Album: Three Dollar Bill Y'all (1997)

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Songfacts®:

• This song is historically significant for two reasons:
  1) It was Limp Bizkit's first single.
  2) They paid to get it on the air.
  
  Primed by Korn, the band came on the scene when the fusion of rap and hip-hop was building momentum. "Counterfeit" didn't have any chart impact, but the Three Dollar Bill Y'all album would go on to sell over 2 million copies, with the band's cover of George Michael's "Faith" being their breakthrough single.
  
  Since the band was unknown, radio stations had no interest in playing "Counterfeit." To get it heard, their record company paid KUFO, a radio station in Portland, Oregon, $5000 to play it 50 times. The deal was legal because the station ran a disclaimer before the song saying that it was paid for by Flip/Interscope Records. The airplay on KUFO helped launch the career of Limp Bizkit, whose second album, Significant Other, sold over 7 million copies.
• The song is about how people try to be "cool" and be something they are not. When Limp Bizkit started out, rock bands that wore tight clothes and had long hair gave LB a hard time because they were trying to be "black" and were not like the rest of rock music world. When Limp Bizkit became more well known, other rock bands began to copy their style - wearing baggy pants, acting ghetto and rapping in their songs. Fred Durst thought, "Okay, when we were nothing you hated us, and now that we're popular you just have to start acting like us even though you use to hate us. That's not right." >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Nick - Paramus, NJ

Comments: 18

• Luke from Manchester, United KingdomKorn were influenced by Rage Against The Machine, not Rage.
  Rage are a German thrash metal band.
  
  Bob Dylan didn't rap and he didn't play rock. His words rhymed because he was a poet and he played folk music or "protest songs".
• Zero from Nowhere, NjOh, yeah and Biohazard did it too along with many hardcore-punk bands that sang in that style. Anyway, Bob Dylan was the first rap-rocker, okay, I'll shut up now...........
• Zero from Nowhere, NjThe songfact is correct as far as what the band said it's about, but claiming that Limp Bizkit is the band that inspired all the other rap-metal bands is really the other way around. Bizkit was influenced by KoRn and hed p.e. (yes, hed p.e., look it up), KoRn were influenced by Rage, Faith No More, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, who each had their own influences. Every band has their influences but Bizkit did not invent Rap-Metal they just poularized it.
• Jimbo from Tahlequah, OkJust the fact he,s and band aren't geeks like Korn in High School! Bizkit speak, deep and brought it the only way they knew how? Real!man this world is filled up with 90 percent of haters! That aint ever even come close to doing what limp did or can do!
• Kelsey from Rustburg, VaOK i have LB Greatest hits... I'm a fan I guess... But they aren't hard core enough for me... They were taught by KoRn after Durst did Fieldy's tattoo... But they're kinda an insult to Korn to think they they're connected at all...
• Evin from Cork, IrelandDespite LBs crapiness, "Everything" the last song on $3 Bill, is still class a song...
• Austin from Smallsville,new England, --$3 Bill Y'all(ok), Significant Other(good)Chocalate starfish(mediocre) everything else horrible.
• Austin from Smallsville, NeA lot of natural harmonics
• Daniel from Ada, OkThis is song is similiar to the KoRn song called "Fake." It talks about the the phoniness in people. I like all of the Limp Bizkit albums, but I don't have a favorite one. I agree with the all of the above comments. So who likes STAIND?
• Chris from Mansfield, Txplus cover the nirvana song "you know you're right" and add all those rap stuff in and mess the song up. the power and anger of nirvana version is disappear.
• Chris from Mansfield, Txthis band is cheap. they just took the song from the who(behind blue eyes) and without giving credit to them.
• Mike from Newark, NjI agree with the rest of the comments. Limp Bizkit from 3 dollar bill was original and awesome. Then, biggest sellout ever. But counterfeit remains one of my all-time favorites. I wish I never even bought significant other. It remains the only album out of about 300 i've bought I ever sold to a used CD place. Glad they took it, they probably had plenty.
• Francv from Chicago, IlLimp Bizkit is the benchmark of sucking. It doesn't get much worse.
• Alex from Nunya, CaA great example of a sellout.
• Joe from El Paso, TxThe Limp Bizkit from $3 Bill Y'all is one the most influential and orginal bands ever. The Limp Bizkit of now are cheap and predictable.
• Belinda from Miami, FlIt's true. $3 Bill Y'all is a lot angrier and screamy.
• Nick from Paramus, NjThe songs on the $3 Bill are heavier then the stuff they would release afterwords.
• X from X, MsKeep Rollin'

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