Thursday, January 14, 2010

Another Jimmy Fallon Impression: "Pants On The Ground" - UPDATED

UPDATE: Video is massive viral sensation. 7,000 + blog posts - "Jimmy Fallon" "neil young" - Google Blog Search



OK, this is getting totally scary.

After the Jimmy Fallon impression of Neil Young went totally viral last year and Lady GaGa covering "Out on the Weekend" it would seem that Neil has definitely jumped the shark.

Neil Young stopped by the show to do another hauntingly beautiful cover song. This time, it's "Pants On The Ground," as seen on last night's American Idol.

Scary. Very scary.



UPDATE:
OK. So obviously we're totally clueless about pop culture.

When Fallon did the Neil Young impression as "Fresh Prince", we didn't get the whole Will Smith thing.

Or Lady GaGa covering "Out on the Weekend" was a HUGE deal.

Or this "Pants On The Ground" was a parody of a parody of an "American Idol" contestant. God help us.

So again, we're mystified by the amazing traffic on this video also going viral???



Hundreds Thousands of Tweets on Jimmy Fallon and Neil Young on Twitter feed.

Traffic here on Thrasher's Wheat is exploding this morning (Real-Time Traffic feed).

From Huffington Post: Pants On The Ground: Neil Young's Heart Wrenching Performance (VIDEO):
"Jimmy Fallon broke out his spot-on Neil Young impression last night for a heart wrenching rendition of 'Pants On The Ground.' The tune, penned by 62-year-old 'American Idol' contestant General Larry Platt, has been making the rounds this week due to ridiculous lyrics like 'Pants on the ground / Lookin' like a food with your pants on the ground!'

But coming out of Neil Young's emotional voice, those words never sounded more poignant."

From MTV Newsroom: ‘Pants On The Ground’ Gets The Neil Young Tribute Treatment From Jimmy Fallon:
"Throughout all the chaos and excitement that has been taking over the late-night community, everybody has been asking what will happen to Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno and Carson Daly. But as a handful of people pointed out on Twitter yesterday, nobody seems to be inquiring about the future of Jimmy Fallon. Perhaps the reason is because Fallon has mostly stayed out of the sticky fray while Leno, O'Brien, David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel all trade barbs. But perhaps it has more to do with the fact that Fallon's show has been steadily improving and it seems impossible that he'll go anywhere.

Case in point: While most of the late-night hosts kept devoting their shows to the future of 'The Tonight Show,' Fallon put together a segment that did everything a top-shelf comedy program is supposed to do. The host resurrected his spot-on Neil Young impression (last seen crooning the theme song to 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' a few months back) to deliver another spot-on impression of the rock legend. His cover of choice this time around? 'Pants on the Ground,' the instant hit originally written and performed by Larry Platt on Wednesday night's episode of 'American Idol.'"

The thing that really makes the above video work is the total earnestness with which Fallon delivers the tune. When he was on "Saturday Night Live," he gained a reputation as the guy who could never keep it together during sketches, and even on his show he sometimes seems flustered. But he's like Brando when he slips into the guise of Young. Even though it'll probably end once the schedules get shuffled around for good, it definitely seems like we've stumbled into an accidental golden age for late-night comedy, and Fallon is more than happy to contribute.

From New York Magazine: Neil Young Thinks You Look Like a Fool With Your Pants on the Ground -- Vulture:
If you've been on the Internet at all today, then you likely know everything there is to know about the incredible General Larry Platt and his anti-sagging rap "Pants on the Ground." The guy is everywhere! The New York Times has written about him three times, his life story (which is pretty impressive) has been dug up, and the YouTube versions of "Pants on the Ground" are increasing at an exponential rate. Now Neil Young's cover is here. Earlier today at the taping of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the legendary singer-songwriter delivered a heart breaking rendition of "Pants on the Ground." It's stirring.

General Larry Platt’s “Pants On The Ground” has taken the nation by storm! DJ Larry P performed the showstopper at the American Idol Atlanta Auditions Wednesday night and by Thursday morning there were at least three different remixes going viral! (See his performance at the bottom of this post)

But all that is just plain silliness. It took the great Canadian Grandfather of Grunge Neil Young to reveal the emotional depths of this song. I almost promise his rendition on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon will bring you to tears.

From Jimmy Fallon: Jimmy Fallon impersonates Neil Young cover American Idol song Pants on the Ground:
Wow. That was fast. On Wednesday night’s “American Idol,” they let an old man shine in the spotlight with his song-and-dance, because obviously, they wanted people to experience the song, “Pants on the Ground.” Well, Jimmy Fallon took the bait, and within hours, he and his musical impersonation ability were live onstage as Neil Young, opening his show with a very Neil Young cover version of the song. Kudos, Jimmy! Kudos.


For the real version of the song, experience American Idol’s newest hit, Pants on the Ground. Also, here’s video of comedians talking about their feelings for “American Idol.”


From aquariumdrinker:
My wife tells me I’m way late to the party on this one, but as a die-hard Neil Young fan, I have to say this is a pretty amazing impression. (Fallon reprised the role last night, signing the new American Idol hit, “Pants on the Ground.”)

