Muhammad Ali in Media and Popular Culture - Music

Music

• In 1976 Ali released the album Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay, to educate children about the dangers of tooth decay. The album was narrated by Howard Cosell, with guest appearances by Frank Sinatra and Richie Havens. A sequel Ali and His Gang vs. Fat Cat the Dope King was planned, but apparently never released.
• Ali himself released a 45rpm version of the song "Stand by Me" (written by Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller), a track which also featured on his 1963 Columbia album I am the Greatest (released under the name Cassius Clay).
• Bob Dylan composed a song which referenced the young Cassius Clay "I Shall be Free No. 10" from the 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan featuring the lyrics: I was shadow-boxing earlier in the day; I figured I was ready for Cassius Clay; I said "Fee, fie, fo, fum, Cassius Clay, here I come; 26, 27, 28, 29; I'm gonna make your face look just like mine; Five, four, three, two, one, Cassius Clay you'd better run; 99, 100, 101, 102; your ma won't even recognize you; 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19; gonna knock him clean right out of his spleen.
• In December 1969, Ali appeared on Broadway in the musical Buck White. The show ran for just seven performances; but Ali and the cast performed the number "We Came in Chains" on The Ed Sullivan Show.
• In Tom Lehrer's satirical song "National Brotherhood Week", Lehrer speculates that for the occasion Cassius Clay would dance "cheek to cheek" with Mrs Wallace.
• In 1970, Skeeter Davis recorded "I'm a Lover (Not a Fighter)" about a wife frustrated with fighting with her husband. The chorus is "I'm a lover,/Not a fighter./I kinda like it that way./If you want a fighting partner,/Go live with Cassius Clay."
• In 1971, New York singer Vernon Harrell released a record about him called "Muhammed Ali" (sic) (Brunswick Records #55448) as Verne Harrell. This misspelling of Ali's name was printed on the labels of the 45s.
• In 1975, a song about Ali titled "Black Superman (Muhammad Ali)" was recorded by British reggae group Johnny Wakelin & the Kinshasa Band. Ali did not approve of the song and completely shunned it.
• In 1981, Dutch guitarist Harry Sacksioni composed and played a song called "Ali's Shuffle".
• The Fabulous Thunderbirds' 1986 song Tuff Enuff contains the reference, "I'd climb the Empire State / Fight Muhammad Ali / Just to have you, baby / Close to me."
• The Freakwater song "Louisville Lip" on their 1998 album Springtime is a tribute to Muhammad Ali framed around the story Ali told in his 1975 autobiography about tossing his gold medal into the Ohio River after being refused service in a nearby diner.
• In his early 20s, singer-songwriter and piano impressario Ben Folds wrote the song "Boxing", a fictional monologue by Muhammad Ali to Howard Cosell pondering the end of his fighting career. The song was inspired by Folds' father's love of the sport. The song was eventually recorded and appeared on Ben Folds Five's eponymous album (1995). It has also appeared in a live version on the album Naked Baby Photos (1998), a solo version by Folds on iTunes Originals - Ben Folds (2005), and in a symphonic version with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra on the DVD Ben Folds and WASO Live in Perth (2005). The song has also been covered by a number of artists, most notably Bette Midler on her album Bathhouse Betty (1998).
• The R. Kelly song "World's Greatest" is a tribute to Muhammad Ali and it is featured on the soundtrack to the 2001 motion picture Ali. In 2002, the song peaked at #34 on Billboard's Hot 100 US singles chart and at #4 on the UK singles chart. The song's video features archived footage of Ali as well as an homage to the firefighters, law enforcement officers and emergency medical workers regarded among the greatest heroes of the rescue operations necessitated by the events of 9/11.
• The British dance band Faithless recorded a song titled "Muhammad Ali" which was released as a single on September 23, 2001. The single reached #29 on the UK singles chart. The song was included on their 2001 album Outrospective.
• In 2001, he was mentioned (under the name Cassius Clay) in the lyrics to De Phazz's Death By Chocolate album in the song "Something Special".
• In their debut 2006 album, British Indie band The Hours mention Ali in their song "Ali in The Jungle".
• Australian alternative band Butterfingers mention Cassius Clay in their song "Fig Jam"
• A line from LL Cool J's 1991 single "Mama Said Knock You Out" off of his album of the same name goes: "Just like Muhammad Ali, they called him Cassius"
• Muhammad Ali appears in the music video for "How Far We've Come" by Matchbox Twenty in an old black and white videoclip of him boxing.
• Japanese rock band the pillows released a song on their 2001 album Smile called "Monster C.C," the C.C standing for "Cassius Clay." The ending bridge contains the repeated line, "What's my name?" In another song, "Hello, Welcome to Bubbletown's Happy Zoo" the group quotes Ali with lines "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."
• The Tori Amos song "Professional Widow" contains the lyrics "Beautiful angels calling/"we got every re-run of Muhammad Ali""
• 50 Cent references Ali in the song "Many Men" using the lyrics "I'm the greatest, something like Ali in his prime"
• T.I. references Ali in the song "No Matter What" using the lyrics "Ali say even the greatest gotta suffer sometime"
• In Billy Joel's 1978 album, 52nd Street, Ali is mentioned in the opening lines of the song "Zanzibar".
• In Will Smith's album Big Willie Style in the song "Gettin Jiggy With It" Ali is mentioned : "See me on the fifty line yard with the Raiders, met Ali, told me I'm The Greatest"