Your Life's A Cartoon

Album: released as a single (1988)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Backed with "Underwater Rimes," "Your Life's A Cartoon" was the first Digital Underground single, and the song that earned them a recording contract.

    Group leader Shock G wrote the song in 1987 and recorded a demo at a studio provided by Chopmaster J, who became a member of Digital Underground as a drum programmer, promotion man and business coordinator. Shock planned to make copies of the song for his friends, but Chopmaster had bigger ambitions. He sent it to his friend at the local label TNT Records, which had them make a proper recording and released the single in 1988. This single got the attention of Tommy Boy Records, which signed the group and released their first album, Sex Packets, in 1990.
  • The song incorporates the Pink Panther theme along with various other cartoon elements (including a laugh track) to form the track. The lyrics, however, are not exactly whimsical. The song is about a guy who cheats on his wife, later to discover that she cheated on him in return. As his life falls apart, he is left to ponder his poor choices. His life is a cartoon because he didn't take it seriously.
  • This got some exposure on the San Francisco radio station KMEL on their new music showcase "Kiss It or Diss It." The listeners kissed it, which gave the song and the group a vote of confidence.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

In The Cards

In The CardsSong Writing

Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.

Grunge Bands Quiz

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?