Helena Frye
Basketball Jones is a song by Cheech and Chong that first appeared on their 1973 album, Los Cochinos. The song is about a baby who is the best dribbler (or drooler) in town and grows up with a love of basketball. The song was inspired by an experience shared with actor Jack Nicholson and features a cameo from George Harrison, who was in the neighbouring studio at A&M Studios in Los Angeles. The song was also covered by Barry White and Chris Rock in the 1996 film Space Jam.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Song Name | Basketball Jones |
| Artists | Cheech and Chong |
| Album Name | Los Cochinos |
| Year of Album Release | 1973 |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Song Inspiration | Jack Nicholson and the song "Love Jones" by Brighter Side of Darkness |
| Song Theme | Basketball |
| Song Lyric | "Basketball Jones, I got a Basketball Jones" |
| Musicians | George Harrison, Carole King, Billy Preston, Tom Scott, Klaus Voormann, Nicky Hopkins, Jimmy Karstein, Jim Keltner, and Michelle Phillips |
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What You'll Learn
'Basketball Jones' by Cheech and Chong
"Basketball Jones" is a song by the comedy duo Cheech and Chong that first appeared on their 1973 album "Los Cochinos". The song is about a baby who is the best dribbler (drooler) in town and grows up with a love of basketball. The song was inspired by an experience shared with actor Jack Nicholson, in which Cheech and Chong found themselves in Nicholson's car, late for a Lakers game.
"Basketball Jones" was released as a single in August 1973 and reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the only spoof to peak higher than the corresponding original. The song is a parody of the No. 16 Billboard Hot 100 song "Love Jones" by Brighter Side of Darkness. In the album version, the song is preceded by a mock interview with a basketball coach named "Umgwana Kickbooti". The song's opening lyric, "basketball jones, I got a basketball jones", references "jones" as slang for craving or addiction.
The song was sung in falsetto by Cheech Marin, playing the title character Tyrone (as in "tie-your-own") Shoelaces. Musicians who appeared on the record included George Harrison, Billy Preston, Tom Scott, Klaus Voormann, Nicky Hopkins, Carole King, and Jim Keltner. The Blossoms and Michelle Phillips (from The Mamas & the Papas) performed vocals as cheerleaders on the track. The song was covered by Barry White and Chris Rock and appeared in the 1996 film Space Jam. It also appeared in a 2008 trailer for House of Payne and in a 2011 episode of The Simpsons.
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The song's 1973 release
"Basketball Jones" is a song by the comedy duo Cheech and Chong that first appeared on their 1973 album, "Los Cochinos". The song is about a baby, Tyrone Shoelaces, who is the best "dribbler" (or "drooler") in town and grows up to be obsessed with basketball. The song was inspired by an experience Cheech and Chong shared with actor Jack Nicholson. One day, the trio found themselves in Nicholson's car, late for a Lakers game. During the journey, Nicholson drove "a good mile into oncoming traffic" while the Chicago song "Love Jones" (1972) played on the radio.
"Basketball Jones" is a parody of the song "'Love Jones' by Brighter Side of Darkness. In the album version, the song is preceded by a mock interview with a basketball coach named "Umgwana Kickbooti", parodying a Wide World of Sports interview conducted by a character named "Red Blazer". The song's opening lyric, "Basketball Jones, I got a basketball Jones", references "Jones" as slang for craving or addiction. A "basketball Jones", therefore, refers to loving basketball so much that it overtakes all other thoughts.
The song was recorded at A&M Studios in Los Angeles and featured an array of musicians, including George Harrison, Billy Preston, Tom Scott, Klaus Voormann, Carole King, Nicky Hopkins, Jim Karsten, and Jim Keltner. Michelle Phillips and The Blossoms provided vocals, credited as "The Cheerleaders". The song was a surprise hit, breaking into AM radio and peaking at #15 on the Hot 100. It helped "Los Cochinos" earn the 1974 Grammy for Best Comedy Recording.
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Los Cochinos album
"Basketball Jones" by Cheech and Chong, featuring Tyrone Shoelaces, first appeared on the 1973 album "Los Cochinos". Sung in falsetto by Cheech Marin, playing the character Tyrone (as in "tie-your-own") Shoelaces, the song tells the story of Shoelaces' love of basketball. It is a parody of the song "Love Jones" by Brighter Side of Darkness. The song was inspired by an experience shared with actor Jack Nicholson. One day, Cheech and Chong found themselves in Nicholson's car, late for a Lakers game. The actor, remembered as a "maniac" driver, drove "a good mile into oncoming traffic". While this was happening, the Chicago song "Love Jones" (1972) came on the radio.
