently a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...
rap about things such as "where the sun hides at night" and how blankets work. Saturday Night Live had previously parodied Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records, also known as "The Hatchet", is an American independent record label based in Farmington Hills, Michigan that specializes in hip hop music. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip hop group Insane Clown Posse....
in 2009.
Insane Clown Posse called the "Miracles" parody "a huge honor". Bruce called the parody "off the hook hilarious." Utsler noted that Coolio
Coolio
Artis Leon Ivey Jr. , better known by the stage name Coolio, is an American musician, rapper, actor and record producer.-Late 80s:He recorded two singles in the late 80s, titled "Watcha Gonna Do" and "You're Gonna Miss Me"...
had reacted unfavorably towards "Amish Paradise
Amish Paradise
"Amish Paradise" is a 1996 single by parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of the hip hop song "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio featuring L.V....
", "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred 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...
's parody of the rapper's song "Gangsta's Paradise
Gangsta's Paradise (song)
"Gangsta's Paradise" is a rap song by Coolio featuring L.V.. The song was released on the Coolio album Gangsta's Paradise, as well as the Dangerous Minds soundtrack in 1995. Coolio was awarded a Grammy for the song/album...
", and stated "If Weird Al wanted to do one of our songs, I’d be like, 'Hell yeah.' To me, it's the same thing with Saturday Night Live."
Reception
The Detroit NewsThe Detroit News
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...
music critic Adam Graham disliked the song, writing that "hearing this song makes you wish ICP would stick to serial killing". Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
writer Jonah Weiner praised the song's music, but panned its lyrics. The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
writer Nathan Rabin described the song as "fucking insane". A Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
critic mocked the song's lyrics saying, "I'm glad that when my kids get strep throat, their doctor doesn't say, "(Bleeping) antibiotics, how do they work?" James Montgomery described the music video as "a psychedelic special effects extravaganza that is sometimes really literal... and sometimes just confusing." The Orion
The Orion (California State University, Chico)
The Orion is the student newspaper of California State University, Chico and produces 32 issues every year, 16 each semester. Its offices are in the basement of Plumas Hall on the Chico State campus. It has won numerous state and national awards, including several National Pacemakers...
gave the video a "thumbs up" rating, writing "We also have wondered how magnets work." Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
included "Miracles" on their list of The Top Music Videos of 2010.
Joseph Bruce has responded to criticism of the song, saying that Insane Clown Posse has always been faced with ridicule, and that he feels that the mainstream media does not understand the meaning of the song. He added that "if you can't appreciate these things, it sucks to be you". Joseph Utsler feels that the song is ridiculed because it was released by Insane Clown Posse. He believes that if "Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
would have came up with that song, people probably would have been, 'Oh, shit, man! That's the bomb!' [...] But because we came up with it, they're, like, 'What assholes.'" In response to Utsler, LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
writer Gustavo Turner noted that Dylan's acclaimed song "Every Grain of Sand
Every Grain of Sand
Every Grain of Sand is a song written by Bob Dylan and originally released on his 1981 album Shot of Love. It was subsequently included on the compilation Biograph. An alternate take of this song was released in The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 1961-1991...
" is similar in subject to "Miracles".