I was never much of a fan of Fallon on Saturday Night Live — what a lot of people found endearing (laughing in the middle of nearly every skit) I found unprofessional and annoying. But this is an amazingly well-done bit.

Having seen Neil do this sit down in the dark and play motif several times, Fallon has everything right — especially the staging and the sound. Neil often uses a slight echo effect on his mike in these appearances that make him sound like he’s singing in a canyon. It also makes the harmonica sound all the more haunting. Fallon really nails that here. This says a lot for Fallon’s maturity as a comic, not to mention his musicianship."

From Entertainment Weekly: 'Neil Young' croons 'Pants on the Ground'
The “Pants on the Ground” phenomenon continues to resonate. One night after 62-year-old “General” Larry Platt introduced the contagious public-service advisory for urban youth on American Idol, Neil Young appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon with his own neilyoung-y rendition. Well, sort of.

Of course, that was actually Fallon, who had previously impersonated Young while singing the theme song from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Fallon’s late-night future might be out of his hands, but his unique talents are another reminder that the boldest and most original chatfests air after midnight.

From FREEDOM EDEN: Neil Young: Pants on the Ground:
General Larry Platt's 'Pants on the Ground,' as seen last night on American Idol, is taking the nation by storm.

On Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tonight, 'Neil Young' stops by and performs a hauntingly beautiful, extremely moving cover of the song.

It's a magical moment, truly inspirational.

People all over the country will likely hike up their pants after hearing this version of 'Pants on the Ground.'


Perhaps the days of people walking around looking like fools with their pants on the ground will soon be history.

One can only hope.

From Anti-Quiet: Jimmy Fallon As Neil Young, Pants On The Ground:
So have you seen that totally awesome new viraly video of 62 year old American Idol contestant Larry Platts performing his original song Pants On The Ground on last night’s show? Well that shit was so 9 AM, because Neil Young has now covered it.

From The CineManiac: Jimmy Fallon Presents: Niel Young's 'Pants on the Ground':
The new song, Pants on the Ground, from 'General' Larry Plat has been soaring since it aired on American Idol Wednesday night. By yesterday afternoon there were already at least 4 remixes online, several of them making the song sound like a real Top 40 hit. If you go to the club this weekend, you may even hear one of the remixes.

Last night on Jimmy Fallon's show he presented Neil Young who sang his version of the song, which you can see below, I loved it.

And Yes, I do realize it's actually Jimmy Fallon and not Neil Young!

From Jimmy Fallon does 'Pants on the Ground' as Neil Young - From Inside the Box - Zap2it
Everybody is getting into the "American Idol" "Pants on the Ground" act. Check out this Jimmy-Fallon-as-Neil-Young take.

Jimmy Fallon's Neil Young impression is so good, it fooled us for a bit. We thought Neil Young had actually covered "Pants on the Ground," which would be amazing.

We soon realized it was Jimmy Fallon doing Neil Young, but that doesn't make it any less awesome. Fallon does a dead-on impression of Young and his guitar and harmonica talent is also good.

From American Songwriter: Neil Young a.k.a. Jimmy Fallon Sings “Pants On The Ground”:
Musical mimic and late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon does a mean Neil Young impersonation, a skill he showed off recently by performing the theme song to The Prince of Bel Air as the Canadian godfather of grunge. The video became an instant Internet sensation.

Now, Jimmy “Neil Young” Fallon has turned his attention to another lyrical masterpiece: “Pants On The Ground,” the bizarre song American Idol contestant Larry Platt energetically busted out on the show last week. (”With the gold in your mouth/hat turned sideways/pants hit the ground/call yourself a cool cat/lookin’ like a fool/walkin’ downtown with your pants on the ground.”)

According to this version of “Neil,” flying on the ground is still wrong, and pants on the ground are highly questionable.

From Billboard.com: Jimmy Fallon Covers 'Pants on the Ground' As Neil Young:
"Thursday's 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon' episode featured the host getting into character as the veteran rocker and performing a mournful, acoustic version of 'Pants on the Ground.' The latter, of course, is the song that everyone's been talking about since Wednesday's 'American Idol,' where 62-year-old 'General' Larry Platt unveiled his bizarre original song and had both judges and viewers howling. Since it aired, Pratt's 'Idol' audition has gone practically bubonic -- remixes and parodies are blowing up across the net, and eight of the top ten most viewed videos in YouTube's music section contain the phrase 'Pants on the Ground.'"

From Los Angeles Times - Fallon's Neil Young impression: Hopefully the final word on 'Pants on the Ground' | Pop & Hiss | :
"Last night's take on 'Pants on the Ground,' featuring Fallon's spot-on Neil Young impression, hopefully closes the book on our nation's brief love affair with the novelty song, playing it for laughs by turning it into a more woeful tale."

From Mediaite: Jimmy Fallon Covers “Pants On The Ground” As Neil Young (And It’s Awesome):
"Which leads us to the Neil Young version of “Pants On The Ground,” as imagined by Jimmy Fallon. Which is, in a word, awesome. (The American Idol original is awesome, too, but in a whole other way.) But also, it’s good. And damn accurate — at first I really thought they’d gotten Neil Young to sing “Pants on the Ground” for Fallon. The whole thing was hilarious and wacky and smart and fun. It almost makes me sad that war between Team Leno and Team Conan is almost over, because wow has it been good for Team Fallon."

