Meaning of “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” by Beastie Boys

You ever come across a popular musician bitching and moaning about touring being stressful, hard work or otherwise unpleasant? Well don’t count the Beastie Boys amongst that lot, as the verses of “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” are dedicated to the vocalists celebrating their hard-chillin’, celebrity lifestyle on the road. 

And their recollections reflect that type of activities many of us imagine famous singers engage in while out and about, such as partaking of travel and hot women, furthermore “getting paid along the way” for the effort. 

There’s also the mention of another stable of such stereotypes, that being drugs, though in that regard the focus is put on the crew’s manager who “always smokes dust” (which, it has been noted, is a reference to Russell Simmons). 

So the Beastie Boys liken “touring around the nation” to “always [being] on vacation”. And with that in mind, in the first verse, MCA and the gang even proceed to taunt those of us who are instead relegated to “working 9-to-5”.

There’s also a wilding element to this piece. The lyrics don’t particularly harp on that notion, besides MCA pointing out in the second verse that he and the homeys regularly ‘trash hotels’. But you can tell that the crew is a wild bunch by the very delivery of this song.

And speaking of its delivery, it should be pointed out that the Beastie Boys weren’t a heavy metal act. But in the case of “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”, according to Adam Dubin, who co-produced this track’s music video, this entire effort is meant to “sort of poke fun at heavy metal”.

Brooklyn

Also to note, the Beastie Boys weren’t necessarily based in Brooklyn as they were in nearby Manhattan. 

One of their members, that being the MCA, was “born and bred in Brooklyn”, as he verifies in the third verse. But Mike D and Ad-Rock grew up in New York City proper, i.e. Manhattan, under well-to-do parents. Also to note, this song was dropped a couple of decades before the gentrification of Brooklyn that we’ve been witnessing in the 21^st century.

But it isn’t as if the lot are actually claiming BK as their hometown anyway. Brooklyn is a part of New York City, being within walking distance of Manhattan. So the homeys obviously perceived both boroughs as being their hometown. And all lyrics considered, the title is meant to point to the idea that the touring party which the gang is enjoying is not going to stop until they reach home.

“No sleep ’til
No sleep ’til Brooklyn”

Facts about “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”

The title of this song was inspired “No Sleep ‘’til Hammersmith”, i.e. the name of Motörhead’s 1981 live album.

The guitarist on this song is Kerry King, a genuine hard work artist, who was a member of the long-standing thrash metal band Slayer.

This song charted in a handful of countries in Europe, most notably peaking at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart.

“No Sleep Till Brooklyn” was produced by the Beastie Boys in conjunction with Rick Rubin who, although not a member of the crew, ran hard with them earlier in both of their respective careers. For instance, he also co-produced “Licensed to Ill”, the Beastie Boys debut album, from which this single is derived. 

Moreover, this song was released on 15 November 1986 through Columbia Records and Def Jam Records, and that latter label was co-founded by Rubin, who was still a Def Jam executive at the time.

This track’s music video was directed by Ric Menello (1952-2013) and Adam Dubin. According to Simone Reyes, who was a receptionist at Def Jam, it was filmed at a popular nightclub called The World which was actually found in Manhattan, not nearby Brooklyn.

Success

This song has been covered live by Bob Dylan (in 2007) and Jay-Z (in 2009). It also held the distinction of being the official anthem of the 2013 edition of the MTV Video Music Awards, which was held in Brooklyn, at the Barclays Center.  And amongst other utilizations, “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” found its way onto two of the biggest films of 2023, those being Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Who wrote “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”?

The Beastie Boys are individually credited with writing this song with Rick Rubin. At the time, the crew consisted of two of the act’s co-founders, Mike D and MCA, alongside Ad-Rock, who joined shortly thereafter, in 1982. That trio would proceed to hold down the Beastie Boys’ brand until 2012, when MCA passed away at the age of 47, an event that lead to the act’s prompt and apparently permanent dissolution.