There are numerous songs that I have grown to love for a variety of reasons, whether for their lyrics, tempo, instrumentation, underlying meaning, etc. One song that I hold a particular affinity for is the nearly minute-long intro track to Outkast’s 1996 album (ATLiens), known officially as “You May Die (Intro).” What is worth noting is that this track contains none Outkast’s actual members anywhere on the song. Instead, Joi Gilliam (R&B singer, songwriter, record producer), who is associated with both Outkast and Atlanta hip-hop collective Dungeon Family is the only artist to appear on the track. Nevertheless, “You May Die” is one of the best Outkast tracks and greatest album intros of all time.
Outkast is a hip-hop group from Atlanta, Georgia that consists of members Big Boi and Andre 3000, who are known for their eclectic musical tastes. The group’s first album, Southernplayalisticadallicmuzik (1994), would garner the group widespread popularity for their soulful brand of southern hip-hop music. However, it was their sophomore album, ATLiens, which would catapult the group into critical success. The album had markedly important stylistic differences from their debut album, as the group would employ their characteristic eccentricity, self-consciousness, and space inspired musical themes. Musical genres such as funk, soul, spoken word, poetry, jazz, and hip-hop, would manifest themselves on this album and future ones.
“You May Die” is an unorthodox song that begins with a guitar playing and a woman reciting a Portuguese prayer which translates to “Nothing new comes from the Sun, All that is new comes from our lord, Life is a continuation, It is our lord who gives life, amen.” As soon as the prayer ends, we hear a woman sing “You can be sure/Some go low to get high/You may hurt till you cry/You may die (You may die)/Keep on trying (Keep on trying).” Produced by Organized Noize, who were known for their light, airy, southern inspired instrumentation, we hear a sample of Quincy Jones’ “Summer in the City” as Joi Gilliam’s voice finally fades away singing, “Till it’s summer, in the city…”
In true Outkast tradition, this song serves as a beautiful, self-conscious emotional declaration. The opening prayer begins with an altered interpretation of a verse from the Old Testament, (Ecclesiastes 1:9), which states, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun”. In either case, both the song’s prayer and biblical verse allude to a certain sense of existential continuity. It is a proclamation that life is an all-encompassing experience that is tied to no individual perspective or convention of time. Instead as the prayer explains, through the lens of religion—life and all that one may experience is tied to a higher power. In essence, the experiences that envelop individuals (joy, sorrow, nostalgia, love, indecision, etc.) have already been experienced by those before us and will continue to occur long after we are gone. This opening statement is essential to understanding the moving verse by Joi Gilliam where she sings, “You can be sure/Some go low to get high/You may hurt till you cry/You may die (You may die)/Keep on trying (Keep on trying).” Her short, but memorable verse illustrates the stark choices individuals may face in the journey of life. By “going low to get high”, some individuals may make choices that give them a false sense of “high” only to further degrade them (sex, drugs, violence etc.). The urge and temptation to stray far from the righteous path may hurt some. For others it may seem as though the pain and isolation is too much to for them, to point of death, hence “You May Die”. However an individual must keep pushing forward for there is a rewarding endpoint (“Til its summer in the city). It is as if Gilliam is telling the listener, “This pain you may feel is nothing new, many have gone through it before and will continue to go through it, and so you must endure, for there is light at the end of the tunnel and Outkast is here with you on this journey.” This mantra is evident even by the shift in approach Outkast takes from their debut album to ATLiens. While Southernplaylistacaddillacmuzik dabbled in similar coming of age themes (sex, drugs, new found fame, etc.) as that of ATLiens, it did so from a bravado filled teenager perspective, as Outkast members Big Boi and Andre 3000 were both 19 at the release of the album. ATLiens found them grow both sonically and personally as they tackled similar topics from a more self-conscious, mature perspective, as evident from Andre 3000’s newly adopted drug-free lifestyle around the time of the album’s release. Other signifiers include the infusion of elements of gospel and soul music, which found them pushing topical and sonic boundaries. Musically “You May Die” incorporate these elements, as Gilliam presents a play on words where she states, “Some go low to get high." The song then leads into a climatic, “You May Die”, with Joi simply stating, “Keep on Trying.” She extends her voice on the high notes and her verse takes a smooth, slowed tempo that allows her to emphasize every word. The gospel influence is both apparent and intentional as one can see from its pairing with the Portuguese prayer. Gilliam's voice sounds like confronting and compassionate muse or Siren. In the end, her words seem to leave reverberations echoing through one’s ears, which can be attributed to the dubbing musical effects on the track. The intentional effect gives Gilliam’s words a lasting, lingering effect.
