White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)
Encyclopedia
"White Lines" is a song by Grandmaster Melle Mel
, released as a 12"
in 1983 on Sugar Hill Records
. The song, which warns against the dangers of cocaine
, addiction, and drug smuggling, is one of Melle Mel's signature tracks
. The instantly recognizable bassline
is sampled from a performance of the Sugar Hill house band covering "Cavern", a single by post-punk
band Liquid Liquid
.
, the record was credited to Grandmaster & Melle Mel (some international issues even credited Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel). This was done to mislead the general public into believing that Grandmaster Flash
participated on the record, when in fact he played no part and had already left the Sugar Hill Records label the previous year.
"White Lines" peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart in 1983. The song fared better in the United Kingdom, reaching number 7 on the UK Singles Chart
in July 1984, spending 17 consecutive weeks in the top 40. It was the 13th best-selling single of 1984 in the UK, selling more than a number of number one hits that year.
The song was co-written by Melle Mel
and Sylvia Robinson
. Originally, it was intended to be an ironic celebration of a cocaine-fueled party lifestyle, but it was abridged with the "don't do it" message as an anti-cocaine song as a concession to commercial considerations.
The lyric "a businessman is caught with 24 kilos. He's out on bail and out of jail and that's the way it goes" refers to car manufacturer John DeLorean, who in 1982 became entrapped in a scheme to save his company from bankruptcy using drug money. Some of the lyrics in "White Lines" ("something of a phenomenon") echoed lyrics from the song "Cavern" by Liquid Liquid
("slipping in and out of phenomenon") from which the famous bassline was borrowed.
An unofficial music video
was directed by New York University
film student Spike Lee
and starred actor Laurence Fishburne
.
In 1988, the song was used as part of an anti-heroin public information film in the United Kingdom.
of "White Lines", featuring performances from Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel, was released as the second single from the Duran Duran
covers album Thank You
. The single reached No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart
, No. 5 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Songs chart, No. 20 on the Australia and No. 31 in New Zealand. The band continued to perform the song as a regular part of their live set into the 2000s.
This single had more promo releases than most bands have releases, and across this myriad of 12" and CD singles the band released more than twenty distinct remixes of "White Lines", a majority crafted by DJ Junior Vasquez
. Apart from the singles and the Thank You album, the song also appeared as a b-side on the first single from the album, "Perfect Day".
A black and white video was shot in January 1995 by Nick Egan
, featuring Duran Duran, Melle Mel, and the Furious Five performing the song accompanied by breakdancers and people in skeleton masks.
On July 8, 2009, The Late Late Show
with Craig Ferguson
did a lip-sync version of the Duran Duran cover featuring puppets on backing vocals.
Melle Mel
Grandmaster Mele Mel , also known as Melle Mel , is an American hip-hop musician — one of the pioneers of old school hip hop as lead rapper and main songwriter for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.- Biography :...
, released as a 12"
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
in 1983 on Sugar Hill Records
Sugar Hill Records (rap)
Sugar Hill Records was the name of a rap music record label that was founded in 1979 by husband and wife Joe and Sylvia Robinson with Milton Malden and financial funding of Morris Levy, the owner of Roulette Records.-History:...
. The song, which warns against the dangers of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, addiction, and drug smuggling, is one of Melle Mel's signature tracks
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
. The instantly recognizable bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
is sampled from a performance of the Sugar Hill house band covering "Cavern", a single by post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band Liquid Liquid
Liquid Liquid
Liquid Liquid is a New York City post-punk, post-disco band, originally active from 1980 to 1983. They are perhaps best known for their track, "Cavern", which was covered by the Sugar Hill Records house band as the backing track for Grandmaster + Melle Mel's old school rap classic, "White Lines "...
.
Overview
When originally released on SugarhillSugar Hill Records (rap)
Sugar Hill Records was the name of a rap music record label that was founded in 1979 by husband and wife Joe and Sylvia Robinson with Milton Malden and financial funding of Morris Levy, the owner of Roulette Records.-History:...
, the record was credited to Grandmaster & Melle Mel (some international issues even credited Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel). This was done to mislead the general public into believing that Grandmaster Flash
Grandmaster Flash
Joseph Saddler better known as King Grandmaster Flash, is an American hip hop musician and DJ; one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and mixing....
participated on the record, when in fact he played no part and had already left the Sugar Hill Records label the previous year.
"White Lines" peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart in 1983. The song fared better in the United Kingdom, reaching number 7 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in July 1984, spending 17 consecutive weeks in the top 40. It was the 13th best-selling single of 1984 in the UK, selling more than a number of number one hits that year.
The song was co-written by Melle Mel
Melle Mel
Grandmaster Mele Mel , also known as Melle Mel , is an American hip-hop musician — one of the pioneers of old school hip hop as lead rapper and main songwriter for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.- Biography :...
and Sylvia Robinson
Sylvia Robinson
Sylvia Robinson was an American singer, musician, record producer, and record label executive, most notably known for her work as founder/CEO of the hip hop label Sugar Hill Records. She is credited as the driving force behind two landmark singles in the genre...
. Originally, it was intended to be an ironic celebration of a cocaine-fueled party lifestyle, but it was abridged with the "don't do it" message as an anti-cocaine song as a concession to commercial considerations.
