The Chicago Bulls were really bad this weekend. After letting the Sixers climb back into the game after having them up big in the 3rd quarter, they simply didn’t show up against the Celtics and fell to this sub-par team. Instead of ranting about the Chicago Bull’s dismal performances, I’m going to take my post-weekend article in an entirely new direction.
In honor of the Chicago Bull’s 2014-2015 campaign, Chicago natives Lupe Fiasco and Fallout Boy collaborated to concoct a theme song for this squad entitled ‘Only the Bulls’. The new song is a remake of an outdated version of a song with the same title. Our esteemed editor here at Pippen A’int Easy already wrote an article about this development, but in case you still aren’t aware of the existence of the new song, here it is.
So, when I first heard that Fallout Boy and Lupe Fiasco were teaming up to create a song about the Chicago Bulls, I was extremely pumped about the product that they would produce. But, unfortunately the outcome is somewhat disappointing, they missed the mark slightly.
I was expecting the song to be more heartfelt, more focused on the fight that has characterized this Chicago Bull’s franchise. The song produced by Lupe and Fallout Boy isn’t inspirational; it doesn’t make me proud to be a Bulls fan or inspire me to put the work in so I too can reach my dreams like the Chicago Bull’s players have. Basically, a pop rendition like the song in question, doesn’t embody the Chicago Bull’s franchise. They are more of a hip-hop or rap type of team rather than a pop team.
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“Only the Bulls” seems more fitting as “Only the Heat”. The flashy, pop-like personality of the song seems more fitting for a team like the formerly Lebron-led Heat who, in Joakim Noah’s words, are “Hollywood as Hell”. A flashy team that steals the headlines like the Houston Rockets, LA Clippers or Cleveland Cavaliers (all referring to the teams of this season), embody the vibe of “Only the Bulls” more-so than the blue-collar hard working Chicago Bulls.
So, in light of the release of ‘Only the Bulls’, I’d like to propose a series of songs that would serve better as the theme song of the best franchise in the NBA, the Chicago Bulls.
First, here are some songs by hit artists that weren’t written about the Chicago Bull’s or anything but the message of the song really speaks to what the current team is all about.
1. Battle Scars, Lupe Fiasco, Guy Sebastian
Lupe Fiasco tried with ‘Only the Bulls’, but some of his other songs that he wrote earlier in his musical career do a better job of conveying the image that the Chicago Bull’s organization is trying to sell itself with. The song was released in the summer of 2012, only a couple months after Derrick Rose infamously tore his ACL in a playoff game against the Philidelphia 76ers? Could Lupe have been thinking about the Chicago Bull’s and Derrick Rose’s comeback when producing the lyrics on the track? Hmmm.
The youtube version that I’m going to show is ‘Battle Scars’ being set to Derrick Rose highlights. The song technically lacks affiliation with the Chicago Bulls, the producer of the video just decided to couple a Derrick Rose video mix with this particular song.
2. Lose Yourself, Eminem
The famous white rapper resides from Detroit Michigan and lacks the connection with the Chicago area like Lupe so it is unlikely that his song has any inclination towards the Chicago Bull’s. It is just extremely ironic that this song describes the Chicago Bulls perfectly: A tight-knit group of guys that lose themselves in the moment when they are playing the game of basketball by giving it all they have every single game.
3. The Fighter, Gym Class Heroes and Ryan Tedder
The title of the song is an immediate giveaway for why it would serve as a good theme song for your Chicago Bulls. The official music video highlights the story of Olympic gymnast John Orozco which is understandable because the man has a very inspirational story. However, the song could, although it probably wouldn’t, be remade to follow the story of Derrick Rose or Joakim Noah.
Over the years, various artists have done their part to produce songs specifically targeted at celebrating the accomplishments of the Chicago Bulls. Late at night when I’m no doing anything but don’t want to go to bed, I peruse youtube and over the years have come across some good songs dedicated to the Chicago Bulls.
1. Black and Red, Paypa
It is a remake of Black and Yellow with the same beat and instrumental orientation but different lyrics. The song is more of a tribute to the City of Chicago but the Bulls are specifically mentioned several times. It isn’t the best song, probably inferior to the attempts of Lupe and Fallout Boy, but nonetheless it is one of the only songs out there that targets the Chicago Bulls specifically.
Warning: explicit language in the form of the use of the ‘N’ word.
Now, duh duh duh duh!, we arrive at the best Chicago Bulls tribute song ever created. Yes, it is outdated and the lyrics are somewhat elementary in nature. But, I like the fact that every player is mentioned and the song creates a sense of unfinished business and also delves into the spirit of team in terms of their willingness to work and fight to accomplish their goals.
Big Time Players by Young Beebe
Imagine a remix of this song updated to accommodate for the revamped lineup of this season!
In other news, in case you haven’t noticed, the infamous “running of the Bulls” that starts out each Chicago Bull’s game the right way has been dramatically altered this season. The Bulls run on the side of buidlings, and underneath the subway train. The bull herd doesn’t destroy the opposing teams’ bus in front of the United Center either. Bad call by the Chicago Bulls; the old theme was greatly superior to the new one.
Lets not forget a midst all this talk of the new theme song, that the Chicago Bull’s real theme song never left. The Allen Parson’s Project theme song played during the video of the running of the Bulls and the starting lineup has remained a constant for years. This shouldn’t change because the tradition that this song has for being played in the United Center.
I hope everybody enjoyed my deviation away from the mainstream topics usually written on this media platform! I really enjoyed writing this article and hope that all of you guys enjoy my work!
It is your turn to weigh in! What do you think of ‘Only the Bulls’ by Lupe Fiasco and Fallout Boy? Can you think of any other songs that would serve the Bulls well as the team’s theme song? Please comment!