Outkast is a hip-hop group from Atlanta, Georgia that consists of members Big Boi and Andre 3000, who are known for their eclectic musical tastes. The group’s first album, Southernplayalisticadallicmuzik (1994), would garner the group widespread popularity for their soulful brand of southern hip-hop music. However, it was their sophomore album, ATLiens, which would catapult the group into critical success. The album had markedly important stylistic differences from their debut album, as the group would employ their characteristic eccentricity, self-consciousness, and space inspired musical themes. Musical genres such as funk, soul, spoken word, poetry, jazz, and hip-hop, would manifest themselves on this album and future ones.
“You May Die” is an unorthodox song that begins with a guitar playing and a woman reciting a Portuguese prayer which translates to “Nothing new comes from the Sun, All that is new comes from our lord, Life is a continuation, It is our lord who gives life, amen.” As soon as the prayer ends, we hear a woman sing “You can be sure/Some go low to get high/You may hurt till you cry/You may die (You may die)/Keep on trying (Keep on trying).” Produced by Organized Noize, who were known for their light, airy, southern inspired instrumentation, we hear a sample of Quincy Jones’ “Summer in the City” as Joi Gilliam’s voice finally fades away singing, “Till it’s summer, in the city…”
In true Outkast tradition, this song serves as a beautiful, self-conscious emotional declaration. The opening prayer begins with an altered interpretation of a verse from the Old Testament, (Ecclesiastes 1:9), which states, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun”. In either case, both the song’s prayer and biblical verse allude to a certain sense of existential continuity. It is a proclamation that life is an all-encompassing experience that is tied to no individual perspective or convention of time. Instead as the prayer explains, through the lens of religion—life and all that one may experience is tied to a higher power. In essence, the experiences that envelop individuals (joy, sorrow, nostalgia, love, indecision, etc.) have already been experienced by those before us and will continue to occur long after we are gone. This opening statement is essential to understanding the moving verse by Joi Gilliam where she sings, “You can be sure/Some go low to get high/You may hurt till you cry/You may die (You may die)/Keep on trying (Keep on trying).” Her short, but memorable verse illustrates the stark choices individuals may face in the journey of life. By “going low to get high”, some individuals may make choices that give them a false sense of “high” only to further degrade them (sex, drugs, violence etc.). The urge and temptation to stray far from the righteous path may hurt some. For others it may seem as though the pain and isolation is too much to for them, to point of death, hence “You May Die”. However an individual must keep pushing forward for there is a rewarding endpoint (“Til its summer in the city). It is as if Gilliam is telling the listener, “This pain you may feel is nothing new, many have gone through it before and will continue to go through it, and so you must endure, for there is light at the end of the tunnel and Outkast is here with you on this journey.” This mantra is evident even by the shift in approach Outkast takes from their debut album to ATLiens. While Southernplaylistacaddillacmuzik dabbled in similar coming of age themes (sex, drugs, new found fame, etc.) as that of ATLiens, it did so from a bravado filled teenager perspective, as Outkast members Big Boi and Andre 3000 were both 19 at the release of the album. ATLiens found them grow both sonically and personally as they tackled similar topics from a more self-conscious, mature perspective, as evident from Andre 3000’s newly adopted drug-free lifestyle around the time of the album’s release. Other signifiers include the infusion of elements of gospel and soul music, which found them pushing topical and sonic boundaries. Musically “You May Die” incorporate these elements, as Gilliam presents a play on words where she states, “Some go low to get high." The song then leads into a climatic, “You May Die”, with Joi simply stating, “Keep on Trying.” She extends her voice on the high notes and her verse takes a smooth, slowed tempo that allows her to emphasize every word. The gospel influence is both apparent and intentional as one can see from its pairing with the Portuguese prayer. Gilliam's voice sounds like confronting and compassionate muse or Siren. In the end, her words seem to leave reverberations echoing through one’s ears, which can be attributed to the dubbing musical effects on the track. The intentional effect gives Gilliam’s words a lasting, lingering effect.