The lyric "a businessman is caught with 24 kilos. He's out on bail and out of jail and that's the way it goes" refers to car manufacturer John DeLorean, who in 1982 became entrapped in a scheme to save his company from bankruptcy using drug money. Some of the lyrics in "White Lines" ("something of a phenomenon") echoed lyrics from the song "Cavern" by Liquid Liquid
Liquid Liquid
Liquid Liquid is a New York City post-punk, post-disco band, originally active from 1980 to 1983. They are perhaps best known for their track, "Cavern", which was covered by the Sugar Hill Records house band as the backing track for Grandmaster + Melle Mel's old school rap classic, "White Lines "...
("slipping in and out of phenomenon") from which the famous bassline was borrowed.
An unofficial 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 directed by New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
film student Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
and starred actor Laurence Fishburne
Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
.
In 1988, the song was used as part of an anti-heroin public information film in the United Kingdom.
Chart positions
| Chart (1983) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles | 47 |
Duran Duran version
A 1995 cover versionCover 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...
of "White Lines", featuring performances from Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel, was released as the second single from the Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
covers album Thank You
Thank You (Duran Duran album)
Thank You is a covers album by Duran Duran released in April 1995, their follow-up to 1993's Duran Duran . It did well on the charts , but was received very negatively by critics...
. The single reached No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, No. 5 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Songs chart, No. 20 on the Australia and No. 31 in New Zealand. The band continued to perform the song as a regular part of their live set into the 2000s.
This single had more promo releases than most bands have releases, and across this myriad of 12" and CD singles the band released more than twenty distinct remixes of "White Lines", a majority crafted by DJ Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez, , is an American club DJ and remixer/producer.-Career:...
. Apart from the singles and the Thank You album, the song also appeared as a b-side on the first single from the album, "Perfect Day".
A black and white video was shot in January 1995 by Nick Egan
Nick Egan
Nick Egan is a visual design artist, and director of music videos, commercials and film. He graduated from the Watford College of Art and Design with a DGA in 1976...
, featuring Duran Duran, Melle Mel, and the Furious Five performing the song accompanied by breakdancers and people in skeleton masks.
On July 8, 2009, The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show (CBS TV series)
The Late Late Show is an American late-night television talk and variety show on CBS hosted by Craig Ferguson since 2005. It immediately follows Late Show with David Letterman and is produced by Letterman's Worldwide Pants Incorporated...
with Craig Ferguson
Craig Ferguson
Craig Ferguson is a Scottish American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, author, and producer. He is the host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, an Emmy Award-nominated, Peabody Award-winning late-night talk show that airs on CBS...
did a lip-sync version of the Duran Duran cover featuring puppets on backing vocals.
Other versions
- Happy Go LickyHappy Go LickyHappy Go Licky was a short-lived reunion of Washington D.C. hardcore punk group Rites of Spring. The band formed in spring of 1987 and broke up after their final show at D.C.'s 9:30 Club on New Year's Day in 1988. The last song they performed at that show was the Rites of Spring song, Drink Deep...
did an improvised version of the song during their brief existence; one live recording of their version appears on their posthumous release Will Play. - The song is sung by the characters Shaun and Ed in the film Shaun of the DeadShaun of the DeadShaun of the Dead is a 2004 British zombie comedy directed by Edgar Wright, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and written by Pegg and Wright. Pegg plays Shaun, a man attempting to get some kind of focus in his life as he deals with his girlfriend, his mother and stepfather...
and is featured on the film's soundtrack. - At Channel 4's Comedy Gala, Bill BaileyBill BaileyBill Bailey is an English comedian, musician and actor. As well as his extensive stand-up work, Bailey is well known for his appearances on Black Books, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI.Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in...
and Kevin Eldon performed the song in a 'west country hip hop' style.
- The lead-off song "Dance on Your Knees" from Hall & OatesHall & OatesHall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
' 1984 album Big Bam BoomBig Bam BoomBig Bam Boom was the twelfth studio album by Daryl Hall & John Oates, released on RCA late in 1984. It marked the end of one of the most successful album runs by a duo of the 1980s. The album is also considered a record that defines the sound of the 1980s. BMG Heritage released a remastered version...
(written by Hall and co-written by Baker) is basically an homage to the song.
Samples
The song "White Lines" has been sampled by many other artists, including:- "It Takes Scoop" by Fatman Scoop feat. The Crooklyn ClanFatman ScoopIsaac Freeman III, better known by his stage name Fatman Scoop is a hip hop promoter and radio personality famed for his on-stage rough, raw, loud voice....
(2004) - "White Girls" by Mighty Casey (2003)
- "Tobisugi" by King Giddra (2002)
- "Quiet Storm" by Mobb DeepMobb DeepMobb Deep is an American hip hop duo from Queensbridge, Queens, New York, U.S., that consists of Havoc and Prodigy. The duo is "one of the most critically acclaimed hardcore East Coast hip-hop groups." The group is best known for its dark, hardcore delivery, as exemplified by the single "Shook Ones...
(1999) - "Phenomenon" by LL Cool JLL Cool JJames Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
(1997) - "Ego Trippin' (Part Two)" by De La SoulDe La SoulDe La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
(1993) - "Arts in D Minor (Harry Houdini)" by Kon KanKon KanKon Kan was a Canadian synthpop band formed in 1988 in Toronto, Ontario. The band was awarded a 1990 Juno for their song "I Beg Your Pardon " and nominated for a 1991 Juno Award for their single "Puss n' Boots/These Boots ".-History:The band members consisted of Barry Harris and Kevin Wynne...
(1989) - "White Lines '89 - Part II" by Grandmaster Melle Mel and The Furious FiveMelle MelGrandmaster Mele Mel , also known as Melle Mel , is an American hip-hop musician — one of the pioneers of old school hip hop as lead rapper and main songwriter for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.- Biography :...
(1989)