Song · Beastie Boys
“Jimmy James” by Beastie Boys
From the EP Frozen Metal Head (1992)
“Jimmy James” by Beastie Boys appears on 5 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 2002 and 2024. It was first released in 1992 on the EP Frozen Metal Head. Its best result is #37 on The Best Opening Tracks of All Time. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #5,416 alternative song of all time.
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Video from YouTube (BeastieBoys). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Jimmy James" became the third single from Check Your Head, the Beastie Boys' third album, and it also turned up on the 1992 Frozen Metal Head EP on Capitol and Grand Royal. The writing credit spreads across Ad-Rock, Mike D and Adam Yauch plus Mario Caldato Jr. and Ed Chalpin.
The video is officially the work of Nathanial Hörnblowér, the director alter ego Yauch liked to hide behind, though the band's Sabotage tape also credits Lisa Ann Cabasa, an actress and Yauch's girlfriend at the time, who staged the dance sequences and shows up as one of the silhouetted dancers. The song's reach went beyond the charts: the NewsRadio character Jimmy James, played by Stephen Root, took his name from it.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1264 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 1834 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2019 | 606 | KEXP | KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time | 627 |
| 2021 | 584 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s | 908 |
| 2024 | 37 | KEXP | The Best Opening Tracks of All Time | 738 |
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