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Complaints stated that this song mostly appealed to junkies, dropouts, drug addicts, and drunkards as well as students playing hooky from class, giving them a bad model for their behavior. Those who opposed the track threatened to boycott the stations unless the song was permanently withdrawn. "Oldies" station AM 1110 KRLA banned the track, and some radio managers threatened to fire any disc jockey who played it. Sponsors threatened to pull their advertisements unless the song was completely removed from playlists. The AM stations threatened to fire any radio station employees who accepted requests or discussed the track on the air.
530:(at one point in his tune, "Alice Bowie" even mentions having orange hair, which the real David Bowie had sported at that time). The song itself is about a teenager fantasizing about becoming a world-famous rock star, becoming very wealthy and not having to listen to authority as a result, including being disowned for wearing his sister's pantyhose. The teenager states that he did not care if the world came to an end and that he was kicked off the basketball team by the coach for "wearing high-heeled sneakers and acting like a
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for school. The son then complains about an earache, prompting the dad to exclaim, "Earache my eye, how would you like a butt-ache?" The boy then gets even snottier, provoking his father to swat him with a belt. When he ridicules the spanking as painless, the father then whips him into sniveling, outward compliance, which lasts until his father leaves the room, after which the teen puts the record back on.
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The song, unnamed in the skit, was released as a single under the name "Earache My Eye" and gained surprising popularity, reaching the top 10 on the charts in the United States and Canada. It has since been covered by many artists most notably
Widespread Panic, Korn, and Soundgarden. The song had its
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As the song continues into an electric guitar-heavy bridge, the teen's father (Marin) barges into the room and yells, "I said turn that thing down and get ready for school!", and scratches the record, which annoys the boy. The father then tells his son to get his "fanny perpendicular" and get ready
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Once the song hit its peak on the charts, radio station managers and owners, especially the AM stations, pulled the song off the air following multiple complaints. Phone calls and angry letters came from parents, teachers, psychologists, clergy, principals, school administrators, and counselors.
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about his wealth, without the actual dialogue, complete to its conclusion. It is possible to assemble the full-length version of the song by editing the two sections together. An edited version that fades out before the skit appears on the soundtrack for
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During the latter part of the record ("Turn That Thing Down") – essentially, an extended, electric rock guitar-driven coda – the father can be heard knocking on the door several times demanding that his son "turn that thing down and get ready for school".
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covered the song at the Vic
Theatre in Chicago, Illinois on April 15, 2000, with Brodie Hutchinson, soundman, performing the spoken word portion and this is available as a Classic Muletracks.
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record, with Cheech Marin singing the lyrics as glam rock star character Alice Bowie who, as the name implies, is supposed to be a combination of
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439:, who also composed the music for the song. Additionally, Chong states that drums on the song are played by famed international percussionist
683:. It was also used to end Tom Sawyer on the band's Snakes & Arrows World Tour and can be heard on the subsequent live album.
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used the song's main riff in a song titled "The Chong Song" which appears on the 2007 release,
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airplay charts. The song also reached the top spot for one week on the West Coast's biggest
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The song was released as a single in 1974 and reached #9 on the
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released the song as a hidden track at the end of "My Gift to You" from their 1998 album
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The musical portion of "Earache My Eye" was written originally by
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appearing as a guest vocalist. The recording was reissued on the compilations
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to the recording (with Chong behind the drum kit) in their first movie
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also sampled this classic on the song "Loadies" from their album
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431:. According to Tommy Chong's autobiography, the famous guitar
773:"Cheech & Chong: Still Rollin' – Celebrating 40 Years of
802:"Cheech & Chong – Earache My Eye / Turn That Thing Down"
673:", (whose album version ends with a fade) on the live album
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singles club, catalog number SP72; and later on the 1993
914:"Raging Slab - Slabbage / True Death - Amazon.com Music"
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Joel
Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012
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and the final riff of the same show as depicted in the
454:, it topped the charts at the powerful and influential
354:) who wakes up and listens to a song by "Alice Bowie" (
938:"Everyday Companion Online - 10/31/14 1st Bank Center"
421:(1978). The song has been featured repeatedly on the
46:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
669:have used the song's signature riff live, to end "
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723:A sample of the song was heard in the 1995 film
655:used a sample from the song on their 1989 album
370:on drums. It is best known for its guitar riff.
401:Where There's Smoke There's Cheech & Chong
716:also covered the song on their 1991 release,
651:both covered the song, and the hip-hop group
350:. The skit is about a teenager (played by
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661:for the song "Dirty Nursery Rhymes". The
106:Learn how and when to remove this message
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404:, the latter a double-CD anthology from
870:Released initially in 1990 part of the
428:Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection
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510:In the skit, Chong plays a rebellious
425:radio show, and it is included on the
1024:Song recordings produced by Lou Adler
893:"Coconut Bangers Ball (January 2007)"
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44:adding citations to reliable sources
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322:Black Lassie (A Great American Dog)
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381:Cheech & Chong's Wedding Album
347:Cheech & Chong's Wedding Album
340:" is a comedy routine and song by
152:Cheech & Chong's Wedding Album
14:
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391:Cheech & Chong's Greatest Hit
735:covered it on Halloween 2014 in
609:covered the song on their album
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860:. Record Research. p. 159.
830:Australian Chart Book 1970–1992
638:Playlist: The Very Best of Korn
118:1974 single by Cheech and Chong
31:needs additional citations for
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876:Hammer of the Rök Gödz
681:video of the same name
344:from their 1974 album
166:"Turn That Thing Down"
989:Canadian comedy songs
942:Everydaycompanion.com
718:Slabbage / True Death
737:Broomfield, Colorado
691:Coconut Bangers Ball
304:Sister Mary Elephant
40:improve this article
1014:Ode Records singles
1019:Rollins Band songs
612:Here Comes Trouble
293:singles chronology
999:Comedy rock songs
749:, from his album
704:Kottonmouth Kings
622:Follow the Leader
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984:1974 singles
945:. Retrieved
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492:Greatest Hit
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468:Top 40 radio
456:Top 40 radio
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364:Gaye Delorme
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232:Warner Bros.
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96:October 2016
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38:Please help
33:verification
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826:Kent, David
775:Up in Smoke
714:Raging Slab
665:power trio
653:2 Live Crew
649:Soundgarden
599:heavy metal
528:David Bowie
486:Up in Smoke
472:Los Angeles
423:Dr. Demento
418:Up in Smoke
352:Tommy Chong
278:Producer(s)
257:Tommy Chong
227:Ode Records
192:Comedy rock
978:Categories
947:2016-10-09
923:2016-10-09
918:Amazon.com
899:2016-10-09
811:2018-01-21
759:References
708:Cloud Nine
697:Gov't Mule
66:newspapers
589:Influence
576:Billboard
516:glam rock
480:monologue
470:station,
284:Lou Adler
196:hard rock
969:AllMusic
856:(2013).
828:(1993).
663:Canadian
489:and the
460:WLS (AM)
458:station
413:lip sync
171:Released
872:Sub Pop
806:Discogs
752:Revival
625:, with
603:hip hop
578:Hot 100
503:Content
452:Chicago
374:History
326:(1974)
317:(1974)
308:(1973)
178:1974-07
176: (
80:scholar
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743:Eminem
546:Charts
476:KHJ-AM
464:top 40
450:. In
448:Canada
398:) and
202:Length
161:B-side
139:Single
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573:U.S.
532:queen
526:-era
219:Label
187:Genre
87:JSTOR
73:books
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788:2021
702:The
667:Rush
647:and
635:and
617:Korn
522:and
512:teen
433:riff
406:2002
396:1981
386:1974
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