In the album version, the song is preceded by a mock interview with Jones' basketball coach, "Umgwana Kickbooti", in a parody of a Wide World of Sports interview conducted by a character named "Red Blazer". The song's opening lyric, "Basketball Jones, I got a basketball Jones", references "Jones" as slang for craving or addiction. A "basketball Jones" thus refers to loving basketball so much that it overtakes all other thoughts.
"Los Cochinos" earned the 1974 Grammy for Best Comedy Recording. The song was a surprise hit and helped Cheech and Chong realise that they could make successful singles. The song also broke into AM radio, hitting #15 on the Hot 100.
The song features an impressive list of musicians, including George Harrison, Billy Preston, Tom Scott, Klaus Voormann, Carole King, Nicky Hopkins, Jim Karsten, and Jim Keltner. Michelle Phillips and The Blossoms sang backup, credited as "The Cheerleaders". Harrison played guitar, King played electric piano, Preston played organ, and Scott was on saxophone. The song came together at A&M Studios in Los Angeles after Lou Adler, the album's producer, played the song for Harrison, who was recording in the studio next door.
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Song's inspiration and meaning
"Basketball Jones" is a song by Cheech and Chong that first appeared on their 1973 album, "Los Cochinos". The song is about a baby who is the best dribbler (drooler) in town and grows up with a love of basketball that becomes an obsession. The song was inspired by an experience Cheech and Chong shared with actor Jack Nicholson. One day, while in Nicholson's car, the trio were late for a Lakers game and the actor, remembered as a "maniac" driver, drove "a good mile into oncoming traffic". While this was happening, the 1972 Chicago song "Love Jones" came on the radio.
The song is sung in falsetto by Cheech Marin, playing the title character Tyrone (as in "tie-your-own") Shoelaces. In the album version, the song is preceded by a mock interview with a basketball coach named "Umgwana Kickbooti", in a parody of a Wide World of Sports interview conducted by a character named "Red Blazer". The song's opening lyric, "Basketball Jones, I got a basketball Jones", references "Jones" as slang for craving or addiction. A "basketball Jones" thus refers to loving basketball so much that it overtakes all other thoughts.
The song was a surprise hit, breaking into AM radio and hitting #15 on the Hot 100. It helped "Los Cochinos" earn the 1974 Grammy for Best Comedy Recording. The song was covered by Barry White and Chris Rock in the 1996 film "Space Jam".
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Other famous musicians involved
"Basketball Jones" by Cheech and Chong featured several famous musicians in addition to the comedy duo. The song first appeared on their 1973 album "Los Cochinos".
George Harrison, of The Beatles, played guitar on the track. Harrison was inspired to join the project after hearing the song while recording in the studio next door. He said he "wanted to be part of it". Other famous musicians who appeared on the record included Harrison, Billy Preston on organ, Tom Scott on saxophone, Nicky Hopkins on piano, Carole King on electric piano, and Klaus Voormann. The Blossoms and Michelle Phillips (from The Mamas & the Papas) performed vocals as cheerleaders on the track.
The song was a parody of "Love Jones" by Brighter Side of Darkness, and told the story of Tyrone Shoelaces' love of basketball. It was a surprise hit, breaking into AM radio and hitting #15 on the Hot 100. It helped "Los Cochinos" earn the 1974 Grammy for Best Comedy Recording.
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Frequently asked questions
The song "Basketball Jones" by Cheech and Chong first appeared on the 1973 album Los Cochinos.
Musicians who appeared on the record included George Harrison, Billy Preston, Tom Scott, Klaus Voormann, Carole King, Nicky Hopkins, Jimmy Karstein, and Jim Keltner.
"Basketball Jones" featuring Tyrone Shoelaces tells the story of Shoelaces' love of basketball. It is about a baby who is the best dribbler (drooler) in town and grows up obsessed with basketball.
"Basketball Jones" is a parody of the No. 16 Billboard Hot 100 song "Love Jones" by Brighter Side of Darkness.
Yes, the song was covered by Barry White and Chris Rock in the 1996 film Space Jam.