Both the introductory prayer and lyrics have underlying mystical and spiritual undertones that present an almost Buddhist-like theme--that life is journey filled temptations and pain in trying to capture an elusive and intangible “high”. These intersections of pain and temptation vary from person to person. However, what is the same is the cause which we all strive for, which is a search for happiness and satisfaction.
This song holds a particular significance for me from both a musical and personal standpoint. I admire its subtlety and effectiveness in creating an atmosphere of overwhelming emotion. Very few songs can claim to have such an effect. When I first heard “You May Die”, I was scouring Outkast’s discography to search for music for a study break. As I plugged in my headphones and rested my head on my bed, I can recall the initial transcendent feeling of awe at hearing the instrumental and Joi Gilliam’s voice finally wail out “Keep On Trying….”, Those words loitered in the depths of mind, as I contemplated the work that lay ahead of me. This was during my senior year of high school. College applications, family issues, schoolwork seemed to be suffocating me. I could have cared less about what prospects my future held or what I wanted to to do with my life. To further add to my anxiety, I was at boarding school, hundreds of miles away from home. It was needless to say that I was suffering from senioritis and more realistically, depression. I found myself procrastinating, blowing off work, making foolhardy decisions with no consideration of the future. However, it was in the moment of listening to this song that I seemed to be flooded with numerous emotions that served as a wake-up call, epiphany, and beautiful piece slice of music all in the mere span of a minute and six seconds. In the end, “You May Die” and the album ATLiens as a whole present an important ethos. It is ethos of existential and moral conflict that encompasses us all. Thus, it begs the question of how one should face such conflict. Simply put, as the song states, keep on trying, eventually only you as individual will truly know when you have gotten it right.
The only complaint that I may have of “You May Die” is that it is too short. However, who is to say that the song’s influence upon myself would be the same if it were to overextend its introductory position upon the album ATLiens. “You May Die” is like a beautiful, fleeting thought or moment that that overwhelms that listener’s emotions and senses only to leave them lingering in mystical, self-reflection.
This song holds a particular significance for me from both a musical and personal standpoint. I admire its subtlety and effectiveness in creating an atmosphere of overwhelming emotion. Very few songs can claim to have such an effect. When I first heard “You May Die”, I was scouring Outkast’s discography to search for music for a study break. As I plugged in my headphones and rested my head on my bed, I can recall the initial transcendent feeling of awe at hearing the instrumental and Joi Gilliam’s voice finally wail out “Keep On Trying….”, Those words loitered in the depths of mind, as I contemplated the work that lay ahead of me. This was during my senior year of high school. College applications, family issues, schoolwork seemed to be suffocating me. I could have cared less about what prospects my future held or what I wanted to to do with my life. To further add to my anxiety, I was at boarding school, hundreds of miles away from home. It was needless to say that I was suffering from senioritis and more realistically, depression. I found myself procrastinating, blowing off work, making foolhardy decisions with no consideration of the future. However, it was in the moment of listening to this song that I seemed to be flooded with numerous emotions that served as a wake-up call, epiphany, and beautiful piece slice of music all in the mere span of a minute and six seconds. In the end, “You May Die” and the album ATLiens as a whole present an important ethos. It is ethos of existential and moral conflict that encompasses us all. Thus, it begs the question of how one should face such conflict. Simply put, as the song states, keep on trying, eventually only you as individual will truly know when you have gotten it right.
The only complaint that I may have of “You May Die” is that it is too short. However, who is to say that the song’s influence upon myself would be the same if it were to overextend its introductory position upon the album ATLiens. “You May Die” is like a beautiful, fleeting thought or moment that that overwhelms that listener’s emotions and senses only to leave them lingering in mystical, self-reflection.
Other Links of interest:
- Allmusic's ATLiens album review (http://www.allmusic.com/album/atliens-mw0000175875)
- Village Voice's 25 Best Outkast songs (http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2013/02/25_outkast_song.php)
- 20 Photos of ATLiens" Era Outkast (http://www.complex.com/music/2012/08/20-photos-of-atliens-era-outkast#1)
- Organized Noize and the stories behind their some of their classic records (http://www.complex.com/music/2012/02/organized-noize-tells-all-the-stories-behind-their-classic-records/)
- The Best of Organized Noize Mix (https://soundcloud.com/trackstarthedj/out-of-the-darkness)
- Atlanta Hip-Hop (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_hip_hop)
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