Recent from talks
Justified & Ancient
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Justified & Ancient
"Justified & Ancient" is a song by British band the KLF. It appeared featured on their 1991 studio album, The White Room, but its origins date back to the duo's debut album, 1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?).
The song is best known for its remake that was released on 25 November 1991 as a pop-house single subtitled "Stand by the JAMs", with verses sung by American country music singer Tammy Wynette. This version was an international hit, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart, number 11 on the US US Billboard Hot 100, and number one in 18 countries. "Justified & Ancient" was the final release by the KLF through retail channels before Drummond and Cauty quit the music business and retired the KLF name.
The KLF — King Boy D (Bill Drummond) and Rockman Rock (Jimmy Cauty) — began working together in 1987 as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (the JAMs). The song title "Justified & Ancient" refers to this pseudonym. The JAMs took their name from a fictional subversive cult from the 1970s conspiratorial novels The Illuminatus! Trilogy. Just as the fictional JAMs made it their remit to propagate chaos and confusion, so too did the real JAMs and the KLF. Their attempts to subvert the music industry and other establishments were frequent, unconcealed and controversial. The song "Justified & Ancient" is a statement of identity and rebellious intent. Moreover, it deliberately understates this intent. In contrast to the provocative and abrasive lyrics of the JAMs' album 1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?), on which "Justified & Ancient" first appeared, the song has a soft and innocuous tune, and quaint lyrics:
"We don't want to upset the apple-cart, and we don't want to cause any harm, but if you don't like what we're going to do, you'd better not stop us 'cause we're coming through."
The words and music of "Justified & Ancient" appear several times in the work of the KLF and the JAMs, including their first album and their last full-release single.
The melody and one repeated lyrical verse of the song first appeared as part of "Hey Hey We Are Not the Monkees" from the JAMs' debut album, 1987: What the Fuck Is Going On?. All of the album's most prominent characteristics are notably absent in this part of "Hey Hey...", which has female vocals (as opposed to the rapping of the JAMs' Scottish co-founder Bill Drummond), inoffensive lyrics, and it is free from plagiarised samples of other artists' recordings. Also in contrast, "Hey Hey" itself begins with a minute's worth of typical human sexual intercourse noises, arranged as a rhythm. It progresses into a cryptic and bleak spoken verse from Drummond and descends into a cacophony of samples from "The Monkees Theme". An abrupt cut takes the track into the gentle "Justified & Ancient" vocal line, which is syncopated similarly to African music and is at first a cappella.
In 1990, the recording re-appeared on the KLF's ambient album, Chill Out, in a part of the composition titled "Justified & Ancient Seems a Long Time Ago". This time the song provides a complement rather than a contrast to the mood of the album, which is passive and contains various authentic ethnic sounds.
In March 1991, a full song called "Justified & Ancient" appeared on the KLF's album The White Room. Sung by Black Steel, the song begins and ends the album. This version retains the lyrics and melody, adds an additional verse, and full song structure and instrumentation is present, in an arrangement akin to a lullaby. Where the song starts the album, it is interrupted at the point "...they're coming through" by urgent "Mu Mu!" samples and blazing machine guns that open the house track "What Time Is Love?". At the end of the mellower second half of the album, the song is presented in its entirety.
Hub AI
Justified & Ancient AI simulator
(@Justified & Ancient_simulator)
Justified & Ancient
"Justified & Ancient" is a song by British band the KLF. It appeared featured on their 1991 studio album, The White Room, but its origins date back to the duo's debut album, 1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?).
The song is best known for its remake that was released on 25 November 1991 as a pop-house single subtitled "Stand by the JAMs", with verses sung by American country music singer Tammy Wynette. This version was an international hit, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart, number 11 on the US US Billboard Hot 100, and number one in 18 countries. "Justified & Ancient" was the final release by the KLF through retail channels before Drummond and Cauty quit the music business and retired the KLF name.
The KLF — King Boy D (Bill Drummond) and Rockman Rock (Jimmy Cauty) — began working together in 1987 as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (the JAMs). The song title "Justified & Ancient" refers to this pseudonym. The JAMs took their name from a fictional subversive cult from the 1970s conspiratorial novels The Illuminatus! Trilogy. Just as the fictional JAMs made it their remit to propagate chaos and confusion, so too did the real JAMs and the KLF. Their attempts to subvert the music industry and other establishments were frequent, unconcealed and controversial. The song "Justified & Ancient" is a statement of identity and rebellious intent. Moreover, it deliberately understates this intent. In contrast to the provocative and abrasive lyrics of the JAMs' album 1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?), on which "Justified & Ancient" first appeared, the song has a soft and innocuous tune, and quaint lyrics:
"We don't want to upset the apple-cart, and we don't want to cause any harm, but if you don't like what we're going to do, you'd better not stop us 'cause we're coming through."
The words and music of "Justified & Ancient" appear several times in the work of the KLF and the JAMs, including their first album and their last full-release single.
The melody and one repeated lyrical verse of the song first appeared as part of "Hey Hey We Are Not the Monkees" from the JAMs' debut album, 1987: What the Fuck Is Going On?. All of the album's most prominent characteristics are notably absent in this part of "Hey Hey...", which has female vocals (as opposed to the rapping of the JAMs' Scottish co-founder Bill Drummond), inoffensive lyrics, and it is free from plagiarised samples of other artists' recordings. Also in contrast, "Hey Hey" itself begins with a minute's worth of typical human sexual intercourse noises, arranged as a rhythm. It progresses into a cryptic and bleak spoken verse from Drummond and descends into a cacophony of samples from "The Monkees Theme". An abrupt cut takes the track into the gentle "Justified & Ancient" vocal line, which is syncopated similarly to African music and is at first a cappella.
In 1990, the recording re-appeared on the KLF's ambient album, Chill Out, in a part of the composition titled "Justified & Ancient Seems a Long Time Ago". This time the song provides a complement rather than a contrast to the mood of the album, which is passive and contains various authentic ethnic sounds.
In March 1991, a full song called "Justified & Ancient" appeared on the KLF's album The White Room. Sung by Black Steel, the song begins and ends the album. This version retains the lyrics and melody, adds an additional verse, and full song structure and instrumentation is present, in an arrangement akin to a lullaby. Where the song starts the album, it is interrupted at the point "...they're coming through" by urgent "Mu Mu!" samples and blazing machine guns that open the house track "What Time Is Love?". At the end of the mellower second half of the album, the song is presented in its entirety.