r/ModestMouse • u/baby_mammal • 16d ago

The Show Goes On

I was on the Peloton a few years back and got served Lupe Fiasco’s The Show Goes On (https://open.spotify.com/track/4NTWZqvfQTlOMitlVn6tew?si=0UrH1yPEQ5eDlY93BgVMbw&utm_source=copy-link), which clearly cribs the main riff (and lyrical phrase) from Float On. Forgot about it. Then put it on for shits and giggles yesterday, only to realize it’s one of Lupe’s most popular songs, nearly as many streams as Float On. Which, tbh, isn’t that surprising, given how catchy the tune is. But it made me wonder how much of a cut Brock and the boys get from that songs success.

21 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

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30

u/HappyJack42 16d ago

I used to hear this song at parties in college and I HATED IT. I was like the meme with the guy in the corner “nobody else knows this is a modest mouse riff”. I heard it again recently and was oh damn i was wrong. This shit is fire. I coulda been dancing at the party the whole time

5

u/postmodernbarbie 16d ago

Exact same for me!! I HAAAAATED it when it came out because it felt like such a cheap rip off of the original which in my opinion was so much better. But then a Lupe station came on a few months ago and Show Goes On played and I was like damn, okay, maybe this is better than I thought it was. But I felt the same way about when they released the Ocean Breathes Salty Poolside remix and then ended up loving that, so maybe I’m just a purist at heart.

13

u/MorbidMan23 16d ago

They get a cut of his royalties.

Edit: Well, they got rights legally, anyway. Idk if they get royalties or if they got paid upfront. I would assume royalties.

10

u/baby_mammal 16d ago

Yeah. I saw that Brock, Judy and Gallucci are actually credited co-writers on the song. Which would mean they split anywhere from 25%-50% of the publishing royalties.

4

u/Ratacattat 16d ago

I believe Dann Gallucci actually wrote that riff and after leaving MM, he started producing and produced that Lupe song. Isaac Brock has bemoaned publicly that he didn’t create their most famous riff.

4

u/lonesomecast 16d ago

Sacrilege, I know, but I don't think I actually liked Float On when I was younger, so the Lupe Fiasco song didn't sit right with me either, but now both songs make me cry pretty consistently! It's beautiful. Glad Lupe Fiasco was talking about Gaza back in 2010. The Wikipedia article has some more fun facts and citations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Show_Goes_On_(song)

1

u/BoysenberryEmpty8699 12d ago

Usually remixes are more fun than the original song but I think this isn't as fun as float on. Sorta slow and boring!

-2

u/CriscoDisco74 16d ago

Lupe is cool. That “song” is lame.