From Jimmy Fallon (As Neil Young) Covers Larry Platt (Video):
"Jimmy Fallon made the second funny of his career last night by reviving his Neil Young bit to cover General Larry Platt's 'Pants on the Ground,' which has become a hot meme since Platt performed it on American Idol this week. The best part is that this would make sense as a Neil Young song, and Rolling Stone would probably praise it as Neil's message to the young kids of today if it was."

From Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily - “Neil Young” Performs “Pants on the Ground” on “Jimmy Fallon” : :
"Above is “Neil Young” — who previously stopped by Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel to perform a Harvest-ified version of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme — taking on Platt’s “Pants on the Ground.” With his trademark croon and morose harmonica, “Young” transforms Platt’s baggy pants protest song into a heartbreaking ballad about the lack of belts being worn in the Dirty. We can all only hope this appears on Archives Vol. XIII."

Pants on the ground, pants on the ground
Lookin’ like a fool with your pants on the ground
With the gold in your mouth, hat turned sideways
Pants hit the ground, call yourself a cool cat, lookin’ like a fool
Walkin’ downtown with your pants on the ground. Giddy-up!
Hey, get your pants off the ground. Lookin’ like a fool
Walkin’, talkin’ with your pants on the ground. Giddy-up!
Hey, get your pants off the ground. Lookin’ like a fool with your pants on the ground.


Heck. We can't even get the pop culture term "jumping the shark" right (see comments below). It's so sad to be so retro and un-cool.....

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11 Comments:

At 1/15/2010 02:55:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

better than the National Lampoon bit ("southern Cal. brings me down")IMHO...

asg

 
At 1/15/2010 09:48:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thrasher, I think you're misusing the term 'jumping the shark.' It's usually applied to a TV program who's story-line has veered so far from its original premise that it's almost a parody of its former self. It's a disparaging term. It makes no sense to say Neil Young has jumped the shark, unless he himself was, let's say, covering songs by Brittney Spears or Katy Perry in a feeble attempt to stay 'current.' It's an insult to whoever it's applied to.

 
At 1/15/2010 10:35:00 AM, Blogger Thrasher said...

Thanks for clarification on the 'jumping the shark' term.

I think the term has evolved and is seen less frequently. maybe someone has come up with a more clever term for the situation.

Certainly didn't mean in a pejorative way. Just trying to capture that something's going on with Neil where he's crossing over into mainstream consciousness.

I mean I don't know what to make of something like Pants on the Ground. I know Fallon is a fan and the parody is done respectfully.

I mean look at the dissolves, lighting and framing. It's like the 71 BBC b'cast. It's just is weird b/c i'd think the avg Fallon viewer isn't really clued in on this. The way the laugh track on the clip is mixed it doesn't seem to come across as funny.

Bizarre yes.

Whatever. We're still trying to understand why the first impression went viral? The first one of Fresh Prince was pretty clever and all. I think Fallon's pushing his luck with this one.

 
At 1/15/2010 02:01:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fallon is "hip"...to the bone!
Otherwise he wouldn't be covering
(imitating Neil) so well. I do the same at home with my
guitar! But no spotlight here.

Every time someone asks me, "What's
Up?" I say, "My pants!"

So don't stop, Jimmy. We dig it!
There's plenty of other lyrics
out there to cover, even with your
pants on the ground.

 
At 1/15/2010 03:40:00 PM, Blogger doc said...

Ah, at last, Someone who understands the expression "tongue in cheek!"...and he's American! lol...Great fun Jimmy..keep'm coming!!

Doc

 
At 1/15/2010 05:27:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wonder what Neil (the real one)really thinks about all this? No body asked him yet? Somebody must have told him about...

 
At 1/16/2010 01:49:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Q: "So, whattaya think of all this?"

Neil: "Hey, I didn't ask for any of this!"

Sponsored by...nobody.

 
At 1/16/2010 03:04:00 AM, Blogger doc said...

What? Do ya think Neil wouldn't find these parodies funny?...
He would be absolutely cackin' himself,believe me!

Haven't you heard.. "imitation is the best form of flattery"

Remember, he's Canadian they HAVE got a sense of humour! lol

Doc

 
At 1/16/2010 02:03:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Of course Neil most likely
thinks all of this is hilarious.
His sense of humor is well known.

I was just trying to get a rise
out of YOU Doc!

That is of course if you really
are Doc...

"Your papers please!"

 
At 1/16/2010 02:39:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You know what ? It makes me think about all these NY tribute bands ! But fortunately, here it's a joke...
smell the horse

 
At 1/16/2010 07:57:00 PM, Blogger doc said...

Well, looks like the "fun Police" have turned up! lol

Yeah righto Thrash, I suppose it was a bit "below the belt"
I was just giving Anonymous my credentials..what was harmful in that?
At no time were my "pants on the ground!" lol

doc

 

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