Five Songs To Get Into A Fight To.

Esteemed Ph.D. of Listology Professor Honeydew presents a lecture on…

Five Songs To Get Into A Fight To.

1: Linton Kwesi Johnson “Fite Dem Back” - 1979 – Forces of Victory (Island)

With its taunting bass groove, punchy percussion, and the mob refrain of “we’re gonna smash their brains in ’cause they ain’t got nothing in ‘em,” there is little about dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson’s “Fite Dem Back” that doesn’t make the listener want to smash a bottle over someone’s head. Johnson was always at his best when feeling vituperative (see: “England is a Bitch”), but he never matched the cold seething on this track. It’s a hard boil from start to finish, a strong, clenched fist with brilliant work on the part of the horn section and organist.

2: Art Brut “Fight“ – 2004 – Bang Bang Rock & Roll (Fierce Panda)

“Come on, come on let’s have a fight”–so goes the culminating chorus of this dissection of a row about to bust loose. Art Brut take the psychoanalytic approach to the subject matter, cataloguing the various preludes to fisticuffs from suspicious sussurations to the breakdown in communications. In the end, this is really a song about avoiding fights through transparency and a desire to “have things out in the open,” but it’s easy to lose that in the shuffle. Especially when someone’s about to kick your ass.

3: Dem Franchize Boyz “Fight“ – 2004 – Dem Franchize Boyz (Universal)

If you went to middle school in a poor neighborhood, you’re likely familiar with the phenomenon of schoolyard fights. Everything is normal until all of a sudden a pack of hormonal kids begins running across the campus, congregating in a circle around two fired up combatants. This song from snap pioneers Dem Franchize Boyz is the musical equivalent of the “fight!” chants of the assembled, the sound of egging someone on. Indeed, the track opens with a near call and response between “Fight! Fight!” and “Bust his head… I’mma bust it wide open.”

4: Sebadoh “Love to Fight“ – 1996 – Harmacy (Sub Pop)

Harmacy found Sebadoh’s Lou Barlow sharing songwriting duties with bandmate Jason Lowenstein, and it’s tough to imagine a more marked rift between approaches. While Barlow’s songs are, for the most part, elegant and bittersweet, Lowenstein’s are raw nerve endings being grated like a block of cheese. Listening to “Love to Fight” feels like being in a fight, as though your head is being repeatedly pounded against some unfortunately solid surface. The kicker (like in the face) is the closing line of “I love to fight.” Ya think?

5: Kano featuring Demon and Wiley “Mic Fight” – 2005 – Run the Road, Vol. 1 (Vice)

When things aren’t faring so well, there comes an introspective point in every fight where one wonders why the fuck they’re inviting someone to land repeated blows to delicate areas. Your head gets fuzzy, your vision blurry, and in addition to the person striking you, you begin to kick yourself for getting yourself in the situation to begin with. Kano’s “Mic Fight” is bellicose, the beat and lyrics delivered like barbs with groaning synths leaning in and out of the mix. Its grime meets East approach is dizzying and strong; it leaves you on the